Ken Borland

South Africa are forever making a mess of their 50-over Cricket World Cup campaigns, but they have decided to shake things up a bit for the 2023 event by putting themselves under extra pressure just to qualify.

But scarred and cynical Proteas fans can relax just a little because the situation is not as bad as has been depicted by some pundits on TV and elsewhere.

Yes, the Proteas are currently in a lowly 11^th place in the Super League qualifying standings. And given that South Africa have controversially conceded their three scheduled Super League ODIs in Australia in January to instead focus on the new SA20, they have five matches left in which to sneak into the top-eight. Those games are all at home – three against England and two versus the Netherlands. The Proteas already started playing the Netherlands last November, with the first ODI rained out and the next two postponed until next year due to Covid.

West Indies are occupying eighth spot at the moment, on 88 points, but they have completed their roster of 24 matches. South Africa are on 59 points, and with 10 points being awarded for each win, they are three victories away from overhauling the West Indies.

But Sri Lanka and Ireland stand between the Proteas and the West Indies and are also still in the running to finish in the top-eight.

Ireland are on 68 points and have three games left, hosting against Bangladesh next May, so if they sweep that series then they can reach 98 points. In that case, South Africa will need to win four of their last five games to get past them.

Sri Lanka, on 62 points, have six fixtures remaining – three in New Zealand and three at home against Afghanistan. Basically, however many wins they get, South Africa will need one more.

If they fail to finish in the top-eight, then the Proteas will head off to Zimbabwe next June for the final qualifier, the bottom five teams in the Super League joining five other sides, and the top two qualifying for the World Cup.

“It’s not ideal,” outgoing coach Mark Boucher admitted, “but we haven’t always had continuity in the ODI team, what with players going to the IPL and Covid, and that has caused inconsistency.

“But we know what is required against England and the Netherlands next year, and if we don’t make it then we just have to accept that we have to go to the qualifier and man up there.”

The Proteas are now leaving India for another World Cup – the T20 version in Australia. It is a long time and there will be much cricket played before they see ODI action again, and perhaps the mood around the team will be very different, hopefully triumphant.

What is sure though, is that there will be outrage if they don’t find their way back to the sandy pitches of India in a year’s time for the 50-over World Cup.

Cricket season is upon us again with the domestic teams kicking off their campaigns on Friday with the Division II T20 competition.

First Division action starts on October 17 in Potchefstroom, where their T20 tournament is being held.

We run the rule over all their squads and their prospects for the coming season, which is a vital one because at the end of it, there will be promotion/relegation based on the combined performances in all formats over the last two seasons, the bottom team being replaced by the top side in Division II.

Current team points standings – Northerns Titans 35; Central Gauteng Lions 23; Boland Rocks 19; Eastern Province Warriors 14; Western Province 14; KZN Dolphins 10; North-West Dragons 10; Free State Knights 4.

SQUADS

Northerns Titans: Lizaad Williams, Theunis de Bruyn, Okuhle Cele, Dayyaan Galiem, Junior Dala, Neil Brand, Sibonelo Makhanya, Corbin Bosch, Aaron Phangiso, Aya Gqamane, Jiveshan Pillay, Simon Harmer, Heinrich Klaasen, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira, Musawenkosi Twala. National contracts – Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi.

Outlook – While their batting success, in the absence of their internationals, will be focused on the likes of Theunis de Bruyn and Neil Brand, they do bat deep. Sibonelo Makhanya had a breakthrough season last year and Dayyaan Galiem, Aya Gqamane, Corbin Bosch and Simon Harmer are all bowling all-rounders. The bowling attack will be potent with Lizaad Williams, Junior Dala, Bosch and Harmer. In white-ball cricket, Dewald Brevis and Donovan Ferreira are two of the most exciting young players in the pipeline.

Central Gauteng Lions:Bjorn Fortuin, Wiaan Mulder, Lutho Sipamla, Jonty Rapulana, Ryan Rickelton, Josh Richards, Dominic Hendricks, Sisanda