Ken Borland

The returns of Proteas stars Faf du Plessis and Lungi Ngidi will provide a strong base to the Titans team for their crunch match against the Dolphins in the 4-Day Domestic Series at Centurion from Sunday, but it is in the bowling attack where the availability of Ngidi and Junior Dala will probably be most keenly felt.

Du Plessis will slot into a powerful top-order alongside opening batsmen Aiden Markram and Dean Elgar, Neil Brand, who scored a century in the last match, and Theunis de Bruyn, who has gone a bit quiet since his brilliant match-winning hundred at Newlands. Heinrich Klaasen is still ill and Quinton de Kock has not made himself available, so Rivaldo Moonsamy will keep the gloves for this clash between the two pool leaders.

But a bowling attack featuring the pace and aggression of Ngidi and Dala, backed by Lizaad Williams, the impressive Dayyaan Galiem and Brand’s spin, certainly promises a bit more menace than the displays produced in the last two matches – the loss to the Warriors and the draw against the Cobras, both at home at SuperSport Park.

“We didn’t bowl well against the Warriors but we were a lot better in the second innings against the Cobras, showing glimpses of what we can do. But we mustn’t forget we arguably had the best attack in the competition in the first two rounds, they were amazing on the coast. So I think it is more mental than anything, it sometimes happens that you just can’t do what you want to do.

“There are different pressures at home, but at the end of the day we have to find a way to put in a performance. But we found some confidence in the way we batted and bowled in the second innings against the Cobras. Training has been amazing this week with the Proteas and the guys just want to get out there and push to the point where they can perform all the time,” Titans coach Mandla Mashimbyi told The Citizen on Friday.

Imperial Lions coach Wandile Gwavu has various permutations to consider for his attack as they take on the Knights at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein.

Left-armer Beuran Hendricks, Lutho Sipamla and spinner Bjorn Fortuin have all returned from the Proteas, but the four seamers who played in the victory over the Warriors in Port Elizabeth – Sisanda Magala, Tladi Bokako, Delano Potgieter and Malusi Siboto all did a fine job, while veteran spinner Aaron Phangiso has fulfilled his holding role. In his juggling, Gwavu also has to abide by the racial targets, an added complication.

A wonderfully attacking batting unit is starting to strike top form though with the two Hendricks – Dominic and Reeza – sure to feature at the top of the order, followed by Ryan Rickelton, Rassie van der Dussen and Wesley Marshall. All-rounders Wiaan Mulder and Potgieter have also dovetailed together extremely well.

Kagiso Rabada is still injured and Temba Bavuma has been given time off to attend to a personal matter.

Gwavu said the environment created at the Lions makes it easier for the players to handle these permutations.

“It’s the norm here now, we know we’re bound to lose two or three players every game and then get them back. You don’t ever get used to it, but we adjust very well, we have a good learning space and we are driven by performance. We have an A team and another A team and if we all just keeping doing the right things then we will have success.

“We have not played great cricket overall though and there are certain parts of our game that we need to improve, especially our fielding. When we play really good cricket then we will be unstoppable, and consistency is the one area we have spoken about most. We know we can turn things around with consistent hard work,” Gwavu said.

The Cape Cobras, without a win in the competition so far, travel to Port Elizabeth to take on the Warriors, a team also looking for more consistency after following their impressive away win over the Titans with a loss to the Lions at St George’s Park.

The Bulls are facing stiff opposition in the form of the Sharks – unbeaten at home this year – in their Currie Cup match on Saturday, but coach Jake White says he knows exactly what the home team will bring at Kings Park in Durban.

Due to the thunderstorms expected on Saturday night, the kick-off for the game has been moved forward from 7pm to 2pm, but there could still be some inclement weather about.

“The Sharks have developed a lot, but it’s not that they’ve changed their game plan, they just do what they do a lot better. They will not play in their own half, they will kick to you and wait for you to make mistakes. They will kick to us and we just have to be good enough to catch the ball and play. We know what’s coming and we’ve practised for that and know exactly what to do.

“There’s meant to be rain on the weekend and that will play into their hands. It’s probably going to be tough to win down there, but it’s about how we play after we get the ball. If they kick poorly and we can counter-attack, then we can score some tries. It’s just about how we execute. The only time the Sharks are going to run is when they run on to the field,” White said this week.

