South Africa Cricket

Up until now, Rilee Rossouw has had a horrible time in international colours. After four ducks in six games and failing to get past 36 in the other two, Rossouw looked like he might never live up to the hype that earned him a call-up. When things go so horribly wrong, it's easy to discard a player and send him back to domestic cricket school.  

That’s the easy answer, but sometimes a little bit of persistence can pay off big time. It might have been against a weakened Australian bowling line-up, but Rossouw has finally showed what he’s made of and what he can do.

Rossouw hit 78 off 50 balls to help South Africa to a seven-wicket win as they cruised to chase down 145. On his T20 debut, Rossouw passed his highest score in any T20 game and became only the fifth ever batsman to score 70 or more on T20I debut. 

He was also the 13th ever to score a half-century on debut. It was impressive and while he still has a lot to prove on the international stage, at least he now has a monkey off his back. Credit has to go to the South African selectors for persisting with Rossouw. It would have been easy to draft in another player, perhaps one who had played international cricket before, but they are clearly thinking towards the future.  Rossouw is only 25 years old, but he has tremendous potential.

Consistency in selection is something the South African selectors have become very good at. While Rossouw was rollicking along, at the other end was an example of how their selections had paid off.  Quinton de Kock, only 21 years of age, had very quickly become the senior batsman. While he and Rossouw have a similar approach to batting, De Kock took a more “anchor” role during their 129-run stand.

De Kock, too, had a shaky start to his international career, but selectors persisted. Having only put in a handful of average performances against New Zealand early in 2013 and after looking out of place against the spin of Sri Lanka later that year, De Kock soon transformed.  

De Kock decided he had to get better and spent hours and hours in the nets with his franchise coach Geoffrey Toyana to improve against spin. That work paid off and by the South African summer of 2013, De Kock had hit a purple patch. It might be some time yet before Rossouw hits that high gear, but at least he and those watching now know that he can.

Their stand was South Africa's fourth-highest ever in T20s and highest for the second wicket.

Rossouw’s knock was a combination of classy batting, a calm approach and a little bit of luck. His biggest stroke of luck came in the third over when Rossouw was dropped by Nathan Reardon off the bowling of Doug Bollinger. The man himself confessed he was hoping the fielder would have a faux pas and, luckily for him, that’s exactly what happened.

In sport, sometimes a little bit of luck can go a long way. When that luck is married with people believing in you, very special things can happen. For Rossouw, this could well be the start of something great.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated. 

South Africa have the result of the one-day series in the bag before they’ve even played the final game. Hashim Amla has scored a hundred. Vernon Philander is looking impressive. Imran Tahir is bowling miserly. If you’re searching for positives, there are many to take from their last two one-day internationals against the Black Caps.

In the second ODI, South Africa boldly did what few would have predicted they would. They dropped Ryan McLaren in favour of an extra batsman. David Miller came into the team, and McLaren sat out as South Africa looked to see what would happen if they strengthened their batting and relied on part-timers to get through the allotted overs.

McLaren was carted into commentary during the match and McLaren told the Sky crew that it was all part of testing a few other combinations. If, when the World Cup comes around, they come up against a team where they require to have a stronger batting line-up, they wanted to be sure that they have tried out the combo that’s allowed them to do so. Captain AB de Villiers said the same in a press release sent out by Cricket South Africa. It quoted De Villiers as saying:

The reason behind that was to try out another option, he said. I feel you need that option at a big tournament like the World Cup. Against certain teams it’s important to have seven frontline batters and to have confidence in that option will be important moving forward.

Yes, we were a bowler light, but JP Duminy has bowled well in the last year and I have been working on getting one or two overs in. If we can do that then we can manage with playing seven batsmen in certain matches. I don’t think it will become a trend but it’s good to have the option.

The result was somewhat surprising. The switch meant that JP Duminy would have ideally bowled 10 overs to make up the numbers. Duminy did send off seven overs, but far more surprising was the decision for AB de Villiers to bring himself on to bowl.

De Villiers took two wickets in the process. It was all fun and games, and much of the conversation will now be about how there is absolutely nothing De Villiers cannot do. He has elevated himself to some kind of cricketing super deity.

