Ken Borland

Reeza Hendricks was able to once again announce himself as ready and able for a regular place in South Africa’s white-ball teams as his brisk half-century provided the impetus for a Proteas innings that was cruising for 300 but fell away badly at the death in the second ODI against India in Ranchi on Sunday.

Hendricks, brought into the team for the first time on the Indian tour because regular captain Temba Bavuma was ill, stroked a classy 74 off 76 balls, with nine fours and a six, looking totally at ease on a tricky, low and slow pitch as he injected valuable momentum into the Proteas innings.

South Africa, having won the toss and elected to bat, were able to post 278/7 thanks largely to Hendricks and his run-a-ball partnership of 129 for the third wicket with Aiden Markram.

Markram took time to settle when he came to the crease at 40/2 in the 10^th over, especially against the wrist-spin of Kuldeep Yadav, which has troubled him in the past. But Kuldeep was surprisingly taken off after just three overs, and Markram then began to dominate as he struck 79 off 89 balls.

The former opener was able to find the boundary seven times and clear it once as he played some powerful strokes, off both front and back foot. But Markram’s dismissal, two balls after Heinrich Klaasen was out for a quickfire 30 off 26 balls, began a superb Indian comeback with the ball.

South Africa were 215/3 in the 38^th over when Klaasen was brilliantly, and surprisingly given how poor a fielder he generally is, caught by Mohammed Siraj, running in from long-on off Kuldeep. Klaasen, who had hit a couple of sixes already, played for turn as he tried to hit over extra cover, but the ball went straight on.

India conceded just 63 runs in the last 12 overs, their bowlers hitting the pitch hard with slower balls. The tactic even kept the in-form David Miller relatively quiet as he finished on 35 not out off 34 deliveries.

Siraj was the pick of the bowlers, claiming the wickets of both Quinton de Kock (5) and Hendricks, who picked out deep square-leg with a short-arm pull, and he finished with 3/38 in his 10 overs. Siraj bowled four overs on the trot at the death, conceding just 12 runs, an astonishing effort.

The pitch is starting to dust up though, and the slower ball is working more and more effectively, but the effect of dew and the floodlights may counteract that in the Indian chase.

Fiscal Flycatcher

The Tygerberg Nature Reserve conserves nearly 300 hectares of Renosterveld, the only refuge of this critically endangered member of the unique Cape Floral Kingdom still surviving in the South-Western Cape.

Renosterveld is an amazingly diverse habitat featuring numerous shrubs and scrubby trees and, historically, a very high grassy component. In fact, many scientists believe that, before European settlers brought their stock and overgrazed the area, these were the grasslands of the Cape, boasting large herds of game, including the now extinct Bluebuck and Quagga, as well as the Bontebok, which was reduced to just 17 wild animals before being rescued as a species.

The scenic reserve, which most visitors to Cape Town fly over en route to the airport, boasts several walking paths and the Induli Trail winds its way up from the Plattekloof entrance to the top of the hill, where there is a picnic site and several tall Eucalyptus trees.

One does not usually enjoy the sight of alien vegetation in nature reserves, particularly in the light of the damage done to the globally threatened Renosterveld by the planting of vines and wheat, but these Blue Gums are a great magnet for raptors.

And on this occasion there was a small group of a raptor species that is scarce in the South-Western Cape using them as a perch.

Lesser Kestrels are generally a species of dry grasslands so in the South-Western Cape they are occasionally found in Renosterveld, which is, after all, the grasslands of Cape Town, once again showing the importance of this narrow strip of fertile vegetation that lies between the Fynbos of the mountains and the Strandveld of the coast.

Eucalyptus trees are actually closely associated with Lesser Kestrels because it is they that almost always host the communal roosts of thousands of birds close to little Karoo or Highveld towns in central South Africa, where the large migrant flocks congregate in their preferred open habitats.

There were just a handful on this sunny and warm January afternoon in Tygerberg, wheeling away on the cooling wind and then returning to their perches.

Jackal Buzzard is a more typical raptor of the Tygerberg Hills and soon after setting off on the trail, one became visible sitting on top of the power pylons and later perching on top of another alien, the pine tree.

A friendly Fiscal Flycatcher greets one at the entrance gate while Little Swift, Pied Crow and Whitethroated Swallow are the other birds seen catching the breezes blowing over the tops of the hills.

The Southern Doublecollared Sunbird is another bird that is particular to hanging around Eucalyptus trees, but with plenty of flowers around in the reserve, they were seen all over and I had a particularly nice sighting of a female.

Cape Francolin

The Cape Quartet of Cape Weaver, Cape Turtle Dove, Cape Sparrow and Cape Francolin were all seen, with the Francolin way more elusive than the others. I also heard Cape Robin around, but there are nine other ‘Cape’ birds recorded for Tygerberg Nature Reserve which I saw no sign of sadly.

On the way back down the hill, a solitary Bontebok was plodding along, reminding one of what is at stake in these threatened habitats. Recently re-introduced, this endearing, beautiful antelope was hunted to the verge of extinction but has now recovered to a few thousand in number, with 11 of those in Tygerberg Nature Reserve where it was absent for almost a century.

Where is Tygerberg Nature Reserve?

Sightings list

Fiscal Flycatcher

Jackal Buzzard

Cape Weaver

Little Swift

Fiscal Shrike

Cape Turtle Dove

Cape Sparrow

Redeyed Dove

Cape Francolin

Blackheaded Heron

Pied Crow

Lesser Kestrel

Whitethroated Swallow

Southern Doublecollared Sunbird

Bontebok