For his part, Sharks coach Sean Everitt also felt he had a good idea about what he will be facing from the Bulls.

“The Bulls have got a really good set-piece, they have recruited quite a formidable pack and they have certainly performed. But their forwards and backs combine well and they’ve scored some great tries. They are the form team,” Everitt said.

If the rain does start sweeping down on to Kings Park from the Kloof area then White believes it could also bring his intimidating pack more into play.

“If it rains then there’s going to be a lot more forward play used to get into the 22s. We have a strong and trusted pack that has dominated in most games and we must carry on using the maul if we’re scoring tries from that, we’ve been very good at that. The Sharks have gone with a 6-2 bench, which makes me proud.

“It means they see the Bulls as they used to be in the old days, it means we are doing something right if they feel they need 14 forwards. We will be up for the challenge. The Bulls like going there and we have beaten them by 90 points in our last two games. I’m sure the conditions will be as difficult for them as they are for us,” White said.

The Bulls however have a five-year losing streak in Durban and the Sharks are likely to up their game as the pressure for semi-final places builds.

Teams

Sharks – Manie Libbok, Sbu Nkosi, Lukhanyo Am (capt), Marius Louw, Yaw Penxe, Curwin Bosch, Sanele Nohamba, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Henco Venter, Dylan Richardson, Hyron Andrews, Ruben van Heerden, Thomas du Toit, Dan Jooste, Ox Nche. Bench: Kerron van Vuuren, Mzamo Majola, Michael Kumbirai, JJ van der Mescht, Thembelani Bholi, Phendulani Buthelezi, Jaden Hendrikse, Jeremy Ward.

Bulls team – David Kriel, Marnus Potgieter, Stedman Gans, Cornal Hendricks, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Morné Steyn, Ivan van Zyl, Duane Vermeulen (capt), Arno Botha, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Walt Steenkamp, Trevor Nyakane, Johan Grobbelaar, Jacques van Rooyen. Bench – Schalk Erasmus, Gerhard Steenekamp, Mornay Smith, Sintu Manjezi, Nizaam Carr, Embrose Papier, Chris Smith, Marco Jansen van Vuren.

Kickoff – 2pm.

The Covid-19 pandemic means that Quinton de Kock does not have a high workload and both he and the Proteas management are happy that he will cope with being captain in all three formats, convenor of selectors Victor Mpitsang told The Citizen on Friday after announcing the wicketkeeper/batsman as the new Test skipper.

Director of cricket Graeme Smith had previously said back in April that De Kock would only be the white-ball captain, and the 28-year-old himself expressed his reluctance to be Test captain in July.

“Mark Boucher and I had an informal chat and I said I wasn’t sure about the Test captaincy. It would be too much to handle, I realise that now, to be wicketkeeper and captain, I don’t need all that stress, I could see that a mile away,” De Kock said at the time.

But back then, neither Smith nor De Kock had any idea that they would not play any Test cricket before Boxing Day, or that there would only be seven Tests scheduled for the whole summer. And Mpitsang was not yet in the picture as convenor of selectors.

“I needed to understand why the decision was made in April and I know Graeme was very strong on that because he’d done the job, he knows how tough it is to be captain in all three formats. But because of Covid we have not played as much as we thought we would and the workload impact has not been as bad. We wanted to ensure continuity and Quinton is comfortable and happy with the balance of his responsibilities,” Mpitsang said.

The former Proteas ODI paceman said he also holds De Kock’s leadership in high regard, although they are trying to build the leadership group.

“I strongly believe Quinny led a young team going through a rebuilding phase very well against Australia and he has been a regular in the team. We asked him to reconsider his stance and he said he was happy to be Test captain as well. It’s not a long-term thing, there are only seven Tests this summer and then we will reassess, see if he would like to continue.

“The team should be settled by then and at the same time we will be cultivating a strong leadership group so we have sustainable leadership for the future. There are other leaders in the picture like Aiden Markram, Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, but we need stability for now,” Mpitsang said.

As ever, there are players unfortunate to miss out on selection for the 15-man squad. Heading that list would be Pieter Malan, who did a solid job in Aiden Markram’s absence opening the batting against England, but only really sprung to life with runs this season in the Cape Cobras’ last match.

Young Raynard van Tonder averages 50.25 this season and was the leading run-scorer in last season’s four-day competition with an average of 70.25. Mpitsang said he had high visibility on the selectors’ radar.

