South Africa Cricket

To detract in any way from the brilliance of AB de Villiers' 148 at Newlands seems almost unnecessarily pessimistic.

He is undoubtedly one of the best batsmen in world cricket today, and his knock in South Africa’s third Test against the West Indies once again proved that.

Yet, South Africa's total could have been bulked up a fair bit more had their running between the wickets been slightly more cautious. Although this wasn’t a complete meltdown, needless run outs toward the end of the innings pegged back South Africa’s dominant progress just a touch.

South Africa finished their first innings on 421 all out, with a lead of 92 runs in tow. However, it could have been a very different picture were Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn not run out.

In the 110th over, Philander was the first to go. Philander squeezed the ball to midwicket, and despite knowing he is not the quickest between the wickets, he set off for a single and was caught just a few inches short. Philander is no fool with the bat and can more than hold his own against pace and spin. With plenty of time left in the game, there was no need to make any sort of risk.

Steyn followed not long after Philander, this time directly thanks to De Villiers. In the 121st over, De Villiers was clearly trying to get back on strike for the next one and set off for an unnecessary single, which caught his partner way short. So short, it did not even need to go up for a TV replay.

While De Villiers is a very good runner between the wickets, some of his batting partners are not so blessed.

The man himself has only been run out five times in his entire Test career, but on one day, he was directly involved in two. Perhaps that was down to De Villiers' eagerness to try and keep as much of the strike as possible. Considering he faced just 50 out of the 130 deliveries following his hundred, perhaps that would have helped, but he said that there was no such thinking.

I wasn’t thinking of getting on strike, I back both Vernon and Dale to score runs. All I was thinking about was getting some partnerships going. There were just some badly judged runs that cost. I would have liked us to get a few more runs on the board, but on a Newlands wicket, we’d have taken that lead if you told us that’s what we’d have.

West Indies are just a few runs off erasing the deficit and with plenty of time left in the game, they could still spring a surprise on South Africa. The visitors have applied themselves far more than anyone anticipated, and South Africa have their work cut out for them.

If the Test ends up coming down to just a few runs, the poor running could very well be something South Africa end up ruing.

All quotes and information obtained first-hand. 

South Africa established a first innings lead on day three of the third Test against West Indies in Cape Town.

The hosts made 421 in reply to WI's 329, a lead of 92, with AB de Villiers making 148.

The men from the Caribbean reached 88-2 in their second innings at stumps; a deficit of four.

The Proteas resumed on 227-3 and lost captain Hashim Amla, who had only added eight to his overnight 55, when he edged Jason Holder to Denesh Ramdin behind the stumps.

Temba Bavuma (15) missed out again as he played on to Shannon Gabriel to leave South Africa 313-5 at lunch.

De Villiers brought up his 21st Test century in the afternoon, off 144 balls with 11 boundaries, but he watched Stiaan van Zyl and Vernon Philander depart in consecutive overs.

Van Zyl had made 33 when he was trapped leg before by Marlon Samuels before Philander was run out for a duck, beaten at the bowler's end by Holder's throw from mid-wicket.

Two more wickets fell in the space of six balls with debutant Simon Harmer incorrectly adjudged lbw for 10 off Jerome Taylor before Dale Steyn was run out, without scoring, as a direct hit from Leon Johnson at cover left him stranded.

The innings was wrapped up on the brink of tea as De Villiers, with just Morne Morkel for company, was caught at long-on off Marlon Samuels after nearly five-and-a-half hours at the crease.

The tourists lost both openers before the close with Devon Smith (seven) gloving Morkel through to De Villiers, who grabbed a low catch to his right behind the stumps, and Kraigg Brathwaite (16) seeing his off-stump pegged back by off-spinner Harmer.

Johnson (37) and Samuels (26) saw West Indies through to stumps without further loss.

The Proteas lead the series 1-0 after an innings victory at Centurion.

