South Africa Cricket

Kagiso Rabada was the star of the show as South Africa bowled out England for 101 in the second innings of the fourth Test at Centurion to register a crushing 280-run victory on Tuesday.

When the 20-year-old dismissed Jonny Bairstow for 14 in the 29th over, he became the youngest person to record a 10-wicket haul for the Proteas in Test cricket, breaking a 64-year-old record.

The youngster took six for 32 in the second innings, to go with his first-innings figures of seven for 112 to equal a South African record.

Equals South African record for a match haul. 13 wickets. 20 years old. Kagiso Rabada ladies & gentlemen... pic.twitter.com/6DNs2Iu38T

— BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) January 26, 2016

They are the second-best figures in a Test match for his country, second only to Makhaya Ntini against the West Indies in 2005.

Twitter was awash with praise for Rabada:

South Africa's first win since January 2015 saw them avoid a whitewash in the series, with England securing a 2-1 victory.

[Twitter]

Morris flies again! #SAvsENG https://t.co/js7LsikVqh

— HoldingWilleyCricket (@holdingwilley) January 6, 2016

South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris took a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss England opener Alex Hales on the final day of the second Test in Cape Town.

A draw seemed inevitable after four days dominated by the bat, until Morris' athletic intervention reduced the tourists to 19-2 with a lead of just 21 runs.

Morris then bowled Joe Root soon after as South Africa sought a win to square the four-match series.

[Twitter: @holdingwilley]

As South Africa’s first meeting against England on Boxing Day in Durban edges ever closer, concern is looming ever larger. A contingent of Proteas batsmen were in action in South Africa’s four-day competition across the country in a bid to find some form after the battering they took in India. That has not materialised.

Unless South Africa are trying to play some sort of psychological game in which their batsmen look deliberately out of sorts to lull England into a false sense of security, a tough task awaits them in the first Test. Six of South Africa’s Test players were in action in the first round of domestic fixtures, and just one, Temba Bavuma, managed a half-century.

Here’s an overview of who did what and what they need to do to click before the first Test against England.

Stiaan van Zyl

Scores: 15 (25) and 21 (21)

Getting a start and failing to build from it seems to have become the most predictable part of Stiaan van Zyl’s career as an opener. His domestic side, the Cape Cobras, were beaten by an innings on their home ground to the Knights.

Both of Van Zyl’s dismissals—bowled and caught in the gully—were emblematic of a player who is clearly frustrated. There is nothing wrong with him technically, but he just persistently plays silly shots for no apparent reason.

Hashim Amla

Scores: 10 (45) and 23 (21)

The form of South Africa’s Test skipper, Hashim Amla, is perhaps the most concerning. In 18 innings across all formats, he has gone past the 50-run mark just once. This is almost unfathomable for a player who has always seemed to be able to score runs without even trying.

Like Van Zyl, Amla was his own worst enemy. The Newlands pitch did offer some assistance to the seamers, but these are the kinds of conditions South Africa’s players have grown up with. If this is how they respond to domestic bowlers, what kind of reaction will there be to the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad?

JP Duminy

Scores: 35 (84) and 27 (40)

JP Duminy managed something the previous two players did not: time at the crease. Although he doesn’t have many runs to show for it, Duminy at least managed to nudge his way around for the Cobras for a few hours.

He’s still got a long way to go—and both his dismissals could have been avoided—but if Duminy can build from this, there might be some hope for South Africa’s middle order.

Dane Piedt

Wickets: Four for 121

Because the Cobras were beaten by an innings, Dane Piedt managed to bowl in just one over. Encouragingly, he bowled more overs than any of the other bowlers in his side, and he managed to nab four wickets on a track that didn't offer the spinners much. That has always been one of Piedt's greatest strengths—being able to make something out of nothing.

His figures aren’t going to blow anyone away, but if he does play in Durban, the track should offer a bit more than Newlands did.

Dean Elgar

Scores: 0 (5) and 12 (26)

Before the tour of India, Dean Elgar looked like a good choice for South Africa's opener, but that perception has probably shifted somewhat after a torrid time in the subcontinent and a poor outing in the domestic competition. But all hope might not be lost for the opening berth. While South Africa’s opening pair failed in their domestic matches, another opener, Stephen Cook, notched up a half-century in England’s tour match.

With Elgar and Van Zyl both struggling for form, Cook must surely be on the selector’s radar. They have previously stated he is a bit on the old side and not conducive to building a team for the future, but if Elgar’s poor run of form continues, there might not be another choice.

Temba Bavuma

Scores: 57 (114) and 2 (14)

When judging purely by scores, Temba Bavuma was by far the most successful South Africa Test player to take part in domestic cricket over the weekend. However, like his teammates, Bavama was guilty of an unnecessary dismissal in the second innings.