It's official. AB de Villiers has conquered the one thing he wasn't known for on the cricket field: bowling. 6-0-28-2. #NZvSA

— Mohamed Zeeshan (@ZeeMohamed93) October 24, 2014

2 Wickets For Ab De Villiers..Is there anything he can't do?? Batting..bowling.. fielding.. wicket keeping  #NzVSa

— Suraj (@cric_champ) October 24, 2014

All in all, it was harmless fun. And it's something that you're unlikely to see happen regularly. 

South Africa have the luxury of having a bit of fun while they sail through World Cup preparations. Their recent on-field results have been impressive, and they even managed to avoid choking in a knockout game when they beat Australia during a tri-series final in Zimbabwe recently.

The one-day team has never looked this relaxed and complete before a major tournament. They have the kind of swagger of teams who have become accustomed to winning. They may not have won any World Cups yet, but they have had a great year in one-day cricket.

South Africa, though, will have to remain wary of complacency, especially in the areas where they are still struggling.

The lower order, in particular, remains a big concern. Rilee Rossouw has not taken to international cricket like many had hoped. In national team colours, David Miller is yet to deliver the kind of match innings that made him famous domestically.

The death bowling also remains inconsistent. There is nothing wrong with a little bit of experimenting, but South Africa will be hoping that the fun experimenting turns into fruitful revelations.

In the last five overs in their first ODI against New Zealand on Tuesday, South Africa conceded 45 runs. This was despite the Black Caps being nine wickets down. South Africa eventually won but not before New Zealand managed to recover from being 157-9 to 230 all out.

It is not a new problem for South Africa. During their recent tri-series in Zimbabwe, they regularly conceded between 40 to 60 runs in the latter stages of the bowling innings, against both Australia and Zimbabwe. Similar happened when they toured Sri Lanka earlier in the year. These failures are yet to cost South Africa heavily, but it is a problem that’s been present for quite some time.

Death bowling is an art that has been perfected by very few. Bowling a perfect yorker should be a delivery that’s in every bowler’s arsenal but in recent years, slower ball bouncers have become a far more popular choice.    

Ian Bishop, who took 118 ODI wickets for the West Indies, explained in an interview with the BBC earlier this year that bowlers need to have an array of deliveries to choose from.

The fact is that the yorker is a very high-risk ball. If you stuff it up by six inches then it's a four or a six. So unless you are right on top of your game and able to nail them five times out of six, it's a pointless ball to try. Every type of ball should be an option - it's just the time that you bowl them and who you bowl them to.

If you've got a new batsman on strike, bowling length outside off stump is great because it is very hard to get a bat on it. But if you try to bowl a yorker and he gets any bat on it, then you bring the more established player on strike.

Getting the tailenders or the new batsmen out is something South Africa were not able to do against New Zealand. It cost them because Luke Ronchi was on the charge and ended up smashing his way to 99 before eventually being dismissed by Dale Steyn. Before that, though, Vernon Philander, Ryan McLaren and Morne Morkel were carted around the park as AB de Villiers made some questionable bowling changes.

Instead of persisting with Steyn and Tahir, De Villiers opted to shuffle things around. This method can work, if the new batsman remains on strike, but South Africa leaked too many easy singles, which allowed Ronchi to go on and bash the ball around. South Africa are aware of these issues, though, and their bowlers are working on getting better.

Philander, who struggled to get things right toward the end, recently spoke about how he is looking to refine his skills, especially with the old ball. Prior to the series, he was quoted by ESPN Cricinfo as saying:

I'll be looking to strike upfront but then maybe also at the end of the innings. That's something I have been working on as well. I went out to equip myself with those (death-bowling) skills in case I should be needed.

South Africa’s failure to execute their plans toward the latter parts of the innings have not cost them yet. However, in a World Cup, when everyone’s senses are heightened and the pressure is on, it’s something that could come back to bite them. As it stands, they are definitely contenders for winning the World Cup, but these tournaments are won by small margins, even in the one-day format. If the Proteas hope to compete for a piece of silverware, they need to sharpen up their death bowling and fast.

West Indies are currently locked in a bitter pay dispute with their board. So bitter that the West Indies have just abruptly ended their tour to India, with a whole bunch of matches still to play.

The reasons for the dispute are complex and hinges on more than just “greed” from the players. Writing for Wisden India, former Windies bowler Michael Holding tried to explain some of the reasons. He said:

The current crisis in West Indies cricket is a lot different from what happened on so many occasions during the last decade. To understand the issue here, we need to look at what caused this impasse. Money is involved, yes, but there is also a principle being abused. What caused it was the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that the players knew nothing about and are not happy with. Again, I can hear people saying: ‘That’s a fight between the players and their union, not the WICB’, and I agree, but let’s examine the issue in its totality.

