Ken Borland

There may have been two days of rain, but Dolphins captain Marques Ackerman said he knew that on a typically dry Kingsmead deck, his spin duo of Prenelan Subrayen and Senuran Muthusamy would still win them the game in the 4-Day Domestic Series final which ended in Durban on Monday.

And so it proved in extraordinary fashion as off-spinner Subrayen (10 for 80 in 60 overs) and slow left-armer Muthusamy (nine for 91 in 42.5 overs) shared an unprecedented 19 wickets (the other dismissal was a run out) as the Titans were hammered by an innings and 76 runs, including being bowled out for their lowest ever total – 53 – in the first innings.

“I’m being dead honest when I say that even with only three days left in the game, not once was there any talk about the draw. We said from the start that we were going to win the match and not share the trophy, that was the unbelievable positive energy and mindset in the changeroom. Everyone was just so goal-driven and with so much bad light usually in play here, we normally only play three days so we knew how to win.

“We knew on this pitch that if we batted well then that would bring our spinners into the game, and so credit to Sarel Erwee, whose hundred put us on the front foot. The quality of our spinners was vital and their control was exceptional. They are world-class and I hope that gets recognised soon. Their groupings are so good, they test the batsman’s technique all the time, both edges, and they have impeccable skills,” Ackerman said on Monday.

The 25-year-old Ackerman said the Dolphins’ first outright win in the franchise four-day competition, in the last game of the franchise era, was a credit to all the players, staff and administrators at Kingsmead.

“This win was all about the people who do all the admin, the people who look after the things behind closed doors, the staff who look after all the small things, the groundsman and our sponsors who are the best, and not just the players. We’re all really stoked to finish the season this way and for the trophy not to be shared is a great end of the Dolphins journey.

“We knew we had the talent to win the four-day competition but we knew we had to put a lot of hard effort into it, we had to make changes. That was the little flame, we didn’t even have a team song, so we created the team culture we needed in red-ball cricket. I don’t think many people realise how hard it is to win the four-day tournament,” Ackerman said.

New South Africa limited-overs captain Temba Bavuma said on Monday that he hopes to define a style of play for the Proteas that will be fit for every condition and for every occasion.

Bavuma will lead South Africa for the first time in the three ODIs against Pakistan which start at Centurion on April 2, followed by four T20 Internationals.

The Proteas’ failure to win any of the world cups is well-documented and their performances in the global tournaments seem to be getting worse rather than improving, their most recent failure being their dismal showing in England when they failed to advance to the knockout stage. South Africa have not played an ODI since their tremendous 3-0 whitewash of Australia little more than a year ago, but since the 2019 World Cup they have completed just five matches.

“South Africa have always been more than competitive in ODIs, we’ve been No.1 in the world before. As the leader I’m just going to try and define a style of play that we will be able to execute in any conditions and under any occasion. To do that, mentally we need to improve a lot, we need to get stronger. I’ll be trying to inspire and get the guys into a space where they can perform as well as they can.

“We want to be aggressive and able to dominate in all conditions. We definitely want to test ourselves more in conditions that may be ‘unfavourable’ for us, we want to see if we can execute our brand of play at all times. The mood is optimistic and hopefully I can lead the team to a couple of victories as we build to 2023. We really want to define our style of play,” Bavuma said on Monday.

Bavuma’s landmark appointment – he is the first Black African to lead South Africa – comes after he has played just six ODIs, but has scored 335 runs at a strike-rate of 92 in those games. While the 30-year-old has now scaled the Drakensberg in terms of his career, he knows he needs to keep posting performances to add to the rocks already on his cairn on top of the mountain.

“Those conversations about where I’ll bat are still ongoing, but it will probably be in the top three, I would like to think no further down than number four. But being versatile is something I pride myself on, it’s something I’ve always had to do. I’ve got to make sure I’ve got the skills to achieve whatever role I’m in. Obviously I’m excited by the responsibility.

“I’m going to enjoy the journey and this new chapter in my career, and I look forward to adding value with the bat. I have to stamp my mark on the game and I will be the guy on the field who the players will look to for decision-making and plans. It starts with communication off the field and then hopefully we can execute the plans,” Bavuma said.

The domestic cricket season will come to an end next week with the Dolphins hosting the Titans in the 4-Day Domestic Series final at Kingsmead following the KwaZulu-Natal side’s seven-wicket win over the Warriors at St George’s Park on Friday.

The Warriors themselves had an outside chance of topping Pool B and qualifying for the final, but their defeat and the comfortable draw secured by the Titans against the Imperial Lions at the Wanderers on Friday means the Pretoria team go through to the showpiece game, which will be played over five days.

The Dolphins were chasing just 112 to beat the Warriors and, although Aya Gqamane picked up a couple of cheap wickets, opener Senuran Muthusamy dug in with 57 not out to see them home.

The Dolphins are certainly the form team at the moment, having overtaken the highflying Knights in spectacular fashion over the last two rounds.

The Knights’ form away from home is a concern though, with the Cape Cobras beating them by a record innings and 215 runs at Newlands on Friday to blast them out of top spot in Pool A.

