South Africa Cricket

No matter what Hashim Amla decided with regard to his declaration against Sri Lanka during his first Test in charge, it was always going to be under the microscope.

If South Africa batted on for too long, he would have been called too conservative. Now, after setting Sri Lanka a target of 370 with four sessions to go, many will be wondering if he wasn’t perhaps being too generous.

South Africa’s second innings showed that there were still runs in this pitch, if you take the attacking approach. A few puffs of dust and a few balls turning out of the footmarks also showed that there is plenty in it for the spinners.

If the spinners are capable of landing in the right areas, of course. South Africa’s slow bowlers failed in that task in the final session. Their combined figures were 16-2-64-0 by close of play on Saturday, not exactly the kind of tight approach a captain would want from his turners.

But, as the saying goes: Stats are like puppets, if you reach deep enough you can make them say anything.

The statistics for chasing totals at Galle were certainly in South Africa’s favour. No team has chased down 370 here and things happen very quickly in the subcontinent. Get one wicket and a few more will follow. So far, South Africa have managed just one wicket, with Kumar Sangakkara being his usual brilliant self and taking on the bowlers as the hosts go in search of an historic victory.

Just twice before has a captain declared twice and lost—Garry Sobers in 1968 against England and Graeme Smith in 2006 against Australia. This is also only the fifth time that South Africa have declared twice away from home. They did so in Birmingham in 2003, Sydney in 2006, St. Kitts in 2010 and Wellington in 2012. They lost one and drew the rest of those games.

That begs the question: Was the Amla declaration too sporting? He has given Sri Lanka room to manoeuvre and with players like Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews, he has given them a chance to win—taunted them with a chance to win, even. It speaks of the faith he has in his bowlers, but so far the spinners have let him down.

Imran Tahir in particular has had a tough Test. While he has had spells of bowling well and building pressure, he far too often undoes all of that hard work with a rank long hop that is all too easily dispatched to the boundary.

Amla's decision wasn't too bold. Instead, it speaks volumes of what kind of mindset this team has taken. They are willing to risk losing in order to give themselves a chance of winning. That takes some serious guts. Whatever the result in the end, it's important to keep that in mind.

It is a strange situation to be in for South Africa. As great as Graeme Smith was, he always took the safety-first approach. An extra hour of batting with the tail after tea might have irked Sri Lanka and added a few more runs, but it would also have been an extra burden on the bowlers. 

Amla might end up ruing his decision, but at least it's refreshing. 

Dale Steyn eats bowling records for brunch. No matter where he goes or who he bowls against, Steyn seemingly can’t be stopped. On Friday in Galle, he made history once again. He became the first South African fast bowler to take a five-for at Galle.

On a wicket not really suitable for fast bowlers, Steyn steamed in over and over again. One of his spells finished with figures of 5-3-8-3. It was his fifth five-for in Asia and his 23rd overall, putting him on par with Kapil Dev, Dennis Lillee and Imran Khan.

Those figures are pretty good for a player playing in an era where batsmen are dominating. And, along with Glenn McGrath, Steyn is the only fast bowler who has played in the 2000s to reach this milestone. But these figures should not come as a surprise. He has been one of the most consistent bowlers in Test cricket in the last five years, and there can be no doubt that he is the best fast bowler currently still playing. 

Out of all the fast bowlers still playing who hail from outside the subcontinent (defined as Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and the UAE), Steyn has the most wickets there—76 in 28 innings. And, overall, only Courtney Walsh has more wickets than him with 77 in 31 innings. 

Steyn got his first breakthrough against Sri Lanka in his seventh over, returning for just his second spell. Kaushal Silva was the first to be caught in the web. Through a hostile spell of short balls and bouncers, Silva hooked a bouncer to long leg where Vernon Philander took a spectacular catch. Steyn was now breathing fire with figures of 7-2-8-1.

Taken out of the attack in the 19th over and brought back in the 36th, Steyn struck again almost immediately. This time it was Mahela Jayawardene caught right in front of his stumps. That spell didn't bring any more rewards for the quick, and it was only later in the day in the searing heat and with the old ball that Steyn ripped the heart out of the Sri Lankan middle order. His aggression and forcing the batsmen to play helped push South Africa into a strong position. 

