Ken Borland

There are no doubt several areas for the Proteas to improve on following their defeat by seven wickets in the first Test against Pakistan in Karachi on Friday, but captain Quinton de Kock chose to focus on the first-innings batting collapse as the root cause of their loss.

Having been able to bat first after winning the toss, South Africa could only post 220 all out as they collapsed from 108 for two. The bowlers fought back admirably to reduce Pakistan to 33 for four at the end of the first day, but excellent batting led by centurion Fawad Alam saw the home side reach 308 for eight at stumps on the second day, with the Proteas dropping a couple of crucial catches in a generally poor fielding display.

A woeful bowling performance on the third morning saw Pakistan’s tail add 70 runs off 74 balls and the Proteas had a deficit of 158 on first innings. Gutsy half-centuries by Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen brought them back into the match, but South Africa lost three wickets in the last five overs of the day. That collapse continued on Friday as they were bowled out for 245, losing their last nine wickets for 70 runs.

Pakistan knocked off their target of 88 with few alarms.

“The first-innings batting was the big cause of our loss, there were some very soft dismissals, just being soft mentally. We adjusted in the second innings and we learnt a lot through Rassie and Aiden to take forward. The bowlers did really well, they showed great aggression and accuracy, but Pakistan just batted very well against us. But only getting 220 in the first innings was where we let ourselves down the most.

“On that pitch it definitely wasn’t good enough, especially when batting first. We’ve spoken about the collapses, but if we knew how to fix it we wouldn’t do it in the first place. We seem to get bogged down and then you try and find a way to score. But Pakistan showed us that you needed to stick in there and dig deep with the way the pitch played. Like Rassie and Aiden did in our second innings,” De Kock said after the chastening defeat.

While Pakistan were boosted by top-class leg-spinner Yasir Shah having a fine game with seven wickets, South Africa’s plan to power up their spin attack with the selection of a left-arm wrist-spinner in Tabraiz Shamsi was scuppered when he pulled out shortly before the toss with a back spasm.

While Pakistan’s left-arm spinner Nauman Ali took seven for 73 in 42.3 overs on debut, Keshav Maharaj had to settle for four for 102 in 34.1 overs, while George Linde only played a bit part with 16 wicketless overs.

De Kock refused to say the spin bowling results made the difference.

“Tabraiz is busy getting fully fit again and we have the players to cover for any injuries. It wasn’t really the bowlers’ fault we loss, the batting made the difference, the way we played their spin in the first innings and the latter stages of the second innings. Pakistan were able to soak up pressure while we gave them our wickets in the first innings.

“We’ll just have to come back mentally stronger in the second Test, our batsmen must play the way Rassie and Aiden did – they took their time, kept the ball on the ground and soaked up pressure,” De Kock said.

Bulls coach Jake White has never been averse to stirring up a bit of controversy and, although he does not have much of a social media presence he knows very well how to stoke up conversation before a big game. And in South African rugby, matches don’t get much bigger than the Currie Cup final, which the Bulls will host against the Sharks on Saturday.

But this week White, who admitted that he still feels the pressure of crunch matches, has been strangely restrained and even went as far as to suggest the Sharks might be favourites because half of their team have won the Currie Cup previously. Knowing how canny Jake is though, this is almost certainly some sort of mind game and he will ensure his Bulls team are the most inhospitable of hosts on Saturday.

That’s the thing about  the 57-year-old White, who has been a top-level coach now for almost 20 years, dating back to when he led the Junior Springboks to the U21 World Cup crown in 2002 – there is always a plan and it usually comes off. From utterly transforming a Springbok team that was in disarray in 2004 into World Cup champions in 2007, winning a rare Tri-Nations title along the way, he then took the Brumbies to the 2013 SuperRugby final and the Sharks to the 2014 semifinals, before leading Montpellier to the European Challenge Cup in 2016.

“I’ve been in enough finals and playoffs to know how it works and you can never take away the pressure. So I still feel the pressure and myself and the players will make mistakes, but a final brings the best out of certain players and they take their opportunities. There’s a real buzz in the squad, it’s so nice to be in the changeroom, you can just feel it.

“This is a very proud and driven team, they have a great hunger to win the Currie Cup and I just need to channel that the right way. I felt what it was like to win in the 2007 World Cup and I would like to taste that again, although it doesn’t get easier. But hopefully I can transfer my experience and the lessons I have learnt to the team. I’ll be trying to keep them calm and they must just enjoy the moment,” White said.

Sharks coach Sean Everitt (51) would have had a lot of interaction with White in 2014 because he was one of the Sharks’ assistant coaches, but the relationship between the head coach, his assistants and the players reportedly became strained leading to the World Cup winner spending just a year in Durban.

White was accused of being dictatorial but he has certainly softened since then, and is well-versed in global modern rugby trends.

Everitt’s coaching stock has certainly grown hugely since then as well, and Brad MacLeod-Henderson, who coached with him at the Sharks, winning the Currie Cup in 2013, described him as being a mentor who placed more responsibility on the players.

“Sean is more collaborative, he won’t pitch up and say ‘this is what we are going to do’. He will help the players make the right decisions, depending on the cues the opposition give them. As a former backline player, he’s more creative and he’s in favour of ball-in-hand rugby and having a go. But he wants the players to have a look first; if it’s on, have a go, if not, go to the air. It’s about space and getting the balance right.

