Ken Borland

Ace South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi does not believe the Proteas bowling attack are forgoing skill in T20 cricket and the improvement they have shown in their fixtures in the West Indies, winning the last two games for a 2-1 lead in the five-match series, certainly bears him out.

Shamsi, the No.1 ranked bowler in international T20 cricket, has spearheaded South Africa’s comeback after a mauling in the first match, and has taken four for 56 in his 12 overs in the series. He was man of the match in Tuesday night’s encounter as he took two for 13 in four phenomenal overs, as the Proteas just managed to defend 168 in Grenada.

Left-arm orthodox spinner George Linde was man of the match in the second T20 and South Africa’s pacemen have steadily improved as they have found a fuller length, with Anrich Nortje particularly impressive and Kagiso Rabada holding his nerve in the last game as he defended 15 in the final over.

“We’re still learning as a team because we don’t have much experience together as a unit. But the skills are not missing, I firmly believe our bowling unit is up there with the best. The same with our batting, they just need to get into their rhythm. I think the batting has been quite good in the last two games.

“The way we’ve bounced back with the ball though against the West Indies batsmen is very pleasing, they’re hitting sixes but we’ve seen a big improvement in how we are nailing the execution from our analysis. In that first game, I think the rain kept juicing the pitch up which allowed the ball to skid on nicely for the batsmen,” Shamsi said.

While Shamsi sticks to the Proteas’ hymn sheet with his chorale of “just trying to land the ball in the right areas”, there is no doubt the 31-year-old is reaping the benefits of detailed analysis of the individual West Indies batsmen and his feistiness that suggests he is a fast bowler trapped in a spinner’s body.

“I like to do a lot of homework, I’ve always spent a lot of time on analysis. I go back to the videos to see how they play me and I ask myself ‘did I bowl well then?’ I always just try to stay a step ahead with my game. But T20 cricket is a different beast, the West Indies are very strong team, they basically play T20 for a living, and I might go for 60 in the next game.

“We can’t take them lightly given the amount of experience they have, their four most capped players probably have more runs and wickets together than the whole of our team. But it’s all about preparation for us,” Shamsi said.

It would be tempting, given their superb fightback to level the series against the West Indies at 1-1 over the weekend, to give the Proteas a general amnesty for the shortcomings in their T20 game, but with the third match looming on Tuesday night, there are a couple of areas that still need attention.

Despite not having a recognised sixth bowler, the Proteas did exceptionally well with the ball to limit the deep and explosive West Indian batting line-up to just 150 for nine on the small St George’s ground on Grenada.

Spinners George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi were absolutely outstanding. Coming on straight after the powerplay, they bowled six overs in tandem and squeezed the home side so effectively that they collapsed from 53 for two after six overs to 76 for five at the end of the 12^th over. The combined figures of man of the match Linde (4-0-19-2) and Shamsi (4-0-16-1) were a remarkable three for 35 in eight overs.

Kagiso Rabada and the excellent Anrich Nortje, the pick of the pacemen in both matches so far, learnt quickly from the mauling in the first T20 that if you are going to bowl fast on this more typical Caribbean pitch then you have to bowl full. But Lungi Ngidi, bowling like he’s in a Test match, has really struggled, conceding 95 runs in his seven overs thus far.

A change needs to be made and white-ball specialist Sisanda Magala, who has the skills to do well on these pitches, would be a good pick. Swing bowler Beuran Hendricks and Lizaad Williams, who has shown an ability to adapt to different conditions, could also be in the running.

South Africa’s other big problem is the lack of animation shown by the batsmen in the second half of the innings. Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock have done well up front, with powerplay scores of 53 for one and then 69 without loss (the Proteas’ fourth highest score ever in the first six overs), but then the innings have fizzled out.

In the first T20, South Africa were 95 for two after 11 overs but instead of doubling their total as could reasonably have been expected, they limped to 160 for six. In the second match, their finishing was dire as they scored only 28 runs in the last five overs and lost four wickets (138-3 to 166-7).