Still, he’s a budding young Test player and almost certainly has a long Test career ahead of him. If he can learn from his mistakes, like he constantly seems to do, Bavuma could very well become one of South Africa’s leading players on this tour.

All information obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.

Records tumbled, fans marvelled and India could only watch on as South Africa piled on the runs in the first innings of the fifth ODI at Mumbai, India, on Sunday.

India will require a touch over 8.5 per over if they're to chase down South Africa's mammoth total of 438 for four and win the series.

Led by centuries for Quinton de Kock (109 runs off 87 balls), Faf du Plessis (133 off 115) and AB de Villiers (a ridiculous 119 off 61), not a single South African batsman scored at under a run a ball as the side posted the joint-third highest ODI total in history.

South Africa have now scored four of the format's six highest totals.

Opener De Kock got the visitors on their way, bashing 17 fours and one six on his way to 109, his second ton of the series.

But his dismissal only brought in the destructive De Villiers, who carved three fours and 11 sixes in his innings of almost two runs per ball.

AB de Villiers becomes the 1st player to hit 50 ODI sixes in a calendar year. #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/0O7ajolLiP

— Sampath (@SAMPATH_B24) October 25, 2015

And between the pair, a cramping Du Plessis went about his work comparatively quietly, making his way to 133 not out before retiring hurt.

It was the second time in 2015 that South Africa had posted three centuries in one innings.

The records were tumbling, even for those who failed to overly trouble the scorers.

Spare a thought for the bowlers, who endured a torrid afternoon in the sun.

There was even an unwanted century for Indian bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who ended with figures of one for 106 from 10 overs.

Kumar and his team-mates have to pick themselves up quickly if they're to mount any sort of challenge to the total.

And South Africa know full well that it's doable...

The context of the upcoming five-match ODI series between India and South Africa is non-existent. There is no looming one-day World Cup, both teams have already secured qualification for the Champions Trophy and rankings in limited-overs cricket mean little.

For South Africa, it does have the potential to serve a purpose, though. While the pain of flunking out of this year’s World Cup at the quarter-final stages should now be largely forgotten, they should be thinking about the future of this one-day team.

Central to that team, at least until the next World Cup, is AB de Villiers. South Africa’s one-day captain, the freakishly talented batsman, has showed what he can do when he opens the batting in Twenty20 cricket. Most recently, he scored a half-century against India in the first T20. The thinking behind De Villiers up the order in T20s is simple: The team’s best batsman should face the most balls.

Trying this strategy in one-day cricket is worth a shot, too, and can be possible with a few tweaks. In the early days of his one-day career, De Villiers batted an opener and had some success, including a century against the West Indies back in 2007.

But as his career has progressed, so has his responsibilities. As a captain and sometimes-wicketkeeper, De Villiers' one-day duties has meant that opening the batting would pile on the pressure.

However, where there is a will, there is a way.

Recently, Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock have opened the batting for South Africa. The pair have formed a formidable partnership, with Amla being calm and collected while De Kock takes the more aggressive approach.

De Kock’s recent loss of form brought something of a halt to that, but no sooner than you can say “wicket” did De Kock seemingly regain that form. After being dropped against Bangladesh, De Kock was sent away with the South African A team to play against the India A team in India. He responded with three centuries and should almost certainly return to international cricket against India in the first ODI over the weekend.

And that is exactly where the opportunity for De Villiers comes in. De Kock slotting back into the team can relieve some pressure from De Villiers, with De Kock taking over the gloves. Slotting the youngster in lower down the order will give him time to settle while De Villiers opens alongside Amla.

De Villiers will still have his captaincy duties, but there have been countless players who have done this double duty before. De Villiers also has the luxury of having many wise heads—including Amla—at his disposal to help him when it comes to marshalling the troops.

Make Ab de villiers open the innings & I bet he will make the First triple century in ODI cricket someday.

— Seerat (@Dream_Guy10) February 27, 2015

Make no mistake, De Villiers can be destructive no matter where he bats, but opening presents him with the opportunity not only to face the most balls, but also to have just a little bit of extra time to get settled in. Considering the outcome of this series is largely meaningless, there is no better time than now to experiment with De Villiers opening the batting in ODIs.

As if it needed conformation, Dale Steyn cemented his reputation as a legendary bowler on Thursday when he claimed his 400th Test scalp. He achieved the landmark in the joint-second fastest time—tied with Sir Richard Hadlee behind Muttiah Muralitharan. Steyn is the fastest to the landmark in terms of balls bowled.

Steyn has been the mainstay of the South African attack for a good few years now. His energy, accuracy and ability to set batsmen up have been key to South Africa’s success over the last decade.