At the close-of-play press conference, he said he finds he enjoys the challenge of playing in the subcontinent, somewhere he says is "the hardest place to bowl." But he has had success in Sri Lanka before. Back in 2006, he took five wickets in Colombo in a tense Test South Africa lost by one wicket. He admits that back then he was "probably just running in and trying to bowl as fast as he could." Steyn reckons that he thinks about the game and getting his opponents out much more these days, even if he is still bowling super fast.

Although he might be heading into his twilight years, Steyn's star is showing no signs of letting up just yet. It looks like he might be a supernova first, outshining the entire galaxy with as much energy as the sun is expected to emit over its entire life span before he even begins to fade.

There's still a lot of time left in the Test, and South Africa's new era under Hashim Amla is off to a steady start. It's been a team effort underscored by Steyn's individual brilliance, and they might be asking themselves just what all the fuss was about flat tracks.

Quotes obtained firsthand.

It is perhaps hard to believe, but at the age of 30, JP Duminy is one of South Africa’s more senior batsmen in terms of age and experience in all forms of cricket.

With Graeme Smith gone from the international stage and Jacques Kallis now only playing one-day internationals, Duminy needs to step up and be a leader for the Proteas.

He made some progress toward that role in his side’s first innings against Sri Lanka, as he made an unbeaten 100 from No. 8 and played well with the tailenders.

It was his first Test century in Asia and only the fourth of his career in the game’s longest form and shows what a talented player he is.

However, in his previous 24 Tests, while he has shown flashes of what he can do, he has not yet managed to string together a consistent run of scores.

This becomes apparent in his batting averages. He has a mark of 27.10 in home Tests but an average of 53.54 away from South Africa.

Here is a player capable of succeeding and doing so in unfamiliar conditions, but he is unable to translate that talent into regular form for his country.

That was very apparent in two of his first three Test innings: in Perth and Melbourne against Australia in 2008.

At the WACA, Duminy stroked an unbeaten 50 to help his side take a brilliant victory by six wickets as they successfully chased 414 to win.

In the next game, he underlined his talent with 166 in South Africa’s first innings in Melbourne, a score that helped them take an enormous lead over the Australians.

Looking through the rest of the innings Duminy has played, he has shown himself capable of making solid starts but has failed to convert to the frustration of himself and his supporters.

Perhaps his biggest issue has been loose shot selection, which has proven costly as he makes a strong start but then cannot capitalise.

He has said himself that he has struggled against spin in his career, hence his very low average in Asia but also part of the reason he has had problems against the top nations.

However, at the start of the ODI series against Sri Lanka, he told Firdose Moonda of ESPNCricinfo that the issue was behind him, so he should now be in the perfect place to be a senior batsman.

After all, this is a player who was apparently in the discussion to replace Smith as South Africa’s captain despite his relative lack of Test matches compared to other candidates.

With a role as a spin bowler coupled with his batting, there is plenty of responsibility now for Duminy as the Proteas move forward into something of a new era.

This innings today hinted that the left-hander is more than capable of making an impact with the bat and can be someone that South Africa counts on for regular runs.

Having been inconsistent up until now, perhaps his first ever Test century in Asia can be the catalyst for great things.

The first day of the Test series between Sri Lanka and South Africa felt like a changing of the guard in so many ways for the visitors.

Hashim Amla was leading the Proteas in a Test for the first time, and at the top of the order the left-hander Dean Elgar came in for the retired Graeme Smith.

Elgar became the first South African to make a century in Sri Lanka as he laced 103 from 187 balls before being removed at the start of the evening session.

The parallels between Elgar and Smith are noticeable, and they give the South Africans plenty of hope for the future, having lost one of their most prolific openers in history.

In just his 10th match, Elgar played with the assuredness of a veteran: Even on a slow wicket in Galle he allowed the ball to come on to the bat and played late.

He was making his first Test appearance as an opener outside his home country but looked as though he had been in the role for a decade or more.

It bears comparison to the early days of Smith’s Test career, where in just his 11th Test he came to England as captain and struck a magnificent 277 in Birmingham in 2003.

