Ken Borland

Five days ago, Dewald Brevis was all the rage as the most exciting T20 talent anyone had ever seen, while Temba Bavuma’s continued presence at the top of the order for South Africa at the T20 World Cup had people all up in arms, many of them enraged, judging by social media comments.

This weekend, however, Brevis will open the batting for the Northerns Titans in the CSA T20 Challenge final with his mortality exposed, having looked all at sea against the sheer pace of Free State Knights fast bowler Gerald Coetzee in their semi-final.

Bavuma will open the batting for the Proteas in the early hours of Sunday morning against the Netherlands, some confidence renewed after it all finally clicked against the powerful Pakistan pace attack and he struck a commanding 36 off just 19 balls.

‘All’ the Proteas have to do is beat the Netherlands and they will be in the semi-finals, and all true South African fans will be hoping the skipper builds on the promise of his previous innings.

How quickly things can change in cricket is one of the prime attractions of the game; the vacillating fortunes are why players are always entreated to mine a good run of form for as long as they can.

If someone asks me for my list of the top-10 T20 innings I have seen, then Brevis’s outrageous, record-breaking 162 off 57 balls is on mine.

Coming from someone whose talent has already had people shouting from the rooftops, it was understandable that the innings was greeted with a wave of public opinion that the 19-year-old should be rushed straight into the Proteas team.

But we need to be careful not to extrapolate too much from one innings. When Dave Callaghan blasted 169 not out off just 143 balls, an incredible scoring rate back in 1994, for South Africa against New Zealand at Centurion, he looked a world beater and it was also one of the best innings I have seen.

But as good a cricketer as Callaghan was, the innings proved to be a once-off and his next highest score in 24 other ODI innings was just 45 not out.

On October 31, Brevis knocked two sixes and three fours off Coetzee as he scored 29 runs off 13 balls against the highly-rated 22-year-old. Coetzee eventually had his nemesis caught on the boundary in the final over.

On November 2, this time given the new ball against Brevis, Coetzee, pride hurt, was on fire. He came roaring in and bowled fast and aggressively at a batsman two-and-a-half years his junior. He ruffled him up with short-pitched bowling, struck him on the gloves and this time Brevis could only score five runs from the 10 balls he faced from the St Andrew’s Bloemfontein product on the same pitch.

Brevis surely has the talent to sort all this out, of course, but the cautionary lesson is that he is still just a 19-year-old with just one season of experience playing with men. He spoke with maturity about the journey he has to travel after his 162, and the precocious potential he undoubtedly possesses needs to be carefully managed by the national selectors.

The selectors have certainly taken a lot of flak for persisting with Bavuma at the top of the Proteas batting order, but there were many glimpses of the reasons why against Pakistan: the crisp strokeplay, the ability to hit boundaries in the powerplay with ‘proper’ cricket shots and his brilliant handling of the short ball.

The jury is still out, of course, on Bavuma’s long-term future as an international T20 batsman, but the graph has now taken a little up-turn back in the right direction.

Temba Bavuma

Age: 32
Role: right-hand batter
T20I matches: 28
Runs: 565 (23.54 ave)
High score: 72
Strike-rate: 116.49

A gritty competitor who will be out to prove the rest of the world wrong when it comes to criticism of his T20 game and his low strike-rate.

Quinton de Kock

Age: 29
Role: wicketkeeper/left-hand batter
T20I matches: 72
Runs: 2032 (32.25 ave)
High score:  79*

Strike-rate: 134.12

A powerful hitter and excellent strokemaker whose innings are usually populated with a high percentage of boundaries, especially in the opening powerplay.

Aiden Markram

Age: 27
Role: right-hand batter/off-spinner
T20I matches: 26
Runs: 780 (41.05 ave)
High score: 70

Strike-rate: 151.16

Wickets: 6 (24.66 ave)

Best bowling: 3/21

Economy: 7.40

A classically elegant batsman who has now found his niche in the middle-order; he scores all around the wicket, but extra cover to long-on is his strongest area. His improving off-spin is a valuable second string to his bow and brings sixth-bowler balance to the team.

Rilee Rossouw

Age: 32
Role: left-hand batter
T20I matches: 21
Runs: 558 (37.20 ave)
High score: 100*

Strike-rate: 152.87

A potential matchwinner for the Proteas who has played for numerous teams in global T20 leagues, an extremely dangerous batsman.

David Miller

Age: 33
Role: left-hand batter
T20I matches: 107
Runs: 2069 (33.91 ave)
High score: 106*
Strike-rate: 145.49

‘This guy can hit the ball out of the ground, I tell ya!,’ is perhaps what Tony Greig would have said about South Africa’s ace finisher, who is in superb form at the moment.

Reeza Hendricks

Age: 33
Role: right-hand batter
T20I matches: 48
Runs: 1372 (29.82 ave)
High score: 74

Strike-rate: 125.41

Revitalised as a white-ball cricketer and now one of the hottest T20 batsmen South Africa has; now how to fit him in the starting XI?

