Ken Borland

AB de Villiers has turned down the chance to play for South Africa again in this year’s T20 World Cup because of his struggle to deal with coming into the team at this late stage and taking the place of someone who has been with the Proteas for a while, according to national coach Mark Boucher.

With South Africa’s T20 side battling in recent times – they have won just five of their 19 matches in the last two years – speculation was rife that De Villiers, who is still imperious in the IPL, would come out of retirement to boost the Proteas’ World Cup challenge. Both Boucher and De Villiers have spoken recently about having talks in this regard.

But on Tuesday, Cricket South Africa announced the squads for next month’s tour of the West Indies and said “discussions with AB de Villiers have concluded with the batsman deciding once and for all that his retirement will remain final.”

Boucher told The Citizen on Tuesday that he was disappointed but the Proteas now had to simply move forward without one of the best batsmen in the world.

“AB has his reasons, which I respect. Unfortunately he’s no longer in the mix. I say unfortunately because I think we all agree that he’s still one of the best – if not the best – T20 players in world cricket. But he alluded to being concerned about coming in ahead of other players who have been a part of the system. I don’t think it sat well with him, which I understand.

“But as a coach I needed to try and get our best players, for the team and the environment. AB is an energy-booster in any environment, but I respect his reasoning. It was worth a go, but now let’s move forward,” Boucher said.

South Africa’s white-ball squad for the West Indies tour features the return of superstars Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Anrich Nortje from IPL duty, while Temba Bavuma is also back after missing the T20s against Pakistan due to injury and will become the first Black African to lead the Proteas T20 side.

The same squad will do duty for the T20s and ODIs in Ireland, with the addition of Maharaj, who has been a major figure in the Dolphins’ 50-over success.

Off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen and pace bowler Lizaad Williams have both been added to the Test squad that played in Pakistan, with Faf du Plessis having retired and seamers Lutho Sipamla, Daryn Dupavillon and Dwaine Pretorius all having been left out.

A right-arm off-spinner with a top-class record in domestic cricket over the last two seasons has been called up for the Proteas Test squad that will tour the West Indies next month.

No, not Simon Harmer but Dolphins star Prenelan Subrayen, who has taken 57 wickets in 11 matches in the last two seasons at an average of just 22.73. The 27-year-old played a key role in the KZN franchise winning the four-day competition last season and was particularly outstanding in the final, taking six for 24 to bowl the Titans out for a record low of just 53 and then picking up another four wickets in the second innings.

Harmer has signed for Northerns for next season’s new-look domestic competitions but has not played a four-day match in South Africa since January 2019, notwithstanding his incredible displays in English county cricket, where he has taken 284 wickets since 2017.

Subrayen will join fellow spinners Keshav Maharaj, George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi in the squad for the two Tests against the West Indies.

“Subrayen has had two wonderful four-day seasons now and, if conditions in St Lucia are, as we expect, like in Pakistan then we’ll need a lot of spinners. That gives us a lot of options and we need that variety of two orthodox left-armers in Maharaj and Linde, a wrist-spinner in Shamsi and the off-spin that Prenelan provides against a batting line-up that has had a lot of left-handers in the past,” convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang told The Citizen on Tuesday.

South Africa will be defending a titanic record in the Caribbean – since they lost their epic debut Test match there in 1991/92, they have won all three series played there – and will be without retired veteran batsman Faf du Plessis. But the selectors have not replaced him with a batsman, Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne and Sarel Erwee all providing cover as they did in Pakistan earlier this year.

Instead, Lizaad Williams, who made his white-ball debut for the Proteas at the end of last season, gets his first call-up to the Test squad, with Daryn Dupavillon, Dwaine Pretorius and Lutho Sipamla all axed from the squad named for the Tests in Pakistan.

South Africa’s white-ball squads feature the return of superstars Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje from IPL duty. Temba Bavuma is also back to lead the side after missing the T20s against Pakistan due to injury.

The same squad will do duty for the T20s and ODIs in Ireland, with the addition of Maharaj, who has been a major figure in the Dolphins’ 50-over success.

Proteas squads

Test – Dean Elgar (capt), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, Keegan Petersen, Quinton de Kock, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Tabraiz Shamsi, Sarel Erwee, Beuran Hendricks, Lizaad Williams, Prenelan Subrayen, Marco Jansen.

T20/ODI – Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, George Linde, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dwaine Pretorius, Janneman Malan, Heinrich Klaasen, Kyle Verreynne, Reeza Hendricks, Lizaad Williams, Sisanda Magala, Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj (for Ireland).