Both looked assured even in unfamiliar conditions, both prospered when the bowlers started to toil and both were aggressive when they needed to be.

When considering that Elgar’s first Test century came in just his fourth innings and Smith’s came in his fifth, the two players look almost eerily similar.

The emphatic way that Elgar brought up his century today in Galle—a straight six that he greeted with a roar of celebration—was also reminiscent of Smith.

In addition, Elgar’s dominance of the run-scoring also struck some resemblance to the former Proteas captain, who liked to dominate and assert himself in the game early on.

When the 27-year-old was dismissed for 103, South Africa’s score was 195, meaning Elgar had contributed 52.82 percent of his side’s runs.

Compare that to Smith’s first Test century against Bangladesh in 2002.

When he was finally removed for 200, his side were 359-2, meaning Smith had scored 55.71 percent of his side’s runs up until that point.

Both have demonstrated—albeit against weak bowling attacks—an ability to dominate from the outset and score the bulk of the runs alone.

Neither have perfect techniques, and perhaps it will be the case that Elgar is picked apart by a stronger and more potent bowling attack.

However, having earned himself a Cricket South Africa one-year contract and having shown the temperament to succeed, Elgar could be a great find for the Proteas.

If he can be at least half the player that Smith was, South Africa will have a superb replacement for their former captain at the top of the order.

South Africa lost late wickets to weaken a strong start to their Test series against Sri Lanka, finishing the opening day of the first Test on 268-5.

Winning the toss and electing to bat, the Proteas made steady progress at the Galle International Stadium before losing four wickets in the final session.

Left-handed opener Dean Elgar made 103, his second Test century, before being caught behind off Suranga Lakmal shortly after tea.

(Highlights only available in North America)

His opening partner, Alviro Petersen, was the only man to fall in the opening two sessions—departing for 34 after being trapped lbw by off-spinner Dilruwan Perera. 

Petersen called for a review, but Hawk-Eye justified umpire Richard Kettleborough's decision. Replays indicated it would be umpire's call by clipping leg stump.

Elgar and Faf du Plessis took the tourists through to 111-1 at lunch and then added a further 83 runs in the afternoon session.

After the 125-run partnership for the second wicket was ended, new SA captain Hashim Amla fell for just 11 after driving Rangana Herath straight to extra cover after being deceived in the flight.

Faf du Plessis was closing in on a fourth Test century but departed for 80 shortly before the close as an inside edge off Perera went to Kaushal Silva at short leg.

There was late drama as AB de Villiers was dismissed in the penultimate over of the day, bowled through the gate by Lakmal for 21.

This is a two-match series, with the second encounter in Colombo next week.

All good things must come to an end, and in the case of Jacques Kallis, the end of his South Africa career seems to be marching ever closer after a poor run of fitness and form.

Leading into the series against Sri Lanka, he was suffering with back stiffness and was forced to sit out the Proteas practice match against the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI.

This injury worry came having not played major cricket since the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year, in which Kallis’ involvement concluded in early May.

Perhaps more concerning than his injury issues—which are to be expected given his advancing years—is his lack of form with either bat or ball since recommitting himself to one-day international cricket.

Before this series, he was reinstated to his preferred No. 3 position despite having scored just 26 runs in three innings in his comeback against Pakistan.

He scored a half-century in his first game back in the 50-over format against Pakistan, but his subsequent lean patch was a cause for concern.

Following that, the next major cricket he played was in the IPL for the Kolkata Knight Riders, who went on to win the tournament.

However, Kallis had an ordinary time for Kolkata by his high standards, as he mustered just 151 runs in eight innings with a top score of 72 and an average of 25.16.

Take away that 72 for the Knight Riders and Kallis scored just 79 runs in six innings, a poor return for such a giant of the modern game.

It was clearly not the best preparation for this series, especially as South Africa look ahead to next year’s Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and Kallis’ returns got worse.

In three matches he managed just five runs—with four of those coming in Hambantota in the final game—to finish above only four other players in the South African batting averages.

Further to this, he did not bowl a single ball, a decision that may have upset the balance of the side but was compensated for by the displays of Ryan McLaren and Imran Tahir in particular.