The West Indies are due to travel to South Africa for a full tour over December and January, but Tony Cozier told ESPN Cricinfo that the tour, as well as the Windies’ participation in the World Cup, “could be in doubt” if the standoff continues.

Cricket South Africa have told several media organisations, including Bleacher Report, that there is no need to panic yet. Currently, they are “waiting for a meeting between the players and WICB to take place” before deciding on their plan of action “if required.” When exactly that meeting will take place is not clear.

Last summer, South Africa had to make do with a truncated tour after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cut India’s schedule by nearly half. There might not be reason to panic just yet but pulling out of a tour midway through is rather drastic and gives some insight as to just how serious the issue between the West Indies players and the board is.

So, what are South Africa’s options? The first and perhaps the most likely solution is that South Africa could play a third-string West Indies team over the summer. In 2009, strike action by the players saw a weakened team take to the field and that could happen again if the West Indies players cannot settle their differences.

For South Africa, it is crucial to fill their fixture list and while a weakened team is the worst possible solution, it’s probably the first course of action to consider.

The other option is to draft in opposition from the teams not busy over the South African summer.  Currently, most of the “big” teams have fixtures pencilled in for the festive season.

New Zealand and Sri Lanka are not available, they are playing each other in New Zealand over the festive season. Australia and India are also playing each other, in Australia.

England are free, but only from 17 December 2014, when their series with Sri Lanka ends and go to Australia for a tri-series with India early January. England are due to tour South Africa for the 2015-16 season in what is expected to be a four-Test series, but this is a stop-gap option rather than a full tour. The Indian Express reported that the ECB offered to fill the gap left by the West Indies, but by that time Sri Lanka had already agreed.

England are a possible solution and could fill in for two Tests played over Christmas and New Year, but with an already packed schedule, it seems unlikely to happen right before a World Cup.

Other teams who do not have any commitments are Pakistan, who have no fixtures from 19 December 2014 through to 31 January 2015, while Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have not got any commitments, either.

The festive season Test matches are a crucial part of South Africa’s cricketing summer. While they are not always profitable, as the No. 1 Test team in the world, playing Tests regularly is important for South Africa. Plugging the Test match gap should be the first priority. South Africa already lost out on their New Year’s Test this year and it would be a shame for it to happen again.

However, considering there is a World Cup just around the corner, South Africa might consider binning Tests in favour of one-day games. One option could be an ODI tri-series involving neighbours Zimbabwe and Pakistan, who filled in last year when India shortened their tour.

South Africa could also opt to invite Zimbabwe or Bangladesh for a full tour. Zimbabwe are the most likely option as it would be more cost-effective.

As things stand, there are some options for South Africa should the West Indies tour be cancelled. None of those options are particularly appealing for fans of Test cricket, but it might be a case of needing to bite the bullet to make the best of a bad situation

South Africa recorded their second win in the Zimbabwe Triangular Series with a 61-run victory over the hosts in Harare.

The Proteas were dismissed for 231 off the penultimate ball of their 50 overs.

However Zimbabwe could only make 170 in return as Ryan McLaren and Dale Steyn took three wickets apiece.

Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock put on 142 for the opening wicket in under 25 overs before a dramatic South Africa collapse sparked by Prosper Utseya.

The off-spinner picked up 5-36 including a hat-trick, just the second by a Zimbabwean bowler in one-day internationals.

Utseya removed opener Amla (66), but the drama came in the 27th over as de Kock (76) departed before Rilee Rossouw suffered his second first-ball duck in a row and David Miller was trapped lbw.

Four overs later, he trapped JP Duminy lbw before Zimbabwe's other off-spinner, John Nyumbu, picked up three wickets.

Zimbabwe’s reply started badly as Tino Mawoyo was run out without scoring, and then their slow left-armer Aaron Phangiso picked up two wickets as the hosts were reduced to 70-4.

Sean Williams top-scored with 48, but he flicked McLaren to mid-wicket in the 32nd over, and then the seamer picked up two in two balls.

Elton Chigumbura was the Zimmies’ last realistic hope, but Steyn removed him for 22 and sealed the win by having Brian Vitori caught behind.

After chasing 328 to beat Australia on Wednesday, SA now top the table with Zimbabwe at the bottom.

All three teams meet once more before the final on September 6.