Ken Borland

The measurements of the St George’s Park ground are perhaps conducive to spectacular run-scoring, but the bowling-friendly nature of the pitch has raised concerns that Cricket South Africa’s imminent announcement that the entire Mzansi Super League will be played in a bio-bubble in Gqeberha may be misguided.

CSA are set to announce that both remaining domestic white-ball competitions this summer – the Momentum One-Day Cup and the MSL T20 competition – will be played in bubbles, which are on course to be a staple part of the South African game for a while yet.

In fact, the International Cricket Council have apparently decided that all international cricket for the next two years will be held in bio-bubbles.

The MSL is set to be played between February 7-28. In the two four-day matches played at St George’s Park this summer, scores of 170, 54, 96, 173, 366 and 79 have been recorded. If conditions stay the same, batting is not going to be easy, which many fans believe will detract from what is meant to be the T20 showpiece of the season.

Batsmen and spinners are going to be happier to hear that the 50-over Momentum One-Day Cup will be staged in two bubbles, one in Durban and the other in Potchefstroom.

Given how spin-friendly Kingsmead has been in recent years, and how flat the Potchefstroom pitch generally is, the pacemen are going to be disappointed.

The Momentum One-Day Cup is set to start in early January and will be completed before the MSL. Last season’s competition ended in disappointment in Potchefstroom as the Imperial Lions and Dolphins were forced to share the title after rain washed out play after 55.2 overs on the reserve day.

Meanwhile, the final round of fixtures in the first stage of the 4-Day Franchise Series, due to start on December 19, is set to be postponed because several teams have large numbers of Covid-positive cases within their squads.

The four-day competition is due to resume on March 4.

Fast bowling great Allan Donald is looking forward to the Indian batsmen, who prefer the ball not getting higher than hip-height, being bombarded by the Proteas pace attack as Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Duanne Olivier share the enforcer duties in the Test series later this month.

The South African Test squad was announced on Tuesday and Olivier, whose 48 wickets in 10 Tests were largely blasted out by sheer aggression, makes a return for the first time since February 2019 following the end of the Kolpak system.

Donald told The Citizen on Tuesday that he was savouring the prospect of Olivier bowling in tandem with Rabada and Nortje.

“It’s awesome to have Duanne back and he gives our attack real substance. There will be no escape from those three, there will be pressure and pace from both ends, which is a great asset in our conditions,” Donald said.

“I think Duanne has lost a wee bit of pace, but he still has a helluva bumper. And I don’t think Mark Boucher will go away from the role Duanne had when he last played for the Proteas.

“Duanne will be the battering ram, the enforcer, bowling short and full. Anrich Nortje can do that too and it will be interesting to see if he bowls with Duanne or with KG Rabada.

“It’s a great squad because there is so much bowling back-up – Marco Jansen, Sisanda Magala, Glenton Stuurman and Lungi Ngidi too, that’s a strong bowling attack,” Donald said.

Jansen is one of the most exciting young pups in South African cricket, aged just 21 but making big waves.

“I love a left-arm seamer and Marco has everything. He’s a 6’5 giant who bowls at lively pace, gets good bounce and has control.

“He’s a very good flat-wicket bowler because he gets extra bounce that no-one else can. He’s another guy who gives the batsmen no escape,” Donald said.

Speaking of control, the current Free State Knights coach said although the trio of Olivier, Nortje and Rabada are fiery and aggressive, they can also still be tight.

“I think they have both – pace and control, aggression and control. KG and Anrich have shown that they can properly go back into the red zone when they need to.

“It’s a pace attack that can provide proper leadership for the team, something we haven’t seen in a long time. They are certainly going to give India something to think about,” Donald said.

Quinton de Kock’s previous absence from the Proteas team caused much discussion on microphones and keyboards around the world, but South Africa’s ace wicketkeeper/batsman is set to miss at least one, probably two of the forthcoming Test matches against India.

He will miss the second Test at the Wanderers from January 3 for a reason that nobody could rationally criticise: The 28-year-old and his wife Sasha are awaiting the birth of their first child and that is due to happen in early January. But because of the strict Covid protocols the series will be played under, players will surely not be allowed to leave and then return to the bio-secure bubble, meaning De Kock will also be absent from the third Test in Cape Town from January 11.

De Kock’s previous withdrawal from a Proteas match came in controversial circumstances as he pulled out of the ICC T20 World Cup match against the West Indies in Dubai in October, rather than follow a CSA Board directive to take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter initiative.

This absence will have the blessing of the selectors, however, even though it robs the Proteas of one of their most imposing batsmen.

De Kock’s situation is why the selectors have chosen three wicketkeepers, Kyle Verreynne and Ryan Rickelton, being the others, in the 21-man squad they announced on Tuesday. Keegan Petersen also has some experience behind the stumps for the KZN Dolphins.

The strict Covid protocols, with replacements not being allowed to be brought into camp, means the selectors have had to cover all the bases up front in the original squad.

Verreynne made his Test debut in South Africa’s previous Test series, against the West Indies in June, but Rickelton has been in impressive form for the Central Gauteng Lions with two centuries in three innings and an average of 93.

The welcome return of Duanne Olivier and call-ups for Prenelan Subrayen, Sisanda Magala and Ryan Rickelton were the most exciting aspects of the Proteas squad announced on Tuesday for the Test series against India.

Olivier last played for South Africa in February 2019 in the shock Test series loss to Sri Lanka. He then became a Kolpak player, but with that drain on resources thankfully coming to an end, he has returned home and is the leading wicket-taker in four-day cricket this season, with 28 scalps at 11.14 for the log-leading Central Gauteng Lions.

The 29-year-old Olivier has taken 48 wickets in 10 Tests at an average of just 19.25. His inclusion means the Proteas could field a most inhospitable trio of mean and nasty fast bowlers, alongside Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada.

Subrayen is the leading off-spinner in the country and bowled the Dolphins to the four-day title last season with his match figures of 10/80 against the Titans. But India, who are yet to announce their Test squad, do not have many left-handers in the reckoning, so the 28-year-old’s selection can be considered something of a surprise.

Magala has played white-ball cricket for the Proteas, but has also been in fine form in the four-day series for the Lions with 15 wickets at 14.33. Another Lions star, Rickelton, has been named in a few national squads but has yet to earn a cap. Given that he is in fine form, having scored two centuries in three innings this season, his debut will surely come soon.

The regular crew are all there in an expanded 21-man squad due to Covid bubbles, with the most notable omission being Lutho Sipamla, who has taken 12 wickets this season for the Lions at 13.50.

While most of the starting XI will choose itself, coach Mark Boucher and the selectors will be gearing up for a tricky decision in terms of one batting spot.

While Elgar, Markram, Bavuma, Van der Dussen and De Kock are all sure of their spots, the other specialist batting spot is a toss-up between Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne and Rickelton.

Petersen is the incumbent and, although he only scored 44 runs in three innings in the West Indies, they were tough batting conditions and he is averaging 50.20 for the KZN Dolphins this season.

While the fiery aggression of Olivier is a tantalising prospect, especially for SuperSport Park and the Wanderers, the selectors may want their third frontline seamer to offer something a bit different – either the control and seam movement of a Glenton Stuurman or the left-arm pace and bounce of the exciting Marco Jansen. Both have been in good form for the SA A team against India A.

Proteas squad: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Sarel Erwee, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne, Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde, Prenelan Subrayen, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Duanne Olivier, Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, Lungi Ngidi, Sisanda Magala, Beuran Hendricks.