for quality writing

Ken Borland



T20 Challenge has allowed stars and prospects space to shine 0

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Ken

This summer’s premier T20 tournament may be confined to a bubble in Gqeberha, but there has still been space for some highly entertaining, impressive cricket in the first week of the CSA T20 Challenge.

The eight provinces have all played twice and the Boland Rocks and Free State Knights are the only teams who have not yet won a game. Overall it has been a highly competitive event, with Boland coming agonisingly close to beating the Northerns Titans.

The North-West Dragons, with the only bonus point so far, and Western Province are the two sides who have won both their matches, but the gap between them and the KZN Dolphins, Central Gauteng Lions, Northerns and Eastern Province Warriors is not large.

The Lions get the chance to show that on Sunday when they take on WP.

Looking at the bigger picture, and a future that includes another T20 World Cup in October/November in Australia, who are the players that the national selectors will be keeping an eye on?

One first needs to ask where are the gaps in the current Proteas team, who performed better than expected in the previous T20 World Cup, albeit in conditions that will be very different to Australia.

The well-travelled David Miller has world-class T20 stats – he averaged 47 last year at a strike-rate of 149 – and is a certainty for Australia, but there is hopefully space in the squad for another finisher, someone who can be groomed to succeed the 32-year-old somewhere down the line.

Two youngsters who have caught the eye are the 21-year-old Tristan Stubbs of EP and 23-year-old Donovan Ferreira of the Titans. They are scoring at a strike-rate of 189 and 152 respectively in this tournament, while Stubbs has a career strike-rate of 148 and Ferreira 157.

The Lions owe a considerable debt to Sisanda Magala for ensuring they are not with Boland and Free State at the bottom of the log with zero points. The burly pace bowler has been superb with the ball, especially at the death, and his eight overs so far have cost just 6.62 runs per over, and he chipped in with a couple of key wickets that killed off the KZN charge to victory on Thursday.

Magala also shone with the bat. Coming in at 95/5 in the 12th over, he scored a punishing 37 off just 27 balls to lift the Lions to 156/8, which proved to be just enough.

Magala has not yet shown the same expertise at international level, but in a team that is often criticised for their bowling skills on flat pitches (expected in Australia), he brings a package that still looks useful.

South Africa will no doubt have to restructure their team a bit in Australia to reflect the more pace-friendly conditions, but young fast bowlers have not exactly been shoving their hands up in the CSA T20. The best quicks have been veterans like Magala, Hardus Viljoen, Junior Dala and Beuran Hendricks.

But it has been pleasing to see the change in mindset surrounding the use of spin that Mark Boucher spearheaded in the national team start to filter down to the provinces. Spinners have done wonderfully well on the slow pitches at St George’s Park and some potential stars are starting to come through.

Left-armer Johannes Diseko has been key to North-West’s surprise charge to the top of the log, while Proteas like George Linde, Senuran Muthusamy, Bjorn Fortuin and Aaron Phangiso continue to shine.

Prenelan Subrayen has shown he is a quality off-spinner and Imraan Manack is key to the Boland attack; 19-year-old leg-spinner Caleb Seleka looks highly promising for North-West too.

Most positively, the presence of Proteas stars like Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock and Dwaine Pretorius has ensured that quality runs through this summer’s CSA T20 Challenge.

Alsatians v Poodles as Bulls batter Sharks into submission 0

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Ken

They say it’s not the size of the dog in the fight that matters but the size of the fight in the dog, but the Currie Cup final was like Alsatians versus Poodles as the Bulls simply bullied and battered the Sharks into submission, winning 44-10, the biggest winning margin in the history of South Africa’s premier domestic final.

The Bulls only really bared their teeth in the second half, but their snarling, immense defence was the stand-out feature of the first half. Despite the Sharks dominating territory and possession, the Bulls scored tries on three of their four visits to the visitors’ 22, to enjoy a handsome 19-3 lead at halftime.

The tone was set for the first half from the outset as the Bulls received the kickoff and then had to defend for 12 phases before winning a turnover penalty. From the lineout, centre Harold Vorster burst straight through the midfield and dashed over for a try from 40 metres out.

The contrast in defences couldn’t have been more stark: The Bulls barely conceded an inch on the gainline, while the Sharks were ripped asunder from first phase with ease.

The Bulls’ second visit to the Sharks’ 22 came in the 23rd minute and this time Vorster was the provider with a lovely little pop-pass for his outside centre Lionel Mapoe to go slicing through for a try, again straight from a lineout.

The Sharks were eventually on the board after half-an-hour through a Curwin Bosch penalty, but it took 10 phases of attack that made very little headway, to get it. The Bulls quickly struck back with a try for captain Marcell Coetzee, bulldozing over from close range with fellow flank Arno Botha at his back.

