Ken Borland

The DP World Lions ladies team upset the existing order of things in the HollywoodBets Pro50 Series in Johannesburg at the weekend, hammering the previously-unbeaten Western Province side with a bonus point to replace them in second place on the log.

Western Province had won the toss and sent the DP World Lions in to bat, picking up the important wickets of Proteas Tazmin Brits (14) and Sinalo Jafta (9) in the first 10 overs.

The tenacity of opener Nonkhululeko Thabethe (27) took her through to 20 overs, but when she fell, #ThePrideOfJozi were 73 for four.

But the experience of Sunette Viljoen-Louw, now batting in the middle-order, is an obvious strength of the DP World Lions, and the fightback began when she came to the crease.

The 41-year-old former Olympic silver medallist and Proteas player formed superb partnerships with the lower-order as the DP World Lions posted a most competitive 272 for nine in their 50 overs.

Karabo Meso, just 17 years old, scored 28 as she added 54 for the fifth wicket with Viljoen-Louw. The in-form Jenna Evans then scored a brisk 27 in a partnership of 79 for the sixth wicket, and Fay Cowling stroked the ball all around the DP World Wanderers Stadium in her 29 off just 19 deliveries, as she and Viljoen put on 34 for the seventh wicket.

Coming off a hugely successful season in British club cricket, Viljoen-Louw was out in the final over for a memorable 93 off 94 balls, with 11 elegant fours and a mighty six.

Western Province began their chase in ferocious fashion, with former Proteas captain Dane’ van Niekerk taking them to 94 for two after 13 overs.

But like the Empire in Star Wars, once the DP World Lions found the chinks to weaken them, their collapse was brutal.

Cowling removed opener Babette de Leede after she had bashed two boundaries in three balls, and then the lanky seamer returned in the 14^th over to have Van Nierkerk superbly caught by Meso, diving at point.

DP World Lions captain Kgomotso Rapoo then produced a marvellous spell of mesmerising spin bowling to run through the rest of the Western Province batting, taking five for 44 in eight overs as the visitors were bowled out for 184 in just 27-and-a-half overs.

Following their 88-run win in the Pro50 match, the DP World Lions conceded a mighty 198 for four in the T20 game.

Spinner Evans was the most impressive of the bowlers with two for 33 in her four overs.

Faced with such a big score, the DP World Lions did not produce their best with the bat, eventually being restricted to 142 for nine in their 20 overs, losing by 56 runs.

That was despite the marvellous start given to them by Viljoen-Louw (29 off 25) and Brits (40 off 25).

Our DP World Lions produced inspired cricket in the second half of their CSA 4-Day Series opener as they swept away the Momentum Multiply Titans by 153 runs at the DP World Wanderers Stadium.

In an enthralling match in which the momentum swung to and fro, #ThePrideOfJozi were in serious trouble on the third day when they slumped to four for four in the second innings, leading by just 18 runs.

Zubayr Hamza was the only batsman to survive the blitz in the top-order, and he backed up his 84 in the first innings with a determined 68 that at least restored the DP World Lions innings to an even keel.

It took a superb delivery from former DP World Lions spinner Tsepo Ndwandwa that turned past his defensive shot and hit the top of off-stump, to dismiss him.

Connor Esterhuizen hung around for 45 minutes as he added 37 with Hamza, but when Delano Potgieter was forced to retire hurt after being struck on the back of the head by a bouncer, the DP World Lions were 56 for five.

But then in came Bjorn Fortuin, always so good in a crisis. The 30-year-old all-rounder showed great fight as he played clever cricket to rapidly push back the Titans surge.

His tenacious innings included 16 fours and two sixes and he was vicious on anything short as well as being willing and able to hit down the ground or through and over the covers.

Fortuin finished with 116 off just 95 balls, a sensational innings that turned the match around in favour of our Pride.

There was also stout resistance from fast bowlers Codi Yusuf (24) and Tshepo Moreki (22*), while Potgieter returned to the fray and scored 40.

The DP World Lions were able to declare on the fourth morning, on 295 for nine, setting the Titans a target of 310 for victory.

Potgieter and Yusuf then opened the door for victory as they removed both Titans openers for ducks.

Yusuf then had the dangerous Dewald Brevis caught behind for just six, and #ThePrideOfJozi bowlers were sweeping through the Titans like a wildfire.

