Ken Borland

Steven Smith produced a great century as South Africa bowled in all the wrong areas at the death, leading Australia to a three-wicket victory with an over to spare to clinch the series in the fourth one-day international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

Chasing 268, some bizarre field placings and the poor execution of the South African bowlers saw Australia plunder 86 runs in the last 10 overs, Smith and Matthew Wade having lifted them from 98 for five midway through their chase with a stand of 121 in 20 overs.

Smith eventually fell with the scores tied after scoring 104 off 112 balls – an innings of great composure and skill. James Faulkner came in after Wade’s dismissal and took advantage of South Africa feeding his strengths as he belted 34 not out off 19 balls.

Smith and Wade brought Australia back into contention after Dale Steyn took two wickets in two overs to put South Africa in control.

But Smith produced a fine innings and Wade played an invaluable hand of 52 off 59 deliveries.

Wayne Parnell eventually removed Wade thanks to a great catch by Ryan McLaren running in from deep backward square-leg, but Australia went into the last five overs needing just 40 runs with the big-hitting Faulkner joining Smith at the crease.

Spearhead Steyn was brought back into the attack in the 21^st over after Smith and George Bailey had added 30 for the fourth wicket and he struck in his second over as captain Bailey edged a slash outside the off stump to be caught behind for 16.

That brought the dangerous Glenn Maxwell in, but he could only score two before his flatfooted drive at an away-swinger in Steyn’s next over saw him caught at slip by Hashim Amla. Credit to captain AB de Villiers for having the slip in.

Smith and Bailey made bright starts to their innings after pace bowlers McLaren and Parnell took a wicket apiece to reduce Australia to 48 for three in the 14th over.

South Africa’s back-up seamers were under pressure as Australia reached 39 for one after 10 overs, but both settled after wayward starts.

Shane Watson will be furious with himself as he once again made a start, getting to 19 off 25 balls, before he reached out to try and drive a wide, full away-swinger from McLaren and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock.

Opener Aaron Finch was looking dangerous on 22 when he pulled Parnell straight to Faf du Plessis at deep square-leg.

Opening bowlers Kyle Abbott and Steyn were spot on from the outset to have the Australian openers under pressure, with Abbott making the breakthrough in the fourth over when he trapped David Warner lbw for four, the left-hander being hit on the back pad as he was late on a delivery that straightened back into him.

South Africa’s batsmen fell away in the later overs as they faded to 267 for eight after winning the toss and electing to bat first in the day/night game.

AB de Villiers once again dazzled and David Miller can book his ticket to the World Cup, but the rest of the South African batting once again disappointed.

The Proteas are fortunate that they can call on De Villiers, already established as one of the all-time greats, as he was once again the mainstay of the innings, scoring 91 off 88 balls in another great display of skill and exquisite placement of the ball.

Miller was the one batsman to provide sturdy support to De Villiers, playing a fine knock of 45 off 61 balls as they set up the innings with a fourth-wicket stand of 122 in 20 overs.

But unlike South Africa, whose problems extend from the batting relying too heavily on De Villiers to dodgy death bowling, Australia can rely on their bowlers in the last 10 overs to really turn the screw. Once they removed Miller, caught in the covers in an attempt to hit over the top in the powerplay, they restricted the Proteas to a meagre 51 runs in the last 10 overs, while claiming four more wickets.

Fast bowler Mitchell Starc was outstanding with his mix of yorkers and slower balls as he finished with one for 40 in 10 overs – figures that don’t do justice to his performance. Fellow paceman Pat Cummins also bowled better than his figures of two for 61, being a threat throughout, while James Faulkner was also brilliant at the death with his back-of-the-hand deliveries, finishing with two for 45.

South Africa will be concerned that Quinton de Kock continues to struggle at the top of the order, scratching his way to 17 off 38 balls before popping a lame return catch to off-spinner Glenn Maxwell, who had had him dropped at slip in his first over.

Fellow opener Hashim Amla was looking good, however, as he cruised to 18 off 20 balls. He had identified the balls to go after well, collecting three fours, and was quite within his rights to pull the shortish delivery Nathan Coulter-Nile bowled to him in the sixth over, but unfortunately he hit it straight to midwicket, where Cummins hung on to a sharp, dipping catch.

