Ken Borland

Rassie van der Dussen, the reliable batsman who made yet another half-century on Friday as the T20 series against Pakistan was lost 3-1, admitted after the game that it has been a particularly tough time for the Proteas, and especially the regulars left behind to play with the second-stringers.

With five first-choice players departing for the IPL, South Africa’s resources were always going to be stretched against a full-strength Pakistan side that had already clinched the ODI series, and the home team then suffered another two major blows when captain Temba Bavuma and Van der Dussen himself suffered injuries.

Van der Dussen was able to return for the penultimate match, but his 52 off 36 balls was not able to prevent a three-wicket defeat with a ball remaining, to end another disappointing summer for the Proteas.

“We’ve had our challenges with the guys leaving for the IPL and then the injury blows. If you take seven of the best players out of any team they will be out of it for a while, but that has allowed guys to come in and show what they’re about, a lot of them are experienced franchise players with a lot of cricket under their belt this season.

“There were individuals who were brilliant at different stages, but as a team we weren’t consistent enough, we didn’t deliver a complete performance except in the second match at the Wanderers. We were patchy, which was not going to be good enough for a series against a Pakistan team that is settled with world-class batsmen and bowlers. It’s a bitter pill but we will use these lessons to grow,” Van der Dussen said.

Van der Dussen lauded his bowlers for their effort in almost defending a sub-standard total of just 144, saying the info from the South African batsmen was that it became harder to score as the ball became softer. Both innings reflected that, with the Proteas losing seven wickets for 36 runs from the 13^th over, and Pakistan suffering a collapse of 37 for five from the 10^th over.

“This pitch was bit dryer than for the previous game, the cracks had opened up more and it became slower as the ball got softer, the cutters started gripping, and the scoreboard reflects that. Par score was probably 170 to 180 though, so we were definitely short of runs. At Centurion, on a good pitch, to defend even 200 is tough.

“So I’m very proud of the way our bowlers went about it and the way they have grown this series. At the end of the day you have to look at yourself in the mirror and you know if you have given your all. We wanted to fight every ball, be relentless and never give up. And we fought back very well, which I’m really proud of. If you have to lose then that’s the way to do it,” Van der Dussen said.

South Africa will be kicking themselves that they didn’t just score a handful more runs or solve their no-ball problem as they made Pakistan sweat in pursuit of a target of just 145, the tourists eventually winning by three wickets with just a ball to spare in the fourth and final T20 at Centurion on Friday evening.

Following a dismal batting display that saw the Proteas bowled out inside their 20 overs for the first time in more than a year, Pakistan made a fast start courtesy of Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman (the Proteas will be having nightmares over those two) adding 91 in nine overs.

Fast bowler Lizaad Williams removed both in the 10th over, Fakhar having blazed his way to 60 off 34 balls, while Babar’s contribution was a mere run-a-ball 24.

Much like in the South African innings, the collapse from there was rapid as Pakistan crashed from 92 for one to 129 for seven.

Pacemen Sisanda Magala (4-0-33-2), Andile Phehlukwayo (2-0-11-1) and Williams (3.5-0-39-2) backed up another excellent spell from wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (4-0-21-1), and suddenly South Africa were back in the game with Pakistan needing 25 from three overs.

The 18th over by Phehlukawayo went for nine but Magala made a magnificent start to the penultimate over, with three dot balls and a wicket bringing the equation to 16 needed off eight balls. And then he bowled successive no-balls for the second time in the series, the second free hit seeing Mohammad Nawaz (25* off 21) hammer a six that meant only a run-a-ball was needed in the last over.

The Proteas, needing to win the match in order to share the series, started well enough after being sent in to bat as they reached 109 for two in the 13th over. But outstanding seam bowling saw them lose seven wickets for only 35 runs as they were skittled for a meagre 144, posting their lowest all-out total since Australia shot them out for just 96 at Newlands in February 2020.

Aiden Markram again looked in prolific touch, hitting Nawaz’s first four balls for 11 runs, but he was then trapped lbw by the left-arm spinner’s arm ball, a bit unluckily as the batsman’s review showed it was umpire’s call for both height and hitting leg-stump. Janneman Malan scored 33 off 28 deliveries as he put on 57 for the second wicket with Rassie van der Dussen.

The ever-reliable Van der Dussen went on to score 52 off 36 balls, but he had just reached the milestone when things again fell apart for the Proteas around the 13th over, he and captain Heinrich Klaasen (9) being dismissed in successive overs.