Fortuin then entered the attack and turned up the heat so the visitors were like meat on a hot braai. The left-arm spinner removed set batsmen Jhedli van Briesies (37) and Keegan Petersen (27), the Proteas Test player being caught behind off a beautiful delivery.

Yusuf returned to claim two more wickets and finished with excellent figures of four for 36 in 13 overs as the Titans were bowled out for just 156.

Fortuin claimed the last wicket to fall as he took three for 50 in 15.5 overs.

The DP World Lions were in charge of affairs midway through the second day as they reduced the Titans to 132 for six in reply to the Pride’s first innings of 316.

Bowling in the right area saw Lutho Sipamla and Moreki undo a solid start by the visitors as they took two wickets apiece.

But the final session of the second day belonged to Andile Phehlukwayo and Corbin Bosch as they both scored unbeaten half-centuries to take the Titans to 239 for six at stumps.

They extended that score to 302 on the third morning, with Phehlukwayo scoring 88 and Bosch 59.

Sipamla took two more wickets to finish with four for 83 in 21 overs, while Moreki took three for 36 in 17 probing overs.

The DP World Lions had won the toss and decided to bat first on the overcast first day, with captain Dominic Hendricks (67) and Hamza (84) defying the elements and the Titans bowlers as they added 118 for the second wicket.

But from 155 for one, the DP World Lions slipped to 194 for five, before Esterhuizen (45) and Yusuf (44) were able to negate the bowlers and lift the home team to a decent 316 all out.

A 3-0 series victory over Malawi was as good a debut in charge as new Proteas netball coach Jenny van Dyk could ask for, but she said there is still plenty of room for improvement as she looks to grow the depth of the South Africa squad.

The Proteas won the three Tests, played at the Ellis Park Arena last weekend, 68-31, 69-38 and 69-24, a record winning margin against Malawi, a side who have always provided tough competition and are currently ranked seventh in the world to South Africa’s fifth.

“I’m really happy, it’s the way we wanted to start and I’m really proud of the girls,” Van Dyk said. “The team reacted well and they stuck to the game-plan, they played with a lot of passion, they played hard and they did us proud. As a first series, it was certainly good enough, we’ve got the goals we wanted. I challenged them to get certain scores and they have shown themselves to be coachable and they have a great mindset.

“Scoreline-wise, I am very pleased. To win 3-0 in your first run out is great and we also managed to test a lot of combinations. At times our second combination was under pressure and there are more proper tests to come. This series was an opportunity to pair the right combinations together and they gave it a good shot.

“We could just revert back to the old combinations, but I want 15 strong players. I understand it’s a tall order, but we’ve seen those cycles when we have seven strong players, but then you have one or two injuries and the whole campaign is destroyed. So we need to create depth and I will also be having a good look at the U21 World Cup next year, that gives good exposure to the young talent,” Van Dyk said.

The team will now have a short break before gathering in early December for a camp that will take place at the same time as the Spar National Championships in Johannesburg, and the next week the Proteas head off to Namibia for the Africa Cup in Swakopmund from December 9.

Four of the Proteas squad are, however, involved in the Fast 5 World Series in New Zealand, including Kamogelo Maseko, the creative mainstay of the team, and exciting new goal shooter Rolene Streutker.

Veteran Karla Pretorius is still an absolute pillar in defence for the Proteas, and she emphasised the learning curve that the national netball team are on at the moment.

“This series was an opportunity to push different combinations, it was not just about getting good wins but also testing combinations and putting players in different situations. We wanted tough games, to be in those tricky situations, out of their safety zones. To put out different combinations and still win 3-0 is the positive.

“We’re happy with what we got out of the series, we never panicked and we always felt fully in control. We just need to adapt quicker, not let the opposition get momentum. We need to get into the game defensively a bit quicker,” Pretorius said.

Defence was also the one area that Van Dyk highlighted as needing attention.

“We weren’t as pleased with the defending as we wanted to be, we weren’t quite in the positions we wanted to be and we allowed Malawi too much space. Especially our attackers, they need to be tighter on their opposite numbers. That is something we need to work on,” Van Dyk said.

Kagiso Rabada is once again the No.1 bowler in red-ball cricket according to the ICC world rankings, but as much as he believes Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game, South Africa’s spearhead says winning the World Test Championship is not at the top of his bucket list.