Heinrich Klaasen

Age 31
Role: wicketkeeper/right-hand batter
T20I matches: 36
Runs: 651 (25.03 ave)
High score: 81

Strike-rate: 147.61

Powerful and good against spin, Klaasen can help build a partnership and also smite a few boundaries in quick time; an accomplished finisher but currently playing second-fiddle to Miller and Stubbs.

Tristan Stubbs

Age: 22
Role: right-hand batter
T20I matches: 9
Runs: 142 (28.40 ave)
High score: 72

Strike-rate: 191.89

Our newest batting sensation, if he stays at the crease for any length of time he takes the game away from the opposition; a phenomenal talent waiting to explode on the biggest stage.

Tabraiz Shamsi

Age: 32
Role: left-arm wrist-spin bowler
T20I matches: 57
Wickets: 69 (21.42 ave)
Best bowling: 5/24

Economy: 7.15

There may have been thoughts about Shamsi not making the XI after his rough time in India, but he immediately bounced back to his best when he arrived in Australia, bamboozling New Zealand in their warm-up match. Always difficult for the batsmen to read, attacking him is not easy due to the uncertainty he creates by spinning the ball both ways.

Keshav Maharaj

Age: 32
Role: Left-arm orthodox spin bowler
T20I matches played: 21
Wickets: 19 (27.15 ave)
Best bowling: 2/21

Economy: 7.18

An extremely accurate and skilful spinner who just never disappoints; the Proteas are blessed with one of the strongest spin attacks thanks to the control and cunning of Maharaj and the striking ability of Shamsi. South Africa are in trouble if they need runs from him, but Maharaj can hit big.

Lungi Ngidi

Age: 26
Role: right-arm fast bowler
T20I matches: 32
Wickets: 51 (18.52 ave)
Best bowling: 5/39

Economy: 8.91

Bowls with seam movement and bounce up front to take wickets in the first powerplay, and with excellent skill and variation at the death; his talents are needed alongside the greater pace of the other quick bowlers.

Anrich Nortje

Age: 28
Role: right-arm fast bowler
T20I matches: 24
Wickets: 24 (24.79 ave)
Best bowling: 3/8

Economy: 7.50

His sheer pace brings the fire to the Proteas attack and he will rattle a few cages on the firm Australian pitches. Can go for a few runs, but likely to take crucial wickets as well.

Kagiso Rabada

Age: 27
Role: right-arm fast bowler
T20I matches: 49
Wickets: 54 (27.64 ave)
Best bowling: 3/20

Economy: 8.42

Has already made his mark in the eight T20 World Cup matches he has played, taking 13 wickets. So accurate up front, and skilful enough to extract whatever assistance there is in the pitch; when he finds his range at the death, then his yorkers are deadly. Has contributed valuable runs in the past.

Wayne Parnell

Age: 33
Role: left-arm fast bowler/left-hand batsman
T20I matches: 48
Wickets: 52 (25.00 ave)
Best bowling: 5/30

Economy: 8.28

Runs: 163 (27.16 ave)

High score: 29*

Strike-rate: 102.51

A welcome returnee to the Proteas set-up after his dark days in the squad in the past. He can swing it whether it’s a red ball or white, to deadly effect up front and could be in his element with Australia having a wet summer. A lovely freeflowing batsman when set, he can hit a mean long ball.

Marco Jansen

Age: 22

Role: left-arm fast bowler/right-hand batsman

T20I matches: 1

Wickets: 1 (38.00 ave)

Best bowling: 1/38

Economy: 9.50

Runs: 12 (12.00 ave)

High score: 12

Strike-rate: 70.58

The more advanced of the twin Jansen bros from Potchefstroom, Jansen has firmly established himself in the Proteas red-ball squad and was a late replacement for Dwaine Pretorius in the T20 World Cup squad. Will add yet more pace and bounce to the bowling attack, but also left-arm variation. Has impressed with the bat on several occasions.

Centurion David Miller and Quinton de Kock showed their enduring worths in T20 cricket with a magnificent partnership, but that must not pull the wool over the eyes of the Proteas management as to how many problems the side has following South Africa’s 16-run defeat to India in the second T20 in Guwahati on Sunday.

The Proteas problems began with their bowling, which was awful, allowing a hungry Indian top-order to plunder 237/3 after South Africa had sent them in to bat. It is the highest score the Proteas have ever conceded in a T20 International, beating the 236/6 the West Indies scored when they won batting second at the Wanderers in 2014/15.

Having played two spinners on a seamer’s pitch in the first T20, South Africa then brought in Lungi Ngidi for Tabraiz Shamsi in Guwahati, when the pitch probably suited a second spinner, judging by how well left-armer Keshav Maharaj bowled in taking 2/23 in his four overs.

