The series against India, an opportunity to dot our “I’s” and cross our “t’s” ahead of a World Cup.
Looking at the questions raised by the T20i series against India.
Being in a position of dominance and finish things off has become synonymous of the Proteas. Across all three formats the team has consistently shown an inability to dominate teams and not allow them back into a match or a series. The recently concluded T20i series against India is full proof as we went from leading the series 2-0 to drawing the series. We either start slow or start well and finishing slow, there is never an in between. Series results aside, the series provided the coaching staff and selectors with the opportunity to see where they need to fix heading to the world cup. If the Proteas are to even get close to winning the T20i world cup, a few bold decisions may need to be taken and a few players in the side may very well need to take responsibility.
Since the series started, a lot has been said about Temba Bavuma. Many people have questioned his inclusion in the team, some as a batter and some as both captain and batter. Questions around his strike rate which are very much justified. It might be exceedingly difficult for the coach and selectors to drop Temba because he is the captain and arguably the best candidate for the role in the current squad. This, however, does not move away from the fact that his performances are a definite cause for concern. While we all know that he is capable, he has struggled to show it for the Proteas recently which makes him one of those players that need to take responsibility. A strike rate of 114.55 in 2021 and a strike rate of 103.39 in 2022(small sample) is a definite cause for worry for Temba and the technical team. His strike rate as an opener was good at the start of the series but has since dropped. Temba brings a lot to the team as a leader, captain, and a fielder but the team needs him to contribute with the bat again. He has shown that he is capable, and the team will need him to show it once more.
Other players, like Rassie also need to take some responsibility for the team to win and win consistently. Rassie in 2021 strikes at 123.73 and 125.97 in 2022 albeit also having a small sample. His career strike rate is much higher than higher than that which suggest he can score quicker. Having two guys in your team that do not score quick enough means the other batters have the extra pressure of trying to compensate and may overcompensating but everyone is trying to score at a quick enough strike rate, it means nobody has the extra pressure taking a 130% strike rate and turning it into a 200% strike rate. Rassie also needs to try and structure his innings a lot better by trying to rotate strike a bit more and minimise the number of dot balls he faces earlier on.
In the first T20i against India we witnessed a master stroke by the Proteas think tank when they brought in Dwaine Pretorius at 3. Nobody expected this for several reasons and one being the fact that we are not really known as a nation that likes to try new things. Chasing 211 to win, Dwaine Pretorius and hammered 29 off 13 to set it up for the Proteas after a slow-ish start from the two openers. In the context of this match, promoting Pretorius to 3 was a great idea but it makes little to sense as to why he batted there in the other matches. Was this something they had planned prior to the series, something that was due to the absence of Aiden Markram or was Dwaine kept there because it clicked in the first match? Regardless of the reasoning behind this decision, it will be very crucial for the captain to identify the right moments to promote a pinch hitter because most of the time, a pinch hitter is better off coming in late to finish.
An even more integral part of the team’s chances at the world cup is squad selection. If the series against India is anything to go by, the selectors are yet to find their combinations and are yet to find their balance in terms of squad selections. The loss of Aiden Markram left gaps in the team, and the technical team had a bit of trouble trying to fill that gap. Losing Quinton de Kock for a few a matches made the gap even bigger and that is where the balance or lack thereof of the side was exposed. Having Reeza and Temba both opening the batting proved unideal and did not show any signs of the team being deadly in the powerplay. Heading into a big tournament like the world cup, you want to have all your basis covered and you do not want to rely on 1 or 2 people because you may never know what could happen. When you have both Rassie and Temba in the playing XI, having someone like Reeza as replacement for someone like Quinny automatically ruins the balance of the side when you look what both bring to the side and their playing styles. The selectors may have missed an opportunity to try someone else at the top because Reeza is someone who had been tried at the top before. An opportunity to maybe try a Tristan Stubbs at the top and see how combines with the side was missed. Team selection was only balanced when looking at allrounders and seam bowling options and the number of seams was an overkill. but not when it comes to spin bowling options and batting options. The team toured with only two specialist spinners in Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi which meant no matter how badly things were going for them, there were no other options. This also takes us back to the absence of Aiden Markram who seems to have been as more than just a batter, but a spin bowling options too. When you have Lungi, Kagiso and Anrich as your seamers in the squad, it is questionable that you need all 3 of Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, and Marco Jansen as your allrounders. The selectors might want to look in the direction of George Linde again, who is a spin bowling option especially after how well Wayne bowled in the series as a left arm seamer. The selectors should use the next series to look at other combinations and options and to give other guys a chance to bat.
It is obvious that the idea of having an anchor is particularly important in the side and is something that the coach himself believes in. He expressed the importance of having what he calls a “stabiliser.” While I may disagree with the approach of having an anchor in the side, there is nothing wrong with Coach Boucher wanting to have one, but he needs to find a way to consistently try and score 170-200 with his two stabilisers in the side.
The idea of having an anchor or a “stabiliser” stems from the fear or losing wickets. Cricket has moved on and continues to move on. T20 cricket is about trying to score 400 in the 20 overs you have regardless of the number of wickets you have. 220 for 9 is better than 148 for 6 and this is a lesson we need to learn as a country.