Faf du Plessis also looked in good touch as he scored 28 off 37 balls as South Africa reached 70 for one in the 16^th over. But Cummins, returning after Du Plessis had hit him for two fours in his previous over in the first powerplay, got some extra bounce outside off stump and found the edge of an attempted steer, the ball nestling safely in wicketkeeper Matthew Wade’s gloves.

De Kock had fallen in the previous over and South Africa were in some strife on 79 for three.

But De Villiers once again showed that he is in a different league, improvising brilliantly, while still playing off the basis of a sound technique, and hardly ever seeming to take a risk. He only collected six boundaries, but scored at better than a run-a-ball on a slowish pitch without breaking a sweat.

With the bowlers at their mercy – Australia’s attack were also one short when Coulter-Nile limped off with a hamstring strain – both found ways to get out. Miller was trying to hit over the top in the powerplay, but could only skew Faulkner high into the covers, while De Villiers charged down the pitch to Cummins and was reaching for a slower-ball bouncer, a tennis-like shot going to deep midwicket.

After that, the remaining batsmen could not find ways to dominate the impressive Australian attack, with Farhaan Behardien managing just 22 off 23 balls.

 

The interlinking talents of batting and spin bowling will give the Unlimited Titans plenty of options in their opening Sunfoil Series match against the bizhub Highveld Lions starting at the Wanderers on Thursday.

Coach Rob Walter on Tuesday named eight frontline batsmen in his squad of 13 and four of those – Roelof van der Merwe, Henry Davids, Dean Elgar and Graeme van Buuren – are handy spinners who will be able to back up leg-spinner Shaun von Berg.

With Elgar and Heino Kuhn set to open the batting, and Farhaan Behardien and captain Henry Davids filling the middle-order, there are spots up for grab at numbers three and six. Theunis de Bruyn is one for the future at three, while Van der Merwe was the Titans’ leading run-scorer in the Sunfoil Series last season and probably has the inside lane for number six.

Fortunately, Walter is spoilt for choice in terms of batsmen.

“Watching the guys bat in the nets, there’s nobody who needs any extra work, everyone is looking in very good touch. Most of them have had game-time in the middle and now it’s just a case of executing and being mentally switched on,” Walter told The Citizen on Tuesday.

The Lions hammered the Titans in both their four-day matches last season and their fiery bowling attack, in particular, has troubled the batsmen.

“The Lions are really a very good four-day team, they have a great balance in terms of batting and bowling, and they should be contenders if they play to their strength. We lost twice to them last season, so we definitely have to raise our game,” Walter acknowledged.

The biggest focus for the Titans will be their batting because none of the frontline batsmen were able to get a century – Von Berg thrashing an unbeaten 105 off just 73 balls in a drawn game against the Cobras in Benoni, the fastest ton in franchise four-day history.

But their bowlers also had their inconsistencies last season and Walter is delighted that fast bowler Marchant de Lange is ready for action from the start of this campaign.

“It’s great to have a strike bowler like that available, especially after his successes with the SA A team that went to Australia, and I’m looking forward to seeing him in action,” the coach said.

In the absence of all-rounders David Wiese and Albie Morkel, both of whom are out with ankle injuries, De Lange will look to left-armer Rowan Richards and veteran Ethy Mbhalati for support with the new ball, while De Bruyn and Behardien are able to provide some medium-pace seamers as well.

Squad: Dean Elgar, Heino Kuhn, Theunis de Bruyn, Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Roelof van der Merwe, Mangaliso Mosehle, Shaun von Berg, Marchant de Lange, Rowan Richards, Ethy Mbhalati, Qaasim Adams, Graeme van Buuren.

 

Three batsmen caught behind down the leg-side and two stuck in their creases and trapped lbw was the sorry tale of the Unlimited Titans first-innings batting on the second day of their Sunfoil Series match against the bizhub Highveld Lions at the Wanderers on Friday.

With the formidable four-man Lions pace attack all hitting their straps, the Titans struggled to 158 for five at stumps, replying to the home side’s first innings of 401.

That the Lions managed to reach that total after being 271 for five overnight was largely due to Kagiso Rabada hitting an impressive 48 not out at number 10, while the rest of the lower-order all dug in to reach double figures.

The 19-year-old Rabada, batting for just the fourth time in the four-day competition (his previous innings have been 0, 3* & 0), showed tremendous composure and plenty of potential with the bat as he hit six fours and two sixes, generally using the straightest of bats.