All the pacemen were poor and were severely punished. They could not find their lines and lengths up front, and then, under pressure, their skills dissolved in a flood of full tosses and short, wide deliveries. A temperature in the 30s and 94% humidity meant there was lots of sweat around to make the ball slippery, but India’s bowlers were far more controlled having to deal with the same conditions.

Openers Lokesh Rahul (57 off 28) and Rohit Sharma (43 off 37) took full toll of the loose bowling to put on 96 in 9.5 overs for the first wicket.

Maharaj dismissed both of them, but there was no denying the thrilling Suryakumar Yadav as he ruthlessly smashed 61 off just 22 balls, while Virat Kohli showed his great class with 49 not out off 28 deliveries.

Kagiso Rabada (14.25), Anrich Nortje (13.66), Wayne Parnell (13.50) and Ngidi (12.25) all had economy rates that were extremely expensive.

It would be dumb to continue to ignore South Africa’s top-order woes, with Temba Bavuma making a seven-ball duck and Rilee Rossouw also making back-to-back ducks as he charged down the pitch second-ball to play a silly shot against Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm quick took two wickets in his first over, having snared three in the first T20.

Aiden Markram scored a free-flowing 33 off 19 balls before spinner Axar Patel knocked over his off-bail with a wonderful delivery.

With South Africa already needing 14.5 runs-per-over, Miller and the struggling De Kock then had some fun as they added an unbeaten 174 in 13.4 overs as the visitors reached 221/3.

Miller was sensational, scoring 106 not out off 47 balls, hitting seven balls out of the park. He fought incredibly hard for the team and showcased his amazing skill.

It will please the Proteas greatly that De Kock is back to something approaching his best as he finished with 69* off 48 balls, an innings which started in battling fashion but ended in a flurry of boundaries.

The SA20 Auction was always going to be one of the key events in the build-up to the launch of the new T20 league early next year, crucial in getting the public behind Cricket South Africa’s proposed financial saviour.

Unfortunately the six franchises made a complete hash of it by snubbing one of this country’s most popular players. I’m not sure whether Temba Bavuma’s status as captain of the national T20 team or the fact he is a role-model and hero to so many is most important, but either way, he should be playing in the SA20.

His highly-controversial snubbing – there is no other word for it when you fail to get a bid despite going on auction three times – has led to ferocious debate. Some of it has been so lacking in clarity of thought or decent humanity that it reminds me a bit of how Hashim Amla was treated in the early stages of his international career. Despite scoring prolifically for KwaZulu-Natal, Amla had many critics who said he would never make it at international level.

Amla showed ‘em alright how wrong that characterisation of his abilities was.

Let’s be clear, I’m not saying Bavuma should automatically have been bought simply because he is a Proteas captain, or his popularity, or the colour of his skin. I’m saying choose him because there are compelling cricketing reasons to do so.

That the 32-year-old is not the most explosive T20 batsman is a given, but he can perform a very important role in the top-three, especially when conditions give the bowlers a bit of assistance. I watched him score an outstanding century at the Wanderers to win the Highveld Lions the T20 title against the Warriors in 2019.

My point is three of the franchises clearly chose players instead of Bavuma who do not have better records than him.

My alarm bells were ringing when Sunrisers Eastern Cape bought Marques Ackerman in the 12^th round of bidding, admittedly for just R175 000, compared to Bavuma’s base price of R850 000, which was clearly set too high, either by himself or whoever advised him poorly.

Because we’re going to be comparing records of these top-three batsmen, Bavuma’s T20 stats are the baseline. In 25 internationals, he has a strike-rate of 120.60 and an average of 26.76. But there were some purely domestic players who were chosen ahead of him, so Bavuma’s local stats are 100 matches, a strike-rate of 124.67 and an average of 30.52.

Ackerman has played just 39 domestic T20s and strikes at 123.68, with an average of 24.25.

There was an even bigger warning that Bavuma was in for humiliation when Durban Super Giants bought West Indian Johnson Charles in the next round. A bang-average T20 player based on his stats: In 34 internationals, he has a strike-rate of only 121.68 and an average of only 21.93. His domestic figures are 128.63 and 25.76. And before you bring up his wicketkeeping, Durban already had Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen in their squad.

In the next round, Super Kings bought Matthew Breetzke, a sound investment in up-and-coming talent, but he has a domestic strike-rate of 129.43 and an average of 24.78. Like many of the local cricketers, half of those matches have been in the semi-pro ranks, so you really cannot compare him with Bavuma.

When Sunrisers Eastern Cape then bought Test opener Sarel Erwee in Round 15, it really seemed like the auction was merely a device for our IPL overlords to ram home some sort of anti-transformation agenda.

Erwee strikes at 123.64 and has an average of 24.70.

One wonders how much local input the franchises used.

And considering the awful racist targeting of Bavuma and Andile Phehlukwayo, whose omission from the SA20 is also a shock, by some Indian social media, and the right-wing, anti-liberal current Indian government, one wonders whether there is not more to these auction outcomes than meets the eye.

We sincerely hope not.