Ken Borland

Being able to bowl consistently at speeds in excess of 140km/h is obviously a great asset in Test cricket and South Africa have had two of their prime express pace options in Anrich Nortje and Gerald Coetzee removed from the equation, but the Proteas are content they have all their bowling bases covered for the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s next month.

South Africa announced their 15-man squad for the showpiece final on Tuesday and Nortje and Coetzee were both excluded based on concerns over their match fitness and their ability to last all the days of what could be a six-day Test. Nortje has played just once for Kolkata Knight Riders in this year’s Indian Premier League, while Coetzee returned to action this month and has played twice for Gujarat Titans. But four-over spells are hardly a base in terms of conditioning for the demands of Test cricket and coach Shukri Conrad has wisely left both out of the final squad, however much he would have wanted them there.

Dane Paterson and Lungi Ngidi have been called up instead and both have the experience to deal with the pressures of a final and the skills to bowl effectively at Lord’s. And Corbin Bosch, the most like-for-like bowler to Nortje and Coetzee, has also been named in the squad.

“We all enjoy sheer pace, but unfortunately Anrich’s return to the Test squad just did not pan out the way we hoped. He was due to play in the Centurion Test against Pakistan but then suffered a broken toe and is now in no position to play a Test match,” Conrad said at Cricket South Africa headquarters in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

“Gerald has been able to make his way back on to the field as well, but he’s in a similar boat as Anrich when it comes to bowling loads. But if you look at what Corbin has done against Pakistan, then you’ll know he’ll provide really good cover and could even make the starting XI depending on conditions.

“Corbin certainly doesn’t lack pace, so we are not too compromised on that front, he brings really good balance to the squad. The medical staff have been in touch with all the bowlers since the IPL started. They might not get the necessary workloads in the matches, but they are at the nets and we are all very happy that they’re doing the necessary work, they report regularly to us and we are very comfortable with where we are at. And Australia are in a similar position to us,” Conrad said.

Bavuma said he was very happy to have Ngidi and Paterson, both more fast-medium practitioners but with plenty of seam-bowling skills that will suit English conditions very well, in his attack. Especially Ngidi, even though the 29-year-old has not played a Test since last August in the West Indies.

“Playing in Australia or South Africa, the conversation about extra pace is definitely bigger, but there’s a different view for fixtures elsewhere. Control and skill is a lot more of a thing in England and having Lungi and Dane will definitely benefit the team.

“With Lungi, if he’s fit and motivated then you know what you’re going to get, whether he’s been playing for six months or not. So there’s no massive risk with him, I know what I’m going to get and he’s a senior player. The team listen to what he has to say and there’s a lot of backing and confidence in him in the team,” Bavuma said.

While the coach conceded that Australia were probably favourites for the one-off final, he and captain Temba Bavuma were still full of fighting talk about their prospects.

“We probably go in as underdogs, not in terms of ability but experience. But I’m very confident that if we play to our best then we have every chance of beating them. We never just want to compete and, while reaching the final was a goal, so was winning it. That was the goal Temba and I set out once the Test side started to get some momentum.

“We have very good players, our bowling attack is always a threat and we have batsmen who have the ability to put the Australians under pressure. Every Test for us lately has almost been a must-win and the players have shown they can deal with those pressures.

“And it’s great that the final is against Australia because we haven’t played them for a while and they are the one side we always want to topple and show the world that we belong at the top table. Test cricket is the lifeblood of the game around the world, the other formats rely on it and the ICC need to take it in hand and look after it rather than the whims and fancies of a few nations,” Conrad said.

Bavuma said another opportunity to secure some long-awaited ICC silverware should not be seen as added pressure, but rather a reward for playing very good cricket in the World Test Championship.

“We have some experience in knockout games now and getting into these positions shows that we have been playing very good cricket, playing well enough to get into those matches. Now it’s about what we need to do to get over the line, what exactly do we need to do differently? Or, what happens to us emotionally that we do something different when we should just stick to what we’ve been doing.

“But we are not really feeling any extra pressure, we have a 50/50 chance and we will make sure it stays that way by preparing as well as we can and making sure we leave no stone unturned. We have found ways to be successful and we take confidence from that. We respect Australia, but we have certainly earned our place in the final,” Bavuma said.

WTC Final squad: Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Ryan Rickelton, Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada,  Dane Paterson, Senuran Muthusamy, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder.

Pakistan produced a perfect nine-over blitz with the new ball late on Saturday afternoon to bowl themselves back into the contest at the end of the third day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

Having seemingly dominated the contest on the first two days, the Proteas dismissed Pakistan for 237 in their second innings, which with their 90-run first-innings lead meant they needed just 148 for victory and a guaranteed place in the World Test Championship final.

But in a torrid 50 minutes before bad light came to their rescue, South Africa crashed to 27 for three, Pakistan roaring back into the contest thanks to opening bowlers Mohammad Abbas and Khurram Shehzad.