The Titans had started the second morning well with the third over of the day bringing the wicket of Thami Tsolekile for 31, failing to pull off the hook shot against the pace of Marchant de Lange.

Devon Conway and Chris Morris (16) added 35 for the seventh wicket before the latter edged the left-arm seam of Rowan Richards into the slips, and leg-spinner Shaun von Berg claimed the wicket of Conway (24) in the next over.

The Lions were then seemingly on track to waste the strong start to the innings given to them by Temba Bavuma (84) as they slipped to 321 for eight. But Rabada and Hardus Viljoen (23) added 53 for the ninth wicket and Lonwabo Tsotsobe (10) helped add another 17 for the last wicket, but couldn’t hold out long enough for Rabada to achieve what would have been a richly-deserved maiden half-century.

The ease with which the Lions lower-order batted in the morning was in stark contrast to how the Titans fared as they came out to bat 40 minutes after lunch, but then again the home side’s pace attack is streets ahead of that of the visitors.

De Lange finished with three wickets for the Titans, but was expensive, conceding 114 runs in his 28 overs, while Richards took two for 64 in 20.1 overs and Ethy Mbhalati was wicketless for 64 runs in 24 overs.

Von Berg picked up three wickets and went for 87 runs in his 37 overs, the most admirable effort amongst the Titans bowlers.

The Titans top-order soon found themselves in deep trouble on 47 for four. Instead of being workers of the new ball, they tried too many aggressive strokes and paid the price.

Credit must go to the Lions attack because they put the Titans under pressure with some fine pace bowling, even if some of the wicket-taking deliveries themselves were no great shakes.

Dean Elgar clipped Viljoen for four through midwicket but then shouldered arms to the next delivery, which was straight and swung back, and the left-hander was on his way practically before the umpire put his finger up.

Four balls later, Heino Kuhn flapped loosely at a short delivery down the leg-side from Tsotsobe and was caught behind for a duck, but young Theunis de Bruyn seemed to be stepping up to the plate as he stroked six boundaries in cruising to 30.

Rabada, who gradually upped his pace to impressive levels as the innings progressed, had Qaasim Adams (8) splendidly caught down the leg-side by diving wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, and when De Bruyn was trapped lbw by Morris, the Titans were up against it on 47 for four.

Some of Roelof van der Merwe’s strokeplay may not be suitable for posters of batsmen on schoolchildrens’ walls, but the nuggety all-rounder got stuck in as usual and scored a run-a-ball 23 to at least slightly extricate the Titans from the mire they found themselves in.

Disaster struck, however, when the first ball of Tsotsobe’s second spell, a rank loosener shortly after tea, was sliding down leg but took a deflection into wicketkeeper De Kock’s gloves. Umpire Adrian Holdstock was in no doubt that it had come off Van der Merwe’s bat, but there was a strong suggestion in the batsman’s reaction that the ball had only hit pad.

Coming in at 102 for five, it was critical that Mangaliso Mosehle hung around and he played himself in carefully before becoming more expansive in the last hour.

The wicketkeeper/batsman ended the day on 35 not out and helped Farhaan Behardien add 56 for the sixth wicket in 21.2 overs.

Behardien showed the sort of determination and sound judgement expected of a senior batsman, being technically sound and generally not being drawn into loose strokes as he finished the day on 45 not out in 165 minutes. He is a natural strokeplayer, though, and he did manage to collect eight fours from the 103 deliveries he faced.

Behardien and Mosehle will be central to the Titans’ hopes of staying in the game, the deficit a sizeable 243 at the halfway stage of the opening four-day match of the season.

–

James asked:

Hi Ken, why did the Proteas” performance dip so dramatically in the 2nd and 3rd tests? Did they experiment too much, or is the lenghth of the tour taking its toll?

Ken answered:

Hi James
I presume you mean the 3rd & 4th ODIs?
I think there was some mental fatigue involved as well as perhaps some complacency after the big win in the 2nd game. We just didn’t bat well enough, and that was partly due to too much experimentation in the batting order too, I believe.

Peter asked:

Ken,the last ODI proves yet again(when under severe pressure) that we are not chokers and respond to pressure pretty well(Newlands test v Aussies)We are self destructors(the Qval and World Cup v NZ)when we become complacent and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory when on top. Your thoughts please. .