The Bulls called their kicking game more into service in the second half and it brought good rewards for them as fullback David Kriel and wing Madosh Tambwe were outstanding in the air.

Lock Janko Swanepoel had ruled the lineouts with Ruan Nortje and he deservedly crashed over for a try, followed by a nifty snipe-and-score by scrumhalf Zak Burger.

By now the Sharks were creaking in all facets – their scrum was being dominated, their lineout was not working and it really seemed like men against boys.

Prop Thomas du Tot was gifted a try from a Bulls lineout that went astray, but the home side rightly had the final say and there was no more popular try-scorer than wing Cornal Hendricks. He kicked through after wing Thaakir Abrahams grubbered into Mapoe, regathering brilliantly and diving over for the sixth and final try.

The 34-point winning margin beat the previous record of 30 points set by their Northern Transvaal predecessors when they beat Western Province 39-9 at Loftus Versfeld in 1980.

Scorers

BullsTries: Harold Vorster, Lionel Mapoe, Marcell Coetzee, Janko Swanepoel, Zak Burger, Cornal Hendricks. Conversions: Chris Smith (4). Penalties: Smith (2).

SharksTry: Thomas du Toit. Conversion: Curwin Bosch. Penalty: Bosch.

What a victory for the Dolphins – here are the whos and whys 0

Posted on April 08, 2021 by Ken

What a victory for the Dolphins in the 4-Day Series final and, while home ground advantage clearly played a big role in their triumph, that is not why they won the premier domestic title.

The Dolphins ended the franchise era on top of the pile because of their indefatigable fight and belief, and an enormous amount of skill and hard work. In the well-deserved clamour over the spectacular performances of spinners Prenelan Subrayen and Senuran Muthusamy, who took 19 of the 20 Titans wickets (the other one being a run out), it is easy to forget how wonderfully well the Dolphins had to play just to first make the final and then to ensure it was staged where they could bring into play their greatest strength.

The Kingsmead pitch has completely changed character over the last 20 years and is now the most sub-continental of venues in South Africa, allowing the Dolphins to use their brilliant spinners to dominate visiting teams.

But in order to get into the final and then host it, people may forget that the Dolphins had to win back-to-back games at the Wanderers and St George’s Park, two of the toughest venues for away teams. The brilliant Keshav Maharaj had much to do with those victories.

Before that they beat the then high-flying Knights at Kingsmead, fast bowler Daryn Dupavillon taking 11 wickets to prove the Dolphins aren’t just one-trick ponies. Winning your last three matches outright is surely the sign of a champion side.

Having overcome the odds just to get into the final, the Dolphins seemed destined to have to share the title with the Titans after only 10 overs were able to be bowled on the first two days due to rain. When the Titans  began their first innings on the penultimate day, replying to a solid 295 by the Dolphins, there were not much more than five sessions left in the match.

The Titans swear that they were trying to be positive and not just bat for the draw, but in no time at all they were thoroughly entangled in the Dolphins’ spinners’ web and shot out for a record low score of just 53.

The Dolphins then had plenty of time to bowl the Titans out a second time and ensure they had the last trophy of the franchise era all to themselves.

It is just reward for all the good things going on at Kingsmead and the shares of coach Imraan Khan and CEO Heinrich Strydom have understandably risen considerably over the last year.

While the loss of the famous old Kingsmead greentop will be mourned in some quarters, and we do need to keep some of those sort of pitches going in our country, I am all for having a venue at which spin bowling is trumps. The Proteas have suffered so many calamities on the subcontinent in recent years that learning how to play in those conditions is clearly a priority.

More and more cricket will be played on the subcontinent in the years to come, so if South Africa are to challenge for global silverware, they have to master the skills needed on low, slow, dusty pitches that turn.

We need a variety of surfaces in our domestic cricket and I remember well how exciting it was in the 1980s and 90s when Kingsmead was the Green Mamba, St George’s Park and Newlands brought the spinners into play, Wanderers and Centurion had pace and bounce, and places like Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom were batting tracks which made the bowlers toil.

With the introduction of Boland and North-West into the first division for next season, Potchefstroom will be back and let’s hope Paarl will back the spinners and be a result pitch.

Having qualified for all three finals this season and taken away silverware in two of them, the Dolphins, playing a brand of cricket they trust and have mastered, and enjoying a strong culture and environment around the team, will be backing themselves to continue their dominance in the new structure as well.

Prince on the attack as problems mount at Newlands 0

Posted on April 06, 2020 by Ken

Cape Cobras coach Ashwell Prince said on Monday that he would prefer to attack the reasons for players going overseas at the next Cricket South Africa Coaches’ Conference but he was happy to firmly back the expansion of premier domestic competitions to 12 teams, saying this would provide more playing opportunity.