At No. 3, Kallis is expected to be able to deliver telling contributions with the bat to help his side take advantage of a good start or to help them rebuild from an early loss.

He has been unable to do so in this series and has instead scratched around without hitting a single boundary or playing the long innings that cricket fans have been accustomed to seeing.

South Africa now have 20 ODIs remaining before the start of the World Cup, and Kallis will be desperate to return to form and dispel any doubts about his future.

However, his run scoring has been on a negative trajectory for some time now, and there must come a time where the Proteas believe it is not just a poor run but a longer-term decline.

That decision may come sooner rather than later, and judging by what has gone before, sadly that may be the case.

Sri Lanka levelled their one-day international series with South Africa after a 87-run win in Pallekele.

The hosts chose to bat with man of the match Tillakaratne Dilshan making 86 in their total of 267.

South Africa were dismissed for 180 in their reply despite a century from Hashim Amla.

Veteran opener Dilshan hit nine boundaries in his 90-ball innings to guide Sri Lanka to a formidable total.

He shared a 62-run partnership for the third wicket with Lahiru Thirimanne (36) before departing in the 31st over.

Mahela Jayawardene (48), captain Angelo Mathews (34) and Ashan Priyanjan (25) all offered middle-order support before Ryan McLaren took three wickets in an over as Sri Lanka were all out four balls short of their allocation.

South Africa were well placed in their reply at 101-2 in the 20th over before a dramatic collapse.

Captain AB de Villiers was dismissed by Dilshan for 29 before the next four men fell in single figures.

Amla played superbly in hitting 101 from 102 balls but only de Villiers and Dale Steyn reached double figures as the hosts were dismissed in the 39th over.

De Villiers was philosophical at the awards presentation as reported by ESPN Cricinfo.

Thought we started really slowly with the ball. Still in with a chance. We pulled it back to 260 from 300 and above. Hash played an amazing innings and not enough partnerships around him. I got out to a soft dismissal. Dale showed that if you spent enough time you could do. I got out but there are other batsmen too.

Mathews admitted he was nervous after losing a flurry of late wickets.

I was a bit concerned after we collapsed, thought 30-40 runs short. Dilshan played a great knock. All spinners contributed. We knew the South Africans were coming hard at us. Looking forward to the third game.

The Proteas won the opening game of the series by 75 runs in Colombo on Sunday. The series decider will be in Hambantota on Saturday.

Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers have played cricket alongside each other for the last 10 years. The two could not be more different. De Villiers is the flamboyant trailblazer, Amla the quiet one with silky wrists.

But opposites attract, and opposites make magic happen on the cricket field. On Sunday, De Villiers and Amla combined for 151 runs, coming in at over six runs an over against Sri Lanka in a one-day international in Colombo. The partnership propelled South Africa to 304 runs, a winning total in the end. It was a fine effort from two of South Africa’s finest players, but it did not come easily.

"At first, we hung there," Amla said, per ESPN Cricnfo. "Quinny (Quinton de Kock) got away a little but I just hung in and tried to support him in that phase. We took a little bit of time to settle and the wicket also got a little better."

Important as ever in the partnership between the two was the way they rotated the strike. Amla scored 51 runs of his total from singles, while De Villiers nudged the ball around for 40 singles. Knowing how to run with your partner is vital and something the pair did well, especially against the spinners.

"AB and I managed to get a rhythm going and rotate the strike but as the partnership progressed, it got easier. With AB at the end, the intensity is there, and you know you're probably going to score quickly. These guys are good bowlers but the wicket didn't turn a lot," said Amla.

Amla’s 109 and De Villiers’ 75 were significant scores not only because of their relevance in the match but because they carry much meaning for South Africa going forward.

As South Africa’s new Test captain, Amla will have a partner not only in decision-making but also in runs. The captaincy approach will now become far more holistic, with the two making decisions together and helping each other out when the going gets tough. It’s far different to the days of Graeme Smith, when for the most part the team was his.

That will now change. With Amla as Test captain and De Villiers his deputy, the two will run the team very much in tandem. The pair have already got the records to match their new expectation. Together, in Tests, they have scored 1,703 runs at an average of 51.60. In 32 innings, they have notched up 10 half-century partnerships and five century partnerships.