Ken answered:

Hi Peter, I don’t think the World Cup defeat to New Zealand had anything to do with complacency, probably the opposite! We succumbed under pressure and expectation there. But yes, on other occasions we have self-destructed and there has been a hint of complacency. I just think some of the batsmen are so good that sometimes they fail to give their opposition enough respect.

zaheed asked:

Why is there no fixed batsman in the middle order,its keep changing

Ken answered:

Gary Kirsten has wanted to experiment, but I would be far happier if Kallis/Elgar and De Villiers are fixed at 3 and 4, then, depending on how many overs are left, 5,6 and 7 can shuffle.

Chris asked:

Hi,Ken
Waarom probeer boul Lonwabo nie oor die paaltjie in plas van linksom nie,as jy sien hoe skuins moet sy paaltjiewagter in sy aflewering gaan.Dit is om sy aflewerings af te wissel of hoe?

Ken answered:

Hi Chris
Vergewe my as ek in Engels skryf!
I think Lonwabo does go over the wicket a lot – he’s a left-hander remember so it will be the other side to Steyn etc.If he comes around the wicket, there’s the danger of him angling into the pads of the batsman. From over the wicket, he can bring the ball back into the right-hander as a surprise delivery.

 

graeme asked:

Hi Ken , Vernon Philander is #2 in test rankings , how come he is not selected for the ODI

Ken answered:

Hi Graeme
The feeling is that he’s a bit predictable for ODIs, needs to work more on slower balls and other variations. His great strength is putting the ball in the same place every time, which doesn’t work in modern-day limited-overs cricket.

robert tapiwa mandeya asked:

who is our #3 batsman when kallis is unavailable,,these guys have to serious & where is our petersen the gret open

Ken answered:

Well Dean Elgar was meant to be Kallis’s replacement, but I was disappointed to see him batting at 6 in one innings! I guess one could include Alviro Petersen either as an opener or in place of Graeme Smith. Hashim at 3 perhaps, but maybe 1,2 & 3 will all be too alike then?

Tshepo asked:

Hi Ken
Do you think AB made a mistake in a 3rd ODI when he chose to bat first because I think SA perform better when we field first.

Ken answered:

Hi Tshepo
No, if anything the pitch became slower & lower, with more turn. We just batted really badly after a good start!

Daniël asked:

Hi Ken

The ODI”s was a bit boring for me don”t know if is becaues of the high of the tests, don”t know if it is because of the 2 new balls, you”re thoughts? Secondly, Ricard Levi don”t we need him at the top in ODI”s just to get it going?

thank you!

Ken answered:

Hi Daniël
I think there was a bit of a hangover from the tests and yes, having two new balls in English conditions will keep the batsmen quieter.
I think Levi probably deserves a look opening the batting in ODIs.

Adrian asked:

Hi Ken do you think SA will still be a force to be reckon with after Kallis retires! And is AB is real solution to our keeper problems! It seems that the keeping is taking its toll on his batting! One fifty on this tour so far! To captain, to keep and to bat is a lot to do if you ask for consistency!

Ken answered:

Hi Adrian
What you say about AB is exactly what I’ve been saying for months! For potentially the best batsman in the world to score just one half-century the whole tour is very disappointing. AB should be a consistent match-winner with the bat for us, much like Amla.
There is no doubt Kallis will leave a massive hole when he retires. We’ve seen the difficulties in balancing the side in this series. But I believe we have the talent to still be a major force, it will just be tougher!

Mandlenkosi asked:

Who will captain the proteas in the T20 match against England

Ken answered:

AB de Villiers

KR asked:

GoodDay Ken,

Just one question…..

With all the experimentation going on in out one-day set-up.
Provided everyone is fit what would you say out best first 11 is in batting order please?

Ken answered:

Hello KR
I would go Smith (although maybe Levi should be looked at), Amla, Kallis, De Villiers, Du Plessis (deserves another chance), Duminy, A. Morkel, Peterson, Parnell or Tsotsobe depending on conditions, Steyn, M. Morkel

Barend asked:

Hi Ken.
Last year in the World cup SA also used a spinner to open the bowling,and just like the last England game it paid off. Is that because the pitches in the sub continent is similar to england”s? If not don”t you think SA should more gamble with that decision cause it seems the opening batsmen are strugling with the new ball spinning?