Imagine being the player who has to step into the shoes of the greatest player a side has ever had. That’s exactly what Faf du Plessis has had to do since Jacques Kallis retired in 2013.

Although he had already proven himself as a man with mettle in other testing positions, Du Plessis officially took over as South Africa’s Test number three on the tour to Sri Lanka in 2014.

He's already averaged 61.00 in the eight innings he's batted at three. In his first innings in the position, in Sri Lanka last year, he was part of a crucial partnership with Dean Elgar. Together, they combined for a 125-run stand to help set the platform that would eventually lead South Africa to a 153-run victory. He scored just 80, but his time spent at the crease, 247 minutes in total, was crucial.

This year, in the Boxing Day Test in Port Elizabeth, he scored his first hundred at number three. In difficult conditions, with a slow and low pitch, he stayed at the crease for 335 minutes.

Slow and steady is how Du Plessis likes to do it in Test cricket, and that was evident once again on Saturday at Newlands. He didn’t go on to get a big score, managing just 68, but he spent two and a half hours at the crease and survived some aggressive bowling form the West Indies.

After Dean Elgar was out early, dismissed for eight, Du Plessis spent much of Saturday nudging his way around the park. Urgency was not required at this stage, and it allowed Du Plessis to play his natural game. His ability to adapt to situations and conditions is crucial in South Africa’s transition from the Jacques Kallis era.

A solid and reliable number three, who is as comfortable against the new ball, if the openers fail, as he is against the slightly older ball, is vital in Tests. Du Plessis has not occupied the number three slot for long, but he has showed that he is a versatile batsman who reads the game perfectly.

Patience is key, and Du Plessis has buckets of it. Out of the 122 balls he faced in his innings, 88 were dot balls. Although he lost that patience on Saturday, getting out as he tried to go after Sulieman Benn, he has settled into the role with aplomb, and he knows that he can only keep on getting better. At the close of play press conference, Du Plessis said:

I felt really good out there. I moved well and did the hard yards. As a number three, my role is to be as solid as possible, so for me it was disappointing not to go through to get the big score, but we now have the base to work from. I’ve set very high standards for myself.

Just 18 of his runs came in singles on Saturday, while a further 18 came in twos and threes. He bulked up the rest of his tally with eight boundaries, five of which came off Jason Holder. The ability to play different knocks, depending on the situation, is something that makes him invaluable to the team. Although he was needlessly dismissed in this Test, he had helped set the platform for South Africa to go on to a big target.

Du Plessis is far from completely settled in the number three spot, but he is blossoming in the role. If he continues at this rate, there’s no doubt that now, in the prime of his career, the runs will continue to flow.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

It’s not often that South Africa hands out four new Test caps in four consecutive Tests. In fact, the last time it happened was in the late 1950s.

Part of what has made the South African Test team so successful has been their consistency in selection, but over the last few months, that has been forced to change. Retirements, injuries and, most recently, poor form have seen new players ushered into the fray.

Simon Harmer, South Africa’s newest recruit, became the latest in the production pipeline to enjoy a fruitful return in his first international outing.

Harmer’s call-up might have come as a bit of a surprise, even to the man himself, who admitted as much at the close-of-play press conference.

"If you told me 10 days ago I’d be sitting here right now, I’d have slapped you. It was great to get the call up to the squad, but I had a feeling I wasn’t actually going to play. I always try to play things down a little and find the reasons I shouldn’t play, so I was surprised to be told the day before the start of the Test that I’d be replacing Imran (Tahir)."

Tahir earned a recall during the second Test in Port Elizabeth following an injury to Robin Peterson, but his lack of patience and inability to use his variations properly means that he is limited as a bowler in the longest format of the game.

Many expected Dane Piedt, the spinner who made his debut in Zimbabwe a few months ago, to return to Newlands, but that was not the case. Piedt has only just recovered from shoulder surgery, which ruled him out of action for three months. He has played one club game and one domestic game since returning, and there is an air of caution around getting him back to international action.