“Raynard was so close and you can’t ignore the numbers – he had a wonderful first year of franchise cricket and he has continued that this season. I watched him score his big hundred against the Dolphins and that was a very good innings. He is not out of our radar, we have spoken about him and we would like to see him play more for the Knights, rather than just sit on the sidelines with the Proteas probably as the spare batsman.

“We have a nice balance in the batting line-up and options at No.3 like Rassie van der Dussen, who did well, scoring 98, there in the last Test, and Keegan Petersen, who just can’t stop scoring runs and has been called up again. There’s a lot of depth in South African cricket and places were highly contested. I’m keen to see the emergence of the potential we know this team holds,” Mpitsang said.

Proteas Test squad: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (captain), Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje, Beuran Hendricks, Lungi Ngidi, Glenton Stuurman, Keegan Petersen, Kyle Verreynne, Sarel Erwee.

Steenberg Golf Club is undoubtedly a magnificent course nestled in the Constantia Valley below Table Mountain, but it is also the epicentre of the Great English Bio-Bubble Con.

It has now been revealed by informed sources that the England cricket team played four rounds of golf at Steenberg alone while the poor dears were locked up in their bio-secure bubble at the luxurious Vineyard Hotel about 10km north of the exclusive Peter Matkovitch-designed championship course in idyllic surroundings.

Four other courses in the Western Cape were also visited, while the Proteas were restricted to just one round for a small group at Steenberg.

It was a condition laid down by the English that they be allowed to play golf; nobody realised, however, that playing golf was seemingly more important to them than their actual job of playing cricket. But I have no beef with them playing golf, it has long been the sport favoured by cricketers through the ages.

Living in a bio-bubble also cannot be easy for most people and England’s cricketers have done it for much of the year, so I do have some sympathy for them. But at their own request, the protocols in South Africa were far more lenient than the ones in place for them back home during the austral winter.

But when England decided they could no longer stand the anxiety and uncertainty of bubble life – especially with three Proteas and two Vineyard Hotel staff having tested positive for Covid – what was thoroughly dislikeable was how they shifted the blame on to their hosts, insinuating that the breaches in the bubble were all due to incompetence on the part of the South Africans.

England’s two Covid cases were later (conveniently once the ODI series had been called off) found to be false positives by their independent medical examiners.

But it was the players themselves, some with lucrative Big Bash contracts in Australia on their minds, others just wanting to go home, who forced the issue. Player power won the day and besides, there’s only so much golf one can play before that gets boring as well.

So while England packed their bags for home, South African cricket was left with considerable reputational damage and the risk of crippling financial losses as Sri Lanka’s tour here for two Tests over the festive season was almost called off. A high-profile tour by Australia is still in doubt and Pakistan could also be concerned about coming here early next year.

Kudos to the Sri Lankan authorities though for agreeing that their team only needs to quarantine for three days upon their return to the island for their Test series against England which starts seven days after the second Test against the Proteas at the Wanderers is scheduled to end.

England’s administrators have, however, been understanding of the dirty pulled by their players and have offered Cricket South Africa much support in sorting out the mess left behind.

Another disappointment for me this week has been the revelations over the behaviour of Omphile Ramela on the CSA interim board. I have long been a cheerleader for the former president of the players’ association, knowing him to be a man of principle and a voice for those who feel downtrodden in the game.

But it seems principle has become dictatorial and anti-democratic tendencies and he has now aligned himself with the cause of suspended company secretary Welsh Gwaza, a fiend who had weaseled his way into a position of tremendous power within CSA with poisonous intent. The interim board has now publicly alleged that Gwaza colluded with Bowmans Gilfillan, his former employers, to sanitize himself from the findings of the Fundudzi Report.

But that report still shows that, at the very least, Gwaza acted with gross negligence in withholding from the previous board information over a range of issues, including the agreement with Global Sports Commerce and the step-in at Western Province cricket.

The fact that the interim board have acted with such alacrity in suspending Gwaza, as well as recusing his great ally, Xolani Vonya, from the board, should be cheered. That the Members Council nominated Vonya, whose presidency at Easterns is under a huge cloud of dishonesty, shows, as interim board chairman Zak Yacoob said, that they are dealing with several people who will do just about anything to stop the clean-up of cricket.