Ken answered:

Hi Barend
I think in their planning, nobody expected the pitches in England to be so uncharacteristically slow, low and turning. The decision to open with a spinner was a belated one, especially given England’s history against spin. It’s a good surprise tactic and we should keep using it from time-to-time.

mike asked:

Hi, Is it possible to get stumped of a free hit? if not can the keeper run you out of a free hit, in the fashion that prior got morkel out in the tests?

Ken answered:

Hi Mike
You can’t be stumped off a free hit, but you can be run out. Prior stumped Morkel because he wasn’t making any attempt at a run. That would be the key for a free hit as well, was the batsman attempting a run?

Tumelo asked:

Hi Ken

I think the team was not well balanced in the 1st 3 games played,with Parnell coming in at 7 and with the same type of pace bowlers in Parnell and Styne.My 2nd point is AB and Gary were a bit naive in the last odi by not sending AB in @3 i knw faf is not a finisher hence Dean and faf have to fight for that spot and Ontong, Farhaan and Albie for the no.7 spot

Ken answered:

Hi Tumelo
Yes, balance was an issue but more so the batting order. I agree, Parnell should not be as high as 7, but he and Steyn are very different bowlers, never mind the whole left-arm/right-arm thing!
I don’t mind AB not batting 3 if there’s a Kallis or Elgar there, but he must bat 4! He’s our best ODI batsman and needs to face enough overs. Elgar is not a finisher, he’s an accumulator, while Faf is less a finisher than a good guy to rotate the strike, take singles etc with the occasional boundary. For me, Albie is the obvious guy at 7, maybe Miller if we have enough bowling.

Philip asked:

Do you believe that Wayne Parnell is worthy of a place in the team?

Ken answered:

He’s certainly worth having in the squad. He’s been bowling better and obviously has potential as a batsman. Not sure if we can afford both him and Tsotsobe in the XI, but I wouldn’t discard either of them just yet.

kevin pillay asked:

Hi ken jest a bit worried wid the lack of a quality cover for kallis. We seam to have a lot of bawling allrounders but none of them can do the job kallis does at the top of the order. Is there someone in the domestic game that”s a batting allrounder n can play a similar (not same coz kallis is a legend) rowl to what he does. Coz I can”t see anyone putting the hand up an saying pick me I”m a top allrounder. Thanx ken

Ken answered:

Hi Kevin
Well we’re highly unlikely to ever find someone who can cover what Kallis does! But guys like Elgar, Duminy, Du Plessis can develop into genuine batting all-rounders. They’re probably the best available at the moment. As far as bowling all-rounders go, you’re looking at Albie Morkel, McLaren, Parnell. But everyone knew it would take two players to replace Kallis!

Abdullah asked:

Hi Ken,Dont you think Faf or Kallis should open the batting alongside Levi in the T20”s.Dont get me wrong Amla is world class but jus not in this Format

Ken answered:

Hi Abdullah
I think Hashim has proven conclusively that whenever someone says he can’t play a certain format he’ll prove them wrong! Plus he’s in such great form at the moment, it would be crazy not to use him. For me, Levi, Amla, Kallis is the way to go, although Kallis will have to be more explosive if we don’t lose early wickets, or drop down the order.

Victor asked:

Hi Ken, deducting from the 3rd and 4th ODI performance of our former skipper Gream Smith, don”t you think is the time he steps down because he”s costing us. Most successful teams win matches because of their good start and Smith in two matches he didn”t even make 50 runs. So I personally think is time Alviro comes back to the ODI setup as a opener to partner with Amla maybe going forward we can be a threat to many teams. What”s your say on this matter?

Ken answered:

Hi Victor
I think in difficult conditions, Graeme didn’t do too badly. He scored 52 in the 2nd ODI, and in 3 of the 4 completed games the opening partnership was more than 50 in good time. I think Alviro is too similar to Amla and if the selectors wanted to look at another option, perhaps Levi should have a go?

Gino Ruiters asked:

The series clearly showed that we need a big hitting all rounder at number 7. Albie”s the obvious choice, but who can really make that role their own keeping the 2015 world cup in mind?

Ken answered:

Albie is the obvious choice but is now adding frustrating injuries to a certain lack of consistency! The other option is a specialist batsman like David Miller, with Duminy and Du Plessis having to bowl more overs …

Jason asked:

Don”t you feel like our ODI middle order needs to be strengthed?

I feel like Faf Du Plessis has had more than enough chances and he hasn”t made a big impact in the batting department. I know his fielding is incredible.