Therefore, it was the perfect time to give Harmer a run. Having finished second on the wicket-takers list last season and sitting second for this season, Harmer has been knocking on the selection door for quite some time. With one eye on this year’s fixtures, selectors thought it’d be a good option to see what the stockpile holds.

The Proteas have two Tests in Bangladesh and four in India coming up this year, so there is no better time to give their spin arsenal a run. While playing in turning conditions against players who are more accustomed to playing spin is a far bigger task than playing against an apathetic West Indies team, both have showed promise.

South Africa now have not one but two adequate spinners at their disposal. Piedt is a cunning spinner who can keep things tidy, while Harmer is slightly more attacking but equally cunning.

Having two reliable spinners in their arsenal is a notion which seemed inconceivable to South Africa just over a year ago. While the batting changes have been forced, South Africa have not been afraid to test the depth of their bowling line-up. Overall, though, the last four Tests have been a blessing in disguise for South Africa.

In Stiaan van Zyl, they have unearthed a gem of a batsman who can bat top or middle order. Temba Bavuma still has to prove himself with the bat, but his fielding has been exceptional.

Going into a demanding year of Test cricket, it can only be good news for the Proteas that their backup players perform consistently well.  

All quotes and information obtained firsthand.

West Indies reached 276-6 at stumps on Day 1 of the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

Debutant spinner Simon Harmer took three wickets as the tourists failed to capitalise on a flat pitch at Newlands.

West Indies won the toss and elected to bat but were reduced to 80-2 at lunch.

Kraigg Brathwaite was caught at gully off Dale Steyn after making just seven before fellow opener Devon Smith fell to the last ball before the adjournment as 25-year-old off-spinner Harmer pegged back his off-stump.

Leon Johnson brought up his second Test half-century but was trapped lbw by Harmer for 54 midway through the afternoon, before Marlon Samuels threw away his wicket on 43.

Samuels slapped part-time medium pacer Stiaan van Zyl to cover, and his first Test wicket meant the men from the Caribbean were 172-4 at tea.

Key man Shivnarine Chanderpaul departed to the first ball of the evening session, stumped off Harmer after making only nine, but Dinesh Ramdin and Justin Blackwood put on 94 for the sixth wicket.

Ramdin departed just before the close, lobbing a return catch to Steyn after making 53, but the recalled Blackwood remains 45 not out.

The Proteas lead the series 1-0 after an innings victory at Centurion.

Opposition bowlers must dread looking at South Africa’s batting lineup. Even if you get a wicket, you’re going to be the man responsible for bringing to the crease one of Faf du Plessis, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and, when he’s fit, JP Duminy.

It’s enough to make your eyes water, but that’s not all South Africa has going for them. While the bowling lineup is hardly to be scoffed at, the versatility of the quicks is often forgotten. However, at the second Test against the West Indies in Port Elizabeth, South Africa showed once again why they are the No. 1 Test team in the world.

After a painful three days, with rain delays and an impressive partnership between Kraigg Brathwaite and Marlon Samuels, who put together 176 runs, South Africa finally made a breakthrough on the fourth afternoon.

Vernon Philander started the car, trapping Samuels' leg before, and then Morne Morkel backed him up by getting Brathwaite caught in the slips.

On Day 3, when almost all of the day’s play was lost to rain, Allan Donald expressed his delight at having bowlers who can be so versatile when circumstances demand.

"Morne bowled an inspiring spell when he came on, it was a reminder that his lines around the wicket and the short ball barrage can do the damage. It's always hard work here at St. George's. Bowlers have to bowl two lengths on this track and you have to be creative in your thinking and stay very patient.  

"With Dale, he's the sort of bowler who picks his time and knows when to step it up and bowl at his optimum pace. Morne is completely different, but it requires skill and aggression."