Malan and Van der Dussen were the only batsmen to reach double figures as Pakistan’s pacemen, keeping to a good, full length on a pitch that was slower than two days ago, ripped through the rest of the batting.

Faheem was outstanding, taking three for 17 in his four overs, Haris took two for 18 in three-and-a-half overs and Shaheen Shah Afridi also bowled extremely well to concede just 19 runs in his four overs and take a wicket.

There are still six weeks of action remaining in the Indian Premier League, but notwithstanding the weak performances of the Proteas T20 side, there were some strong showings by South Africans in the first week of the biggest tournament in cricket, highlighted by David Miller and Chris Morris combining to steer the Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling win over the Delhi Capitals.

AB de Villiers had not played a competitive game of cricket since the previous IPL finished in November, but he opened his 2021 campaign with a matchwinning 48 off 27 balls for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in their thrilling win over the defending champion Mumbai Indians. In their next game, he was still trying to work out the wizardry of leg-spinner Rashid Khan when he was dismissed for just a single.

Chris Morris has had a frustrating start to the IPL in terms of his fast bowling, having figures of two for 41 in four and one for 27 in three overs, but he vanquished all those negativities as he roared to 36 not out off just 18 balls to win a thriller for the Rajasthan Royals against the Delhi Capitals.

David Miller missed the Rajasthan Royals’ loss to the Sikhs from the Punjab Kings in their opening game, but played hide-and-seek with the Delhi Capitals’ bowlers, hammering 62 off just 43 deliveries as he led the recovery that was finished by Morris after coming in at 17 for three.

Marco Jansen has been thrust into the limelight at the IPL from the outset by the champion Mumbai Indians, but the 20-year-old has shown immense heart with the ball. His debut was impressive as he took two wickets in the 15^th over of the Bangalore innings, including that of Glenn Maxwell, finishing with fine figures of two for 28 in his four overs. He then bowled two overs for 17 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Unfortunately he has made ducks in both his visits to the crease.

Kagiso Rabada played in that thrilling Rajasthan Royals’ loss to the Delhi Capitals and was the bowler of that penultimate over that cost 15 runs as Chris Morris hit him for two sixes. Rabada had been excellent with the ball before that, taking two for 15 in three overs. He also scored nine not out off four balls with the bat.

Quinton de Kock missed the first game and then scored just two off six balls, but he can still console himself with the fact that his Mumbai Indians team can still defend a low total like 152 as they beat Kolkata by 10 runs.

Faf du Plessis never got going in his opening IPL match, being dismissed for a three-ball duck as the Chennai Super Kings lost by seven wickets to the Delhi Capitals.

Lungi Ngidi and Imran Tahir have not yet played a game, while Anrich Nortje’s participation with the Delhi Capitals was delayed by a false positive Covid test.

Vernon Philander has never been one to pass the buck, as his tireless work uplifting his community has shown, which is why he has decided to make a comeback to help not just Western Province but South African cricket as a whole.

The great seam bowler’s decision to come out of retirement is great news for Western Province, who will be built around a core of the struggling Cape Cobras side, minus key figures who will be playing for Boland like the Malan brothers, Janneman and Pieter.

But the presence of Philander, who took 224 Test wickets at just 22.32 before retiring in January last year, will also help raise the standard of the new-look domestic game and the 35-year-old said he is wanting to help players from all the teams and not just his own.

“Western Province will have a young squad and there is a big need for me to play a part there, considering I still probably have two or three years left in me and I still have the firepower to perform and do well. But there is also not much experience around the country and I’m looking at the greater picture. We were fortunate to learn from older guys when we started out whether they were in our squad or not.

“So there’s a massive role to play in helping the future generations with those extra learnings, they can tap into our knowledge and hopefully stay calmer for longer. Hopefully I can help make sure they mature in the proper manner. Obviously I am still playing for trophies, but I want to encourage bowlers from other teams to speak to me so I can help South African cricket grow,” Philander told Saturday Citizen on Friday.

While the jury is still out on whether the new domestic system will actually improve South African cricket, Philander said the quality of play locally definitely needed some attention.

“I’ve been having honest chats with a few people and it boils down to standards and whether we are okay with mediocre. I personally don’t think there’s any place for that, so my goal is ultimately to help the standard of cricket in this country by setting a good example and standards. You want an atmosphere of enjoying what you do, but you also have a responsibility to perform,” Philander said.

The new-look team based at Newlands is also likely to feature the returns of batting maestro Hashim Amla and Wayne Parnell, who at 31 years old is still very capable of bringing some all-round magic.