Aiden Markram, so impressive in the first innings when he scored 89, is still there on 22 not out and looking good. His captain, Temba Bavuma, faced just one delivery before stumps. Their’s will be a vital partnership on the fourth morning.

Tony de Zorzi (2), Ryan Rickelton (0) and Tristan Stubbs (1) were all trapped lbw as the Proteas slumped to 19 for three. The modes of dismissal perfectly illustrated how well Abbas and Khurram bowled: they pitched the ball up and targeted the stumps, while showing their skills by getting considerable movement off the seam.

Left-handers De Zorzi and Rickelton were both targeted from around the wicket. De Zorzi tried desperately to get outside off-stump against Abbas, but the 34-year-old master manipulator of the ball jagged a delivery so far back into the batsman, and the delivery kept a touch low, that the opener was doomed.

Rickelton tried an open stance against Khurram’s mode of attack and, stepping into the ball, tried to punch it straight down the ground. But again the movement off the deck was so much as Khurram seamed the ball past his inside edge and struck him on the pads. Umpire Nitin Menon is not known for giving easy lbws, but this was so plumb it was surprising he turned down the appeal. The jubilant Pakistanis reviewed and were rewarded.

Then, just seven deliveries before play was stopped, Stubbs was trapped lbw by Abbas, who angled the ball into the right-hander and then straightened it past the outside edge and struck him on the back pad.

Marco Jansen had earlier shone with the ball as his six for 52 in 14 overs bowled Pakistan out in 59.4 overs. But he still cut a dissatisfied figure after the effort and he admitted that, despite his third five-wicket haul and his second in three Tests, it had been a struggle.

“I’ve struggled the whole game, to be honest. I haven’t been as consistent as I should have been in terms of line and length. But the wickets are what’s important at the end of the day. You just have to try stay in the battle, not give up and not have any negative body language.

“Not everything is going to click every day, and then it’s all about how you can influence the game positively for your team. It’s tricky when that happens because you train every day to hit that off-stump line, but it’s not about how you feel, it’s about how you impact the game positively. You have to find a way to perform.

“In the first hour today, the pitch felt a lot flatter and the ball didn’t move much. Now it nipped quite a bit when we were batting, plus one or two shot up or kept low. We bowled a touch too full or too short, but 148 really should not be too much on this pitch.”

Pakistan’s success late in the day showed up how poorly South Africa had bowled in extended patches earlier in the day, and especially with the new ball when Pakistan began their second innings after tea on the second day.

Resuming on 88 for three on Saturday morning, thanks to Jansen making two strikes in an excellent spell late on Friday, Pakistan cruised into the lead by lashing 64 runs in the first 14 overs of the third day, when play began at 1.40pm due to morning rain.

Babar Azam went to fifty for the first time in 20 innings dating back to December 2022, and with Saud Shakeel also looking set for a big innings, they had South Africa firmly on the back foot. But an ill-judged, loose cut shot by Babar (50), hitting a short and wide delivery from Jansen straight to deep point, was a vital moment in the Test.

It ended a 79-run partnership for the fourth wicket and shifted the momentum.

From 153 for three after the first hour of play, Pakistan had slumped to 212 for eight by the end of the first session.

That they made it to 237 and a lead that has at least kept them in the game, was thanks to Saud. Batting with excellent judgement, ensuring that his positive intent never strayed into the recklessness that typified the dismissals of Babar, Mohammad Rizwan (3), Salman Agha (1), Aamer Jamal (18) and Naseem Shah (0), the 29-year-old scored 84 off 113 balls.

With his two wickets, Kagiso Rabada joined Dale Steyn as the leading wicket-taker in Tests at SuperSport Park with 59 scalps each. Rabada has taken his in just nine Tests, at an average of 17.96. Steyn needed 10 Tests for his 59 victims, with an average of 17.94.

It is just one of numerous statistics that show that Rabada should be treated with as least as much reverence as Dale Steyn, even though he was not at his best in the second innings.

With 121 more runs needed and seven wickets in hand, the Proteas will be mindful of withstanding a huge effort with a still-new ball from Pakistan on the fourth morning. With a deep batting line-up – Corbin Bosch scored 81 not out from number nine in the first innings – they will still be favourites to win if Markram and Bavuma can bat through the first hour.

Following Ben Stokes’ incredible heroics in winning England the 2019 World Cup, the all-rounder was almost officially designated as cricket’s golden goose, his golden eggs being the box-office draw he promised through his scintillating batting, ability to bowl match-turning spells and amazing catching.

Just three years later, that golden goose is almost on life support. Stokes hobbled his way out of ODI cricket this week, looking a shadow of the great player he is, well-beaten by the Proteas on his home ground at Chester-le-Street.