There is not much South Africa’s bowlers could have done differently to get stuck into the Brathwaite and Samuels partnership. The visitors more than made up for the impatience which led to their undoing during the Centurion Test. Such are the ebbs and flows of Test cricket, and it’s the kind of thing that will get ordinary sides down.

But South Africa are no ordinary side. What distinguishes them from other teams is that they have the luxury of a versatile bowling attack, even without having a reliable front-line spinner.  

In Centurion, it was Philander and Dale Steyn which ripped the West Indies apart. At St. George’s, it was Morkel’s exploitation of varying lengths and aggressive bowling that did the trick. To have three bowlers who can all contribute on any given day, on any given surface, is a great luxury. Achintya D had an interesting take in comparing India's bowling "attack" to that of England and South Africa:

That South Africa have reached the No. 1 ranking without even having a full-time spinner, is testament to their greatness. Throughout their rise to the top, they have tried various spin options, but not a single one has cemented his spot as a premier go-to bowler. Pleasures of Intimacy notes South Africa's bowling attack is not limited to one seamer:

While Imran Tahir did contribute with three wickets in the first innings of the second Test against the West Indies, he was hardly persistently threatening. Dane Piedt made a stellar debut against Zimbabwe earlier in the year, but he is still a rookie and has only just returned from injury.

South Africa’s three-prong attack squad are all heading into their 30s, when this team does find a spinner to complement them, they’ll be living out their final years of Test cricket in even more glory than that which already enshrines them. Le mot jest feels the bowlers are "injecting fresh life" into the game:

For now, they will busy themselves with trying to get a result from a match which looked dead set for a draw. Having reduced the Windies from 231-3 to 275-9 in a matter of 14 overs on Day 4, South Africa do have the chance to eke out what seemed like an unlikely win at the start of play.

There is supposed to be some rain about on the final day but not so heavy that it will wash out entire sessions. If ever there was a side that could make such magic happen, it’s South Africa.

All quotes and information obtained firsthand.

As far as “transitional phases” go, South Africa aren’t doing too badly. Since Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis retired, South Africa have lost just two Tests. They have won a Test series in Sri Lanka for the first time in over a decade, and they have blooded two rookies without much trouble.

Since losing the experience of 283 Tests between two of their stalwarts combined, the difficulty of South Africa’s assignments have ranged from gruelling hikes to a walk in the park, but they have made just the right kind of adjustments to make it work.

First, they moved Faf du Plessis to No. 3, where he has scored three fifties in seven innings. He stands on the brink of scoring his first hundred in that position, having finished Day 1 against the Windies on an unbeaten 99.

After that shift, South Africa blooded Dane Piedt in Zimbabwe, and the spinner announced his arrival on the international stage with a wicket off his first ball. The pipeline continued to pump in Centurion with Stiaan van Zyl making his debut in the first Test against the Windies following an injury to JP Duminy. Van Zyl marked his international bow with a century.

At some point during the current Test in Port Elizabeth, Temba Bavuma will get a chance to try his hand at international cricket. Whatever happens to Bavuma on debut, South Africa can be quite pleased with the way they have handled the loss of two of their behemoths.

Even Dean Elgar, who started his international career by bagging a pair, has upped the ante since being appointed opener. In Sri Lanka, he scored a ton in his new role, and on Friday against a lacklustre West Indies attack, he notched up his career best Test score of 121. Since permanently shifting to the opening berth, Elgar has averaged 45.00 and scored two of his three career hundreds.

Through all of this, just one glaring flaw remains in South Africa’s line-up. Alviro Petersen’s form and approach has been woeful since he last scored a Test century back in January 2013. He averages just 24.26 since that Test and has scored just three half-centuries in 25 innings, and he consistently gets out for scores in the 20- to 30-run range.

Although everyone goes through a bad patch of form, it’s part and parcel of the game, but struggles can only go on for so long. At some point, players have to be forced to go back to basics, and that time has now come for Petersen. He is already 34 years old, and while many batsmen have had long and fruitful careers beyond that age, South Africa’s time to build their new-look team is now.