It has not helped that the dynamic De Kock has been dismissed in the seventh over, straight after the powerplay, in both matches.

Heinrich Klaasen has really struggled for boundaries, not getting a single one in the 23 balls he has faced. Given that the Proteas need a sixth bowler, Aiden Markram could be pressed into duty in a new T20 role in the middle-order.

Wiaan Mulder and Andile Phehlukwayo are both established bowlers but choosing them would weaken the batting.

The scent of mourning hung around South African cricket on Tuesday with the news that their much-loved, and longest-serving manager, Goolam Rajah, had passed away, another victim of Covid-19.

The 74-year-old Rajah had been on a ventilator for the last couple of months in a Johannesburg hospital.

In many ways, Rajah was the glue as the Proteas made their way back into international cricket in 1991 and went through tumultuous times such as the 1999 World Cup semi-final tie, the fall of Hansie Cronje, and further World Cup disappointments in 2003, 2007 and 2011 (the year he retired); as well as the highs of becoming the No.1 side in Test cricket through numerous memorable wins on tour.

Apart from being the most meticulous man, his logistical and man-management skills were phenomenal, Rajah was the epitome of a gentleman. Softly-spoken, but with a warm smile, any time spent in his company would leave one feeling better for the experience.

A qualified pharmacist, Rajah was the perfect manager. Extremely organised, with a high sense of integrity, he was also a great servant of the game.

Former Proteas captain and coach Gary Kirsten summed up Rajah perfectly in his autobiography:

“Goolam was probably the most unsung hero I have ever encountered. I can categorically state that I never met a more selfless person in the entire decade we were together. Goolam’s approach to his job was to add as much value and make life as pleasant and as trouble-free as possible for the people around him. His own goals and ambitions were never apparent.

“The solitary target he set himself on tour was to allow his team to focus all their mental and physical energy on cricket. If they were worried or distracted by anything else, Goolam treated it as a personal failure on his part. He allowed no detail to escape his attention and he was a shrewd deal-maker too. He was generous to a fault and there were times I wished Goolam would just take half-an-hour for himself,” Kirsten said.

While buxom ladies in the stands at St George’s were up and down off their seats on a regular basis celebrating a steady flow of boundaries from the West Indies batsmen, South African fans watching the first T20 on their TVs at home saw their team make an encouraging start with the bat and then the runs just simply dried up.

Boundaries – how to score them and how to prevent the West Indian batsmen from plundering them – will be the key factor on the Proteas’ minds as they go into the second T20 international on Sunday night at the same venue, following their thrashing by eight wickets with five overs to spare in the first game.

“We were outplayed and it started with the batting, where our score [160-6] was definitely below par and we did not maximise a good start. The second half of our innings was the period we let the game slip. But both departments let us down because we understood the pitch would be a bit slow, but we weren’t able to adapt. We knew the West Indies would test our skills, they are one of the best teams in the world.

“So we need to come with different plans but there’s not much time to change anything before the next game. Not having a sixth bowler is a bit of a concern and part of the conversation we need to have. It would be nice to have a sixth bowler, that would give us a bit of breathing space,” captain Temba Bavuma said after the chastening defeat.

While the balance of the South African side – with just five frontline bowlers and part-time spinner Reeza Hendricks bowling one over that cost 21 runs – certainly needs amending, it would also be advantageous for the Proteas quick bowlers to take a leaf out of the West Indies’ book.

While Ngidi, Rabada and Nortje bowled as if they were in a Test match – relying on sheer pace and lots of short balls – the West Indies were far more skilful. After the great work of left-arm spinner Fabian Allen (4-0-18-2), Dwayne Bravo (4-0-30-2) and Obed McCoy (4-0-30-0) were outstanding as they strangled the innings with a succession of slower balls and cutters. Having reached 80 for two after nine overs, South Africa collected just five fours and two sixes in the last 11 overs.

“When you’re under pressure you go to what you know and bowling short is generally their go-to. Even though conditions dictated differently,” Bavuma said of his quick bowlers.