I would definately play Jacques Rudolph in the ODI team and recall Dave Miller and give him a proper shot. I would also give Justin Ontong a proper go as he is such an improved cricketer compared to a few years ago.

Lastly Wayne Parnell is not an allrounder.He is a bowler who can bat a little bit…

What are your thoughts?

Ken answered:

You’ve mentioned bringing in Rudolph, Miller and Ontong, so who are the three players to drop out? Du Plessis, Duminy and ?
Faf has failed in his last 3 innings, but it’s the first time he’s failed for any length of time!
I don’t think Jacques Rudolph is suited to the middle-order, he’s an opening batsman in limited-overs cricket.
Parnell can become a bowling all-rounder, he has potential with the bat.

Lwazi Matiwane asked:

Why cant we try Justin Ontong on no.3 because Elgar has failed twice now.Your take

Ken answered:

Elgar only failed in his last innings. I don’t think Ontong’s really a number three, see him more as the busy player rotating the strike in the middle to late overs, probably at 5.

Werner asked:

Hi ken

Watching the tour off england is very exciting and i thing we are doing very well in England.Just one question.

Who is our finisher in the lower order when albi morkel are not playing

Ken answered:

Hi Werner
I would suggest Duminy is the man for the job, but why was he batting number three then?! But we certainly missed Albie …

phillip.bergh asked:

Am i correct in assuming that big V Philander is on a hat trick in the next test.

Ken answered:

Ha ha, yes he took 2 wickets in 2 balls to end the Lord’s test, but it won’t count as a hat-trick if he gets another wicket first ball of his next test.

Peter asked:

Ken thanks for your reply.World Cup vs NZ at 100 odd for 3 needing 4 an over,Kallis threw his wicket away and AB was needlessly run out. Only then came the severe pressure.

Ken answered:

Well I think AB’s wicket was down to pressure but yes, Kallis was out of the blue!

Ronald asked:

Hi Ken, we all know the middle order struggled this ODI series. All the relative “new” players that came in,I believe are guys with extreme talent…I would like to see them (same players)get at least another chance in the next ODI series and see what they can do then after their first experience for the Proteas. What is your feeling around choosing the same (relative) squad for next ODI series based on the outcome of the ENG ODI?

Ken answered:

Hi Ronald
Yes, I mostly agree with you. Kallis should come back, so not sure whether Elgar stays in the squad then or not. Graeme Smith might become an issue, in which case you might want to look at Levi.Plus hopefully Albie Morkel will be fit, otherwise someone like Miller might need to be called up.

Roberto asked:

Hi Ken
I just want to comment on the AB keeper issue. You said that he shouldn”t keep because that”s the reason (or could be) he didn”t perform in this series. I”m not sure about that, since he didn”t bat well every time we batted first (wich means he didn”t keep yet), and when we batted second he made a good score. I fully agree that he shouldn”t keep in tests, but ODI”s and T20”s I”m not too sure. Your thoughts on that?

Ken answered:

Hi Roberto, yeah I don’t think the issue of him keeping in limited-overs games is cut and dried yet. I see the value of him doing it, and maybe his quiet series had more to do with him not being settled at 4 where he should be! Your point about making runs batting second does have merit.

Johann asked:

Happy with performance yet not with that of Faf.

Why did they persist with him being totally out of form.

Ken answered:

They persisted with him because he has only failed in his last 3 innings! Before that he was doing a great job, and his bowling and fielding make him a very valuable limited-overs player.

Bongani M asked:

Well done to proteas for the fight back, still believe the balance of 7 batsmen and 4 bowlers is correct combination for Champions Trophy 2013 and WC in 2015 especilly with luck of having ABDV give us in wicketkeeper-batsman.

I”m worried with depht in our batting and combinations I tend to think we should standard batting order and everybody know his position and role clarity so that a player can be hold responsible for poor perfomance.
Too dependent on Amla too much when he does not score no-one seems to take responsibility what are your thoughts.

Bowling is perfoming well AD is doing good work.

Ken answered:

Yes Bongani, I would also like to see a settled batting order. I know Gary wants the batsmen to learn about playing different situations, but that will happen naturally because one day you’re 220-3 the next you’re 20-3! The players have obvious strengths and it’s not going to work trying to turn Elgar into a David Miller or JP Duminy into a Hashim Amla!