Moving Van Zyl up to open when JP Duminy returns from injury is the most logical step. With a busy year coming up for South Africa next year (they tour Bangladesh and India and then host England), it is important to allow new faces at least some time to settle.

Duminy won’t recover from injury in time to play in the third Test against the Windies, so Van Zyl has more than enough time to get his teeth into international cricket, but Petersen simply cannot be allowed any more chances. Dropping him for the next Test in Cape Town might seem somewhat harsh and would leave the team with plenty of inexperience, but in order to move forward it’s the best thing to do.

There is plenty of support from his teammates, but planning for the future should be South Africa’s number one priority.

It is, of course, entirely possible that Petersen himself will decide to call it a day on his own terms long before he is forced to. Seeing out his final playing years as a Kolpak cricketer is not the worst way to go. But only time will tell how the bell tolls.

All quotes and information obtained firsthand.

AB de Villiers will keep wicket for South Africa in the second Test against the West Indies in Port Elizabeth after Quinton de Kock was ruled out through injury. De Kock tore the ligaments in his ankle during the warm-ups of the Centurion Test and has been ruled out for six to eight weeks.

It seems the most logical solution. De Villiers took over the gloves for South Africa when Mark Boucher was forced to retire through injury and applied himself aptly. However, he has had issues with a back injury before, which could be aggravated by keeping wicket.

The track at St. George’s Park is slow and low. This means that keeping wicket is a notoriously difficult task. There’s a lot of bending up and down, which could have an impact on De Villiers.

While that would not be too much of a problem under normal circumstances, with a World Cup coming up it could come back to bite them. Should De Villiers’ back flare up due to the task of taking the gloves, South Africa will be in a whole lot of trouble. Not only will they be without their mainstay batsman for the World Cup, but there is also the risk that De Kock might not recover from his injury in time.

That, of course, is the worst-case scenario, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth thinking about. The selectors have opted for Rilee Rossouw as cover for De Kock, and while he is unlikely to play, it is a somewhat odd replacement.

If South Africa were pragmatic, they would have selected Morne van Wyk as cover.

Van Wyk has never played a Test and has an unremarkable first-class average of 36.99. However, he did crack the nod for South Africa's provisional World Cup team and has a wealth of experience domestically, with 450 caps across all formats.

Van Wyk was part of the 2011 World Cup side and is the most likely back-up should South Africa require cover for the World Cup.

Handing him a Test cap might seem like a stretch, but it would have allowed De Villiers some reprieve and given him a taste of international cricket should his services be required for the global competition starting in February.

None of that has transpired, though, and the Proteas will have to work with what they’ve got. However, even that is no longer straightforward. The simplest solution would have been to slot an extra bowler into the team to replace De Kock. Robin Peterson could have filled the role of a spinner as well as batting a bit, but that’s no longer possible.

Peterson picked up an injury during training on Tuesday, splitting the webbing on his bowling hand and needing two stitches. He has since been ruled out of contention and replaced by Imran Tahir. With St. George’s Park likely to offer more turn than in Centurion, South Africa have said that they feel a spinner is crucial. Faf du Plessis hinted at Tuesday’s press conference that there could be another new face in the team.

That means Temba Bavuma is likely to slot in lower down the order with Tahir coming in to replace Kyle Abbott. While South Africa are reluctant to have too many new faces in the side, there is no better time to blood a rookie than against a weakened West Indies attack. Bavuma looked shaky in Tuesday’s net sessions, but he has been knocking on the selection door for quite some time.

The players who have made their debuts in recent months have had great success, and Du Plessis credited the team environment for this on Tuesday. Whether there is a new face in the team or not, though, South Africa will be crossing everything in the hopes of nothing severe happening to De Villiers.

All information obtained firsthand.