*Zubayr Hamza will lead the South Africa A squads that will travel to Zimbabwe for four 50-over-matches and two four-dayers against their counterparts in Harare from 29 May to 16 June.

South Africa A One-Day squad – Ryan Rickelton, Janneman Malan, Reeza Hendricks, Zubayr Hamza, Tony de Zorzi, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Sisanda Magala, Junior Dala, Lutho Sipamla, Senuran Muthusamy, Daryn Dupavillon, Glenton Stuurman, Theunis de Bruyn, Wihan Lubbe, Sinethemba Qeshile.

South Africa A Four-Day squad – Dominic Hendricks, Eddie Moore, Zubayr Hamza, Raynard van Tonder, Theunis de Bruyn, Senuran Muthusamy, Sinethemba Qeshile, Miguel Pretorius, Daryn Dupavillon, Glenton Stuurman, Lutho Sipamla, Dayyaan Galiem, Okuhle Cele, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Tshepo Ntuli.

The postponement of Cricket South Africa’s hearings for their Social Justice and Nation-Building project offers the ombudsman, Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza, the opportunity to sort out the procedural problems that would have occurred if public hearings had gone ahead as scheduled on Monday.

CSA announced at 10pm on Sunday night that the opening day of proceedings had been postponed to ensure a fair and transparent process for all who are involved. “It has become clear that there needs to be clarity regarding the process of any public hearings. Failure to do so may compromise the legitimacy of any process embarked upon. My office will therefore be taking legal counsel as regards a proper process for any such hearings. I therefore welcome the postponement to ensure such procedural fairness,” Ntsebeza said in a statement.

Chief among the procedural problems that need to be sorted out is that it is believed the terms of reference for SJN say any hearings need to be private and confidential. But Ntsebeza wants public hearings and has reportedly even tried to get the SABC to broadcast them.

Public hearings could create other major problems for Ntsebeza and CSA because if any participant makes libellous allegations, it would open the organisation to legal action. There is apparently no scope for cross-examination in the terms of reference.

Former players like Ethy Mbhalati and Thami Tsolekile, both of whom are currently banned for their involvement in matchfixing, last year made public utterances alleging racism in cricket, but when there were shown to be holes in their testimony, they failed to back their allegations up with any evidence. They also tried in vain to reopen their matchfixing cases.

Some of the targets of accusations of anti-transformation bias have expressed concerns that SJN public hearings could become a free-for-all, where untested allegations are made, resulting in a form of mob justice.

Coach Jake White communicated to his Bulls team at the break that they “had not been great” in the first half, but then, with his bench coming on to great effect, he told them at the end of their impressive 43-9 hammering of the Sharks in their Rainbow Cup match at Loftus Versfeld at the weekend that he was “very proud” of them.

The Bulls only led 12-9 at halftime and were entrenched in an almighty arm-wrestle with the Sharks; but their slow poison bore fruit in the second half as they eventually overwhelmed their opponents, finishing with four tries and a bonus point.

“Slowly, slowly, we were able to grind them down because the Sharks are a very good side. The altitude caught up with them in the second half, but we didn’t have a great first half: We allowed too many balls to bounce and I think the Sharks probably won every contestable kick. But I’m very proud of the way we finished. Our forwards were really good and the backs played well in the second half.

“The bench coming on played a vital role and we were in the wonderful position to have two Springbok props on the bench. I wanted a full half from Lizo Gqoboka and Trevor Nyakane and it was great to be able to hold them back because I knew Thomas du Toit and Ox Nche would come hard at us. But our relatively young front row did very well in the first half and then Lizo made a big impact.

“Last week he did the same in setting up the try for Zak Burger and he’s also scrumming very well. He knows there’s an opportunity for him at the Springboks now that Beast Mtawarira has retired. Elrigh Louw was also fantastic for us and in the last 20 we were really able to make the tempo higher because we are really fit,” White said after the memorable triumph.

White once again praised openside flank Marco van Staden – “he has been unbelievable for us, week-after-week putting 150% into everything” – and it seems stupidity at this stage not to have him in the Springbok picture for the Lions series.

Veteran flyhalf Morne Steyn is apparently in the frame for the national squad and he gave a masterclass against the Sharks, deservedly winning the man of the match award. “His kicks through into the corner, turning the Sharks around, just showed his class. He slowly, slowly, squeezed the Sharks until they capitulated,” White said.

The coach also praised captain Duane Vermeulen and his three locks – Walt Steenkamp, Ruan Nortje and Janko Swanepoel – as being stand-out performers.