In one-day internationals, their record is equally impressive. In the last 10 years, they have scored 2,090 runs together at an average of 83.60. That's the second-most total runs of the top 10 partnerships but the highest on average:

Cricket certainly is a team sport, and to suggest that South Africa can get away with relying solely on De Villiers and Amla would be misguided at best. However, if both remain in good form, it’s hard to see South Africa struggling too much with the adaption in Tests.  

It would be of enormous significance for both players to have a good one-day series, because if that form is carried through to the Test series, it will go a long way toward defining their success in Sri Lanka and for the years to come.

Following the international retirement of South Africa's Graeme Smith, star batsman Hashim Amla has been handed the captaincy of the Proteas' Test team. A prolific accumulator of runs and the owner of a serene disposition, Amla's appointment immediately strikes as a safe bet by Cricket South Africa. 

However, Alastair Cook's ongoing form slump with the bat while at the helm of England has reignited an old question: How does captaincy affect batting?

As South Africa enter a new phase under the leadership of Amla, the stabilising influence of his top-order excellence will be essential.

But can the 31-year-old maintain his current batting standards, while concurrently dealing with selection decisions, media obligations and the complexities of on-field leadership?

It's a valid question.

Indeed, there's long been a perception that the burden of captaincy can often prove troublesome for elite batsman, cluttering the mind with peripheral issues that eventually take a toll on one's work with the blade.

Interestingly, however, the statistics don't back that up. The perception is actually more of a myth, used as a shallow conclusion when analysing a captain's form with the bat. 

Batting Records of Current Test Captains

Often forgotten when analysing Alastair Cook's recent slide is how dominant the England skipper was when he first assumed his duties from Andrew Strauss. 

In his first nine innings as the leader of his country, the left-hander relentlessly gathered runs by striking five centuries—three of which exceeded 173. 

Even when factoring in his barren stretch dating back to the beginning of the 2013 Ashes series on home soil, Cook's batting average as captain is almost identical to his record prior to taking the leadership. 

Additionally, every other current Test captain has enjoyed a significant upturn in batting form since the date of their appointment. Denesh Ramdin has been left off the list below, given that he's just completed one match as captain of the West Indies. 

Batting Records of Previous Test Captains 

Further historical batting records also dispute the myth that captaincy negatively affects one's batting form.

Of the players listed below, only Australia's Mark Taylor and the West Indies' Sir Viv Richards experienced significant declines in form after ascending to the helm of their respective teams. 

Unfathomably, Sir Donald Bradman managed to better his mark of 98.69 prior to taking the Australian captaincy, recording an average of 101.51 as his team's leader. 

Brian Lara also blossomed with the added responsibility, despite his own batting importance continuing to grow as his West Indian outfits declined during his tenure. 

Intriguingly, both Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting—the highest Test run-scorers of all time—saw their averages dip slightly as captain.

Yet, neither suffered the sort of substantial decline that could be pinned on the burden of leadership. The Australian in particular enjoyed a blistering spell as captain before his record tailed off as age caught up with the Tasmanian maestro.

Smith's higher figure without the captaincy also needs to be ignored, given that he played just eight of his 117 Tests without the leadership.

So Why Does the Myth Continue to be Discussed?

It has long been accepted in Australia that the captaincy tends to elevate a player's batting performances, particularly when one considers how carefully each of the nation's recent leadership transitions have been planned.

However, here in England, the perception is quite the opposite. The view that the captaincy negatively affects one's batting has continued to hold strong.

Curiously, England is perhaps the only country in the cricketing landscape where recent statistics support that school of thought. 

Since Nasser Hussain's appointment, each of the last four long-standing English captains—Mark Butcher, Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen are excluded in this sense—have endured struggles with the bat to some extent after earning promotion.

Of course, that short list helps to understand the continual presence of the concept on English shores.

But as he prepares to replace the enormous void left by Smith's retirement, Amla can look to the countless records of both his counterparts and predecessors for proof that the captaincy is rarely detrimental to a batsman.

All statistics courtesy of ESPN Cricinfo.