The Cobras had already lost talented young batsman David Bedingham to a Kolpak deal mid-season, but the end of the summer has brought the confirmation that senior bowlers Dane Paterson and Dane Piedt are also no longer going to be based at Newlands but will be plying their trade overseas.

Paceman Paterson, who played in South Africa’s final Test of the season, against England at the Wanderers, is also heading to England on a Kolpak deal, while off-spinner Piedt is breaking new ground in playing in the United States.

“They were key bowlers in our attack and we will miss them as leaders. Each case needs to be treated individually and when you’re over 30, especially as a bowler, I’m sure you calculate whether you have a realistic chance of playing for the Proteas.

“But other factors also play a role in guys leaving, but we always talk around them and we don’t deal with them,” Prince said on Monday.

When asked what these ‘other factors’ are, Prince said he would prefer to raise them at the Coaches’ Conference rather than elaborate to the media.

“I have mentioned them before at the Coaches’ Conference and CSA are well aware of them. I believe that’s my platform. We’ve got to get the system operating the best we can, if we can improve it it’s important we identify those areas. I tend to make my feelings heard and I hope the committees considered what I said,” the outspoken former Proteas batsman said.

Prince was more forthcoming when it came to his views on the present franchise system, with six teams still playing in the premier competitions next season but with a reduced number of fixtures.

“The sooner we get to a system that we can have for 10-20 years the better. I’m not convinced by this makeshift plan, although I know it’s based on finances. But we need to get the system fine-tuned so it can last for the next 10 years.

“I’m a firm believer in going to 12 teams, having played in England, where it works, and in South Africa before the franchise system.

“All the smaller provincial teams [barring North-West and Border] have won trophies, they produce talent and they can be competitive. It will get people playing more regularly; at the moment far too many cricketers don’t play regularly at the top level.

“I’m a big fan of opening up the system and more people getting opportunity. For example, a young batsman like Isma-eel Gafieldien, who made lots of runs for Boland, could play a full season with them rather than just having one or two matches for the Cobras. The game is the best teacher rather than just going to training. You learn far more in the heat of the moment.

“Places like Easterns produced Andre Nel, Andrew Hall and Zander de Bruyn, who all played for the Proteas. Border had Pieter Strydom, Steve Palframan, Makhaya Ntini and Mark Boucher. Boland has produced plenty of Proteas – guys like Henry Williams, Roger Telemachus, Henry Davids, Justin Ontong and Charl Langeveldt. These so-called ‘smaller’ provinces have talent and they will produce players for the country. And there’s nothing better for them than playing at a higher level,” Prince said.

Given the emergence of such quality talent as Kyle Verreynne, Janneman and Pieter Malan, Bedingham, Nandre Burger, Zubayr Hamza and George Linde, the 2019/20 season promised much for the Cobras.

But it ended in anticlimax with Prince’s charges finishing last in both the 4-Day Franchise Series and the Momentum One-Day Cup.

To add to the coach’s problems, he has lost nine of the 18 players contracted for last season as well as both nationally-contracted stars in the retired duo of Hashim Amla and Vernon Philander.

In terms of acquisitions, former Titans batsman Tony de Zorzi, who averaged over 45 in both competitions last season, is probably the most exciting.

The likes of Corbin Bosch, Tshepo Moreki, Onke Nyaku and Calvin Savage all have talent, but they all struggled to pin down regular places at their former franchises.

“I’m extremely excited about the players we have. In the bowling department we have more experience now in white-ball cricket which is obviously the area that needed strengthening. We’ve been more competitive in four-day cricket lately.

“The guys who have stayed are our core, they were predominantly starters in most competitions. We just had to make sure we secured good depth because we expect national call-ups. It’s obviously exciting to have those, but they hurt us last season – missing four key one-day players had a major effect.

“But to be honest this transfer window has been a bit of a nightmare with 100% of players’ contracts ending. It became a free-for-all with players just going to the highest bidder. And CSA have said that from May 1 we can give eight players two-year contracts, which means next year it’s going to be another free-for-all for the other 10 players. It will be even more of a bunfight if we go to 12 provinces,” Prince said.

Cobras 2020/21 squad – Ziyaad Abrahams, Jonathan Bird, Corbin Bosch, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Isma-eel Gafieldien, Zubayr Hamza, George Linde, Pieter Malan, Janneman Malan, Imraan Manack, Aviwe Mgijima, Akhona Mnyaka, Tshepo Moreki, Onke Nyaku, Calvin Savage, Jason Smith, Kyle Verreynne.

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    1 John 2:5 – “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.”

    James 2:14 – “What good is it if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?”.

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