Nobody on the list of bowlers to take 400 wickets has a strike rate anywhere near as good as Steyn’s. He is the only one with a strike rate below 50. While this might become less impressive as his career goes on, it is still a remarkable stat. It is even more remarkable when you consider Steyn plays in an era when more and more runs are scored on average per innings.

Steyn can also boast the fact he has more wickets on the subcontinent than any other bowler from outside the area.

You could spend days finding stats that highlight just how impressive Steyn’s record is, but all you really need to do is watch him.

Through it all, Steyn has remained humble, and stats aren’t exactly at the top of his priority list.

“I have never been a stats person,” he said about the achievement. “It’s nice to have these numbers, but I have had a lot better moments in my cricketing career. Winning games for my country has always been objective number one so the jobs not over yet. It’s cool. It’s nice to have 400.”

The South African pace ace didn’t even think he would ever get to this point in his career. And for a kid who preferred skateboarding to cricket in his early years, perhaps that’s not too much of a surprise. Luckily for South Africa, Steyn is now like a jack-in-the-box and never wants to stop.

“I want to play every game,” he said when asked about his next target. “I want to bowl again tomorrow and I want to bowl again the next time South Africa pick me. Anything can happen—I don’t set targets. I would’ve been happy if I had taken just one wicket in my international career. It’s enough to play for South Africa and take wickets for South Africa, and then I managed to get 400. I never thought that that would happen...ever in my life.”

Earlier this year, Steyn caused uproar when he said that he doesn’t want to “waste” balls bowling in Bangladesh, and after taking his 400th wicket, he admitted he went through a period in which he fell out of love with bowling.

“I love what I am doing right now, even if it’s in 40-degree heat and the ball is staying ankle high,” he said. “It’s [the ball] not bouncing and there’s no seam and it’s very slow, [but] I would rather be here than anywhere else right now. There was a period [after the IPL] when I actually didn’t want to have a ball in my hand. I think I just needed maybe two or three weeks to get that love back again.”

South Africa fans will be pleased the legend is back doing what he does best. With tough tours away to India and at home against England to come, Steyn has plenty of opportunities to enhance his legendary reputation even further.

All quotes obtained first hand.

Stiaan van Zyl's first stint as Test opener probably hasn’t gone quite as he hoped it would. After getting a good start in the first innings against Bangladesh, he was strangled down the leg side. His second dig was interrupted by rain, and he will have to wait until Saturday to either make his mark or wait around some more.

Following this Test, he will have one more match to get into the right frame of mind for what is likely to be a tough few months, not just for South Africa’s rookies, but even their senior batsmen.

Van Zyl was earmarked for the opening role when Alviro Petersen called it quits last year. Usually at three in the batting order, Van Zyl was promoted up the order by his franchise toward the latter part of South Africa’s domestic season this year.

He also opened the batting for the South African A team against the England Lions and had a pretty decent run. In the five games he opened, he scored 341 runs at an average of 42.62, with a century and two half-centuries to his name. Against England, he managed just one half-century, with 39 and one in his other two innings.

So far, Van Zyl has done nothing to suggest that he doesn’t belong at the top of the South African order, but his record in the sub-continent is fairly dubious. In 2010, he travelled to Bangladesh with the South African A team and scored just 36 runs in two first-class games. He logged similar results when he visited Sri Lanka.

In two games he managed 98 runs, 50 of those coming in one knock. On the tour to Sri Lanka, Van Zyl opened the batting. However, both of those assignments were five years ago, and Van Zyl has become a much-improved player since then, but South Africa have a pretty tough few months ahead.

First, they will travel to India for four Tests and then host England for four Tests over the summer. If the southpaw fails in India, South Africa might be tempted to look elsewhere for their next opener. But that would be foolish.

Curiously, South Africa’s domestic four-day competition does not start until 17 December, by which time preparations for the first Test against England will be well underway. Thus, there will be little to go on when it comes to judging who is in form and who is not in the longest format of the game.

But more importantly, they should show faith in a player who they have hand-picked to fill the opening role. South Africa does have a decent record of sticking with players, but when the pressure is on, it can sometimes make people do strange things.

Still, having Van Zyl in the opening berth against England in conditions that he is familiar with will be beneficial to the Proteas. Although he is not a regular opener, Van Zyl opened the batting on a number of occasions early in his career.

During the age-group stages of his career, including at the under-19 level, he opened the batting. He also opens regularly for his franchise in limited-overs cricket and most recently did so during the 2011-12 domestic Twenty20 season, scoring 444 runs at an average of 40.36, including a top score of an unbeaten 86.

There's a long way to go yet until the England series, but unless Van Zyl is injured, there is no reason South Africa should not stick with him until at least next year.