“Sean is a great guy and all the players respond well to him being a good person. They have a lot of respect for him, he’s well-liked by the players and they will go the extra mile for him. He has created a good environment  and that’s why the players want to be in Durban because they’re happy on the field,” MacLeod-Henderson told Saturday Citizen on Friday.

A decidedly undistinguished performance by the Proteas saw them lose the first Test against Pakistan by the large margin of seven wickets. The batting, after posting totals of just 220 and 245, will once again be in the spotlight, but the fielding was also far inferior to that of the home side and the bowlers, while toiling manfully, lost the plot badly on the third morning.

A couple of key catches were missed in Pakistan’s first innings after they had been reduced to 27 for four, and there were also numerous ground fielding errors that released whatever pressure had been painstakingly built up by the bowlers. Pakistan were able to effectively rotate the strike and the intensity, which creates its own pressure, that one normally associates wit the South African fielding effort just wasn’t there.

Speaking of intensity, it was dismaying to see how flat the Proteas were on the crucial third morning. Pakistan began the day on 308 for eight, already 88 ahead, and it was vital for the visitors to wrap up the innings as quickly as possible. But apart from the persevering Rabada, the rest of the bowling was woeful as the lower-order lashed 70 runs off 74 balls to almost double the lead. They were vital runs that put the home side in firm control.

South Africa had also lost their way with questionable choices of bowlers and tactics with the second new ball. Pakistan were 214 for six when it was taken, still six runs behind. But Rabada only had three overs with it and soon it was part-time off-spinner Aiden Markram using it. The first 14 overs with the new ball saw 61 runs rattled up as the momentum clearly shifted.

But it was the batting that yet again let the Proteas down. They have scored more than 300 just once in their last 23 innings in Asia dating back to July 2014. To say they have a problem with spin is an understatement. Debutant Nauman Ali removed Dean Elgar and Quinton de Kock in the first innings and his left-arm spin ripped through the batting in the second innings as he took five for 35. Leg-spinner Yasir Shah also took seven wickets in the match.

The pitch was certainly conducive to spin but there were several soft dismissals. I wonder if the Proteas batsmen have full confidence in their skills against the turning ball? I say that because they tended to get stuck at one end, unable to rotate the strike, and then the ill-judged expansive shot would come, trying to break the shackles with a boundary rather than ticking over the scoreboard by manipulating singles.

Quinton de Kock was probably the biggest disappointment with the bat and his performance as captain also raised question marks.

In the first innings, instead of setting the example, he succumbed to impatience and tried to belt Nauman over the top of the infield but was caught at a wide mid-on, and in the second dig he went hard at a Yasir delivery, bat well in front of his pad, and was caught at short-leg.

De Kock has the air of a laid-back dreamer, and would never be described as being full of words. He is certainly more shy than outgoing and, while there is no doubting his cricketing intelligence, he’s never going to be the most vocal captain. On that flat third morning, South Africa needed someone, however, to stoke their fires.

But the most important reason for being concerned about De Kock as captain is that he does not seem to be enjoying the added responsibility. The joy of playing cricket has been his energy in the past, but in recent press conferences, the captaincy seems to be a chore for him, a duty rather than something he really enjoys. And worst of all, it seems to have robbed the Proteas of a batting genius who is at his best when playing with freedom. De Kock has now scored just 45 runs in four innings as captain.

The Imperial Lions sealed first place in Pool B of the Momentum One-Day Cup with their six-wicket win over the Warriors in Potchefstroom on Thursday, with Dominic Hendricks (91*) and Delano Potgieter (96*) taking them to victory with 20 balls to spare with an unbeaten stand of 156 for the fifth wicket.

Hendricks’ 91 not out came off 109 deliveries and was a beautifully controlled innings as the in-form left-hander stroked eight fours and anchored the Lions’ chase as they went for their target of 248. Potgieter, a powerful left-hander who likes to give the ball a good whack, batted with impressive composure as his 96 not out came off 105 deliveries and eventually included four sixes.

With a mixture of probing spin bowling and seam, the Warriors had reduced the Lions to 97 for four in the 18^th over, and with Potgieter being the last of the specialist batsman, the batting side was certainly under pressure. But the pair showed good judgement to get through the tricky period and ultimately romp to victory.

The Lions made a tight start in the field after losing the toss, through spinner Bjorn Fortuin opening the bowling with seamer Eldred Hawken, who dismissed Matthew Breetzke early on for 5. But Jon-Jon Smuts and Wihan Lubbe managed to escape the ever-tightening noose and added 134 for the second wicket in 29 overs.

Canny left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso removed both, trapping Lubbe lbw for 60, but he could only dismiss Smuts after the Protea had reached a commanding century. Smuts was out for 102 off 119 balls in the 41^st over, with the Warriors well set on 183 for three.

But the Lions bowlers landed all the blows from then on, claiming the last six wickets for just 64 runs as the Warriors closed on 247 for nine.

Left-arm spinners Fortuin, with three for 52, and Phangiso, with two for 37, led the Lions attack.

The Lions, with their game-plans in good nick, now take on the Cape Cobras in their last game on Friday.