The visitors, trailing by 342 runs on first innings after Pieter Malan’s 264 and a century by Kyle Verreynne, began the final day with little hope on 106 for seven.

Left-arm spinner George Linde, who is rapidly becoming one of the most dangerous all-round cricketers in the land, took the last three wickets to fall to finish with exceptional figures of seven for 29 in 21.2 overs, the Knights being bundled out for just 127. Farhaan Behardien scored a gutsy 48 not out.

Thanks to Wiaan Mulder’s accomplished 56 not out, the Imperial Lions were able to set the Titans a target of 313 in 89 overs, a required run-rate of 3.51. Openers Dean Elgar (68) and Aiden Markram (64) gave them a great start as they added 125 in 36.5 overs.

But left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks produced a superb delivery to have Markram caught behind, and Elgar then holed out against spinner Bjorn Fortuin shortly before the tea break. With the Titans ending the session on 149 for two after 48 overs, and the clouds starting to build up, both teams agreed there was little point in going into a third session and hands were shaken on the draw.

Titans paceman Lizaad Williams celebrated his selection for the Proteas squad for the first time with another fine performance, taking four for 74 in 18 overs.

For someone still making their way in the international game, Lara Goodall has made scoring runs in India and chasing down targets look as easy as someone relaxing in their poolside cabana enjoying a long, cool cocktail.

The 24-year-old was one of the stars of the South African women’s team’s 4-1 demolition of India over the last two weeks, her 59* in the fourth ODI being a series-winning effort. This year has very much been the second coming of Goodall, who played sporadically for the Proteas between 2016 and 2019, before being dropped after their disappointing previous tour of India.

The ‘new’ Lara Goodall is a much stronger player mentally, however, according to the Cape Town-born talent herself.

“In every international game there is massive pressure and I just try to stay calm, keep a clear head and stick to the basics. It’s a nice feeling to be there at the end after you’ve grafted so hard and I have a different approach nowadays. I’ve always had the shots and the ability, but it has required a mental shift. I felt always in control in that chase.

“My private coach Rushdi Jappie [the former Western Province and Titans batsman] throws me thousands of balls but his biggest influence on me has been mentally. He’s a mentality giant and he has improved my situational awareness, taught me to let go of my emotions after every ball. You want to show off your flair, but if you play boring shots for long enough you generally win in the end,” Goodall, who unfurled a couple of superb reverse-sweeps for four in the closing stages of the fourth ODI, told Saturday Citizen.

As well as things are going at the moment, life has not been a beach for Goodall in the last few years as it has been very difficult to break into a settled Proteas batting line-up and gain regular playing opportunities. The Pinelands High School product has seized her chance with both hands in the absence of the injured duo of captain Dane van Nierkerk and the talented Chloe Tryon.

“We were actually chatting in the changeroom about doing so well in India and we didn’t even have our fully fit squad. Imagine when Dane and Chloe come back because they are massive cogs. My main goal is just to cement my place, try and become a mainstay of the team. Coach Hilton Moreeng has been one of my biggest fans but he’s always challenging me to keep doing what I do, to keep knocking on the door,” Goodall says.

The left-handed batter comes from a sports-mad family and admits there was some debate growing up over whether she should focus on cricket or football.

“My family are massive sports fans generally, I have an older brother as well who taught me how to play cricket, and my parents support both of us as much as they can, they never miss a game. Sport is part of our culture and I was quite a good footballer too, that was a very big part of my life and we probably thought I was more likely to play for Banyana Banyana than the Proteas.

“But cricket kind of came out of nowhere and when I was 16 I realised that I can actually play this game and make something out of it. My parents used to take me to Newlands when I couldn’t even walk yet and one of my first memories is watching JP Duminy bat there for the Cobras. I am a massive fan of his, JP being a left-handed batsman from the same city,” Goodall said.

One of South African women’s cricket’s pressing issues is bridging the gap between the mostly amateur domestic version of the game and the increasingly professional Proteas, who have certainly become a force to be reckoned with on the international stage. Fortunately for her, Goodall is based in Cape Town with one of the strongest teams in Western Province and she says provincial nets are an intense affair which helps prepare their players for the step up.

“Training back at home is very competitive and we have someone like Laura Wolvaardt, who has played a lot of Big Bash cricket in Australia. I learn so much from her daily and Nadine de Klerk as well. So there’s a nice national contingent at Western Province and our coach Claire Terblanche really challenges us, she is a former international. So no-one is in their comfort zones, which works so far for us. I’ve also worked a lot with Dinesha Devnarain, another former Protea who is national academy head coach,” Goodall said.

South Africa’s national women’s team has been blessed for several years with some of the best bowlers in the world, but the batting depth was the albatross around their necks. That would seem to be a problem of the past though with the likes of Goodall, with many good years ahead of her, showing that she has the mettle to excel on the international stage.

A veteran like Mignon du Preez can rest secure in the knowledge that when she does retire one day, there will be a ready-made replacement.