Thabo asked:

Hi Ken id love to know that everytime South Africa played in the ODI,have changed their bating order a number of times,is this to prepare for the 20-20 world cup of is this going to be an on going thing.THANKS

Ken answered:

Hi Thabo
It was to give the batsmen experience of playing in different situations, but I think this happens naturally in the game anyway. It was unsettling so hopefully we will settle on a batting order now.

yaseen asked:

I”m happy with the effort of our team but I think our batting in the middle order lacks experiance if we could make one change I believe we will be a better team that is dropping smith and putting kallis there in the opening spot an then we could add a batter like ontong at seven

Ken answered:

I don’t think Ontong at 7 is the answer. We need a more explosive hitter there, like an Albie Morkel or David Miller.
50 overs is a long time and, as Jonathan Trott showed for England, having a solid number 3 who can lay a platform is important. Kallis is one of the best!

Christian asked:

Hi Ken,

My question is a bit deviant from the topic at hand. What do you think needs to be done to promote cricket as a global sport? How do we expand it? Isn”t it counter productive if a future tours programme has already been arranged for the next 5-10 years? How are the “associate nations” supposed to develop if they cant get adequate chances to play against the “full members?” I know the Woolf report addressed this, but it looks like it has quietly been thrown in the trash can. What are your thoughts?

Ken answered:

Hi Christian
The FTP does obstruct a lot of progress in cricket, but it was also essential to ensure the lesser nations – New Zealand, West Indies, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe – get cricket against the top 4. There is a pathway of tournaments for the associate nations to progress, but only at ODI level. Ireland want test status and it will be interesting to see how that goes …

Siyabonga asked:

We had a good ODI series didn`t we? I mean despite that we had a chance to top all three formats of the game in terms of ranking.

My question is, our bowlers are picked in terms of their perfomance/form. Shouldn`t they do the same to batsmen. I feel like as much as we need batsmen who can get runs on the board, we also need people who can score runs regularly beside Amla, deVilliers and Smith??

Ken answered:

I actually think the ODI series was disappointing because, apart from the second and last games, we really didn’t bat well.
Batting has a lot to do with confidence and before we start dropping people, perhaps we should settle on their positions in the batting order first.

Sechaba asked:

Hey Ken….with the T20 World Cup in a short do u think this T20 series will be enough preparation?

Ken answered:

Hi Sechaba
It’s preparation value will be limited because conditions in England should be very different to Sri Lanka! I guess they can get some team spirit and momentum going, build confidence, but most of the prep will have to be done in Sri Lanka.

ashley asked:

Hi ken, what is your take on the absense of albie in this series as I felt #7 was one postion to high for parnell.the form of faf du plessis, do u think he will be under pressure to hold his spot going forward, as I am a huge fan. Thanks

Ken answered:

Hi Ashley
I think we missed Albie badly because his finishing power was lacking. 7 is definitely too high for Parnell at the moment.
Faf had a bad run in this series, but has done very well in his other 23 ODIs. I guess he will be under some pressure, but he deserves another chance, not least of all because of the great package he provides with his fielding and bowling too.

Bart asked:

Is Greame Smith rested for the T20s? Why is it so difficult to beat England in their own conditions? When they tour SA we usually beat them handsomely!

Ken answered:

Graeme is not in the T20 squad, either for England or the World T20.
The England team have obviously grown up in their conditions, they hone their techniques in county cricket and it is very different to playing in the sub-continent or even in South Africa/Australia. Swing and seam bowling plays a much larger role. So they will obviously be much harder to beat at home, like all teams.

Johan Kleynhans asked:

Hi Ken, looking at the current squad and the way they performed in England, witch I think was a huge succes, do you think this squad has the ability to break the hoodoo of doing well in an ICC event and then loosing it when it matters? We realy need a title and I hope the T20 WC is the one.

Ken answered:

Hi Johan
I think this year might be a little early for this team, it’s still getting settled. But you never know, we have world-class match-winners and maybe not having the expectation will do the trick!

Andy asked:

Hi Ken
We seem to persist with Parnell despite his inconsistency. Surely we must give Philander an opportunity in limited over cricket before he seeks the big money elsewhere.

Ken answered:

Hi Andy
I seriously doubt that Philander is going anywhere! He’s such an integral part of our test line-up. Philander needs more variety, slower balls etc to do well in limited-overs internationals.
Parnell has been inconsistent, but I thought his bowling has improved and he bowled well through the series.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120907/Post_ODIseries_QA_with_Ken