Fingers have been pointed at the England and Wales Cricket Board, and also the International Cricket Council, for the greed they have shown in their scheduling of matches. England have been expected to play 12 white-ball matches in 25 days this month, and their Test side has been playing at the same time as the T20 or ODI squad was preparing for matches against the Netherlands and India. If that’s not killing the goose that lays the golden eggs through diluting your product, then what is?

The ICC also now have a global white-ball event every year.

But it was most interesting to read the comments of another former England all-rounder (bowling), Derek Pringle, this week. The 63-year-old Pringle does not get quite the same amount of attention as the brilliant Athertons and Hussains of this world, perhaps because he is of an earlier generation, but his erudite views on the game are also full of cricketing nous.

Pringle pointed out in his column for the Metro that, in 1982/83, England played 10 ODIs in 25 days in the World Series tournament in Australia and none of those were in the yet-to-be-invented T20 format. Plus they travelled all over that vast land, the world’s sixth-largest country, straight after a five-match Ashes series.

But that doesn’t change the fact that today’s leading stars, playing for far greater riches than back in Pringle’s day, are battling to cope. The 31-year-old Stokes has not been helped by Covid bubbles, the death of his father and a perpetual knee niggle, as well as mental fatigue that saw him take a break from the game last year.

While I was privileged to be at the World Cup final at Lord’s on July 14, 2019 to watch Stokes fulfil his destiny as England’s most talismanic cricketer in an extraordinary triumph over New Zealand, that trumps the 438 game as the greatest ODI in my book, I was not overly surprised by his feats.

Back in February 2015 I had first laid eyes on him in the flesh, at the Mamelodi Oval of all places (and a lovely venue to boot). Playing for the England Lions against SA A, Stokes plundered an attack featuring Chris Morris, Marchant de Lange and David Wiese for 151 not out off just 86 balls, the left-hander smiting 15 mighty sixes. He then wrapped up the match with three wickets.

I had no doubt I had seen a future great.

The next January he scored his famous 258 off just 198 balls against South Africa in the Newlands New Years Test.

While there have been areas of his life off the field that have landed him in trouble (he is a red-head after all!), I have always liked Stokes as a person, too. On the field he is as competitive as they come, someone with an inspirational belief in his ability to pull off the impossible, but empathetic and supportive are the words most-often used to describe him in the changeroom.

Before the 2019 World Cup final, while travelling from Cardiff to Birmingham, we took a comfort break at one of the Services along the highway. England were on their way to Manchester to play Afghanistan and whose bladder should be co-ordinated with my own but Ben Stokes’s.

There he was in a cap and T-shirt, just wandering around without any pretences or ego.

I doubt he could have done that a month later after his sensational end to the tournament.

That is the Stokes we, as cricket lovers, want to see more of; get it sorted, please, administrators of the England and Wales Cricket Board and the ICC.

Look after your players, who are your product.

A superb bowling performance by the Proteas saw them bowl Bangladesh out for just 84 and, although their batsmen had some troubles of their own on a spiteful pitch, they managed to cross the line with six wickets and 39 balls to spare in Abu Dhabi.

Bangladesh, having been sent in to bat, were thoroughly undermined by fiery fast bowling at its best by Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.

Rabada began the rout in the fourth over when he had Mohammad Naim (9) caught at a wide mid-on and then trapped Soumya Sarkar lbw first ball with a brilliant late inswinging yorker.

In Rabada’s next over, Mushfiqur Rahim (0) was superbly caught by a juggling Reeza Hendricks at slip, South Africa’s pace spearhead finishing with career-best figures of three for 20.

There was no respite for Bangladesh as Nortje continued his outstanding tournament, bouncing out Mahmudullah (3) and then returning to wrap up the innings with two wickets in two balls as he finished with three for eight in 3.2 overs.

In between, spinner Tabraiz Shamsi did his usual fine job in the middle overs with two for 21 in his four overs.

Opener Liton Das (24 off 36) and Mehedi Hasan (27 off 25) were the only Bangladesh batsmen to contribute much.

Paceman Taskin Ahmed (4-0-18-2) made it anything but easy for the South African top-order as he jagged a delivery back into Hendricks (4) to trap him lbw and then a fine ball that held its line had Aiden Markram (0) well-taken at slip by Naim.

Quinton de Kock looked promising for his 16 but then missed a straight one from spinner Mehedi, to leave the Proteas in trouble on 33 for three.

But captain Temba Bavuma was unflustered and batted through to the end with his 31 not out off 28 balls including some great strokeplay that brought him three fours and a six.

Rassie van der Dussen (22) also helped weather the early storm before Shoriful Islam took a fine outfield catch off spinner Nasum Ahmed.

Perhaps the most important thing to come out of the match was the boost to the Proteas nett run-rate as they won in the 14th over, taking their nett run-rate to +0.74, stretching their lead over Australia’s -0.63.