The Proteas, whose inability to win a limited-overs World Cup has baffled cricket-lovers around the globe, are in position to make the World Test Championship final next year, even though they are currently lying fifth in the standings with a win percentage of 54.17. But their last four Tests in this cycle are all at home and winning all of those games, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, will lift that figure to 69.44%, which will guarantee them a place in the final at Lord’s from June 11 to 15 next year.

A couple of draws and two wins could also be enough, depending on the results of the Tests between Australia and India and New Zealand and England.

In the last calendar year, South Africa have come closest to breaking their World Cup hoodoo, reaching the semi-finals of the 50-over event last November in India and making the final of the T20 tournament in the West Indies and USA in June 2024. They seemed on-course to win that final against India, but superb bowling at the death, led by Jasprit Bumrah, saw them fall short by just seven agonising runs.

Rabada, who reached 300 Test wickets in the least-ever number of balls during the recent 2-0 series win in Bangladesh, has said previously that individual milestones are not his main motivation, but winning a World Cup for South Africa is his chief goal.

But, in an exclusive interview with SportsBoom at his home ground of the Wanderers, Rabada said claiming the World Test Championship crown would not scratch that itch, even though the longest format is his favourite.

“The T20 World Cup was extremely heartbreaking, but I feel we rose to the occasion,” Rabada said. “We are edging closer and closer to winning a World Cup and it’s just a matter of making that last, full step. But it was nice to be in that moment, we now know what it takes. You need a bit of luck as well.

“But having that experience is important, coming so close under high pressure, experiencing that will be invaluable going forward. I think the lesson we take from that final is not to over-complicate things, but the lessons will apply to each individual differently. But there was so much agony and once you feel it, you can’t unfeel it.

“Winning the World Test Championship would not completely satisfy me, although I would still be very proud and it would be amazing to do it. But the 50-over World Cup has so much value and history; the World Test Championship is not there yet, it’s a new thing.

“For me, winning the ODI World Cup is the holy mecca. You lose one game in the playoffs there and you’re gone. Whereas the World Test Championship is about who the best team is over a two-year period. We are now at crunch time in that tournament,” Rabada said.

Trying to decipher the South African team’s resting policies can at times feel like picking through dirty laundry, but the 29-year-old Rabada is frank about the management of his workloads, which has seen him sitting out the current T20 series against India.

“I’ve learnt to listen and understand my body better and I know I won’t feel the same as I did in my early twenties. I’ve bowled a lot of overs and it’s been a high workload. So looking at my path moving forward, I’m going to prioritise Test and ODI cricket.

“It’s not just about physical fatigue but also mental, and I believe it’s the smart decision to preserve myself. It also gives opportunities for others to step up and come through.

“But Test cricket is the best and all the greats played that. Even the most dominant T20 players, they play Test cricket. It’s the hardest and best format,” Rabada said.

With 313 wickets in 66 Tests at an average of just 21.49, 157 ODI wickets in 101 matches while conceding a touch over five runs-an-over, and 71 scalps in 65 T20 Internationals, it is easy to think Rabada is at his peak.

But the athletic U19 World Cup winner says there is still room for improvement.

“I don’t know if I’m at my best yet. I just want to keep pushing the limits. It could sound crazy, but I believe you never know how much you can get out of yourself.”

And, given that he is now clearly one of the strongest leaders in the Proteas set-up, what about captaincy?

“Taking more of a leadership role has come naturally really, it’s the circle of life and I’ve been in the Proteas team now for nine years. I’ve just taken it in my stride and I’m happy to be one of the leaders. I feel it’s something I’m meant to take on and I’m not shy about it.

“It’s a natural process when you consider the experience and knowledge that I’ve gained. So I’m willing to express myself and pass down that knowledge, when there are people who want to hear it. It’s because I have a lot of care for this team, why wouldn’t I want to be involved in the decision-making?

“As far as the actual captaincy goes, I have thought of it. Pat Cummins actually asked me about it and he said he found it difficult to separate it from playing his own game. He said as a bowler, you need a lot of assistance to be captain.

“But it’s something I would not rule out, but I won’t be strongly advocating for it. It must just happen naturally,” Rabada said.

Caring for the Proteas and their performance comes naturally too for Rabada. As does his undiluted passion for the game: The fifth-leading wicket-taker in South Africa’s Test history insisted on conducting this interview sitting outside on the balcony of the president’s lounge at the Wanderers, so he could watch the progress of his Central Gauteng Lions domestic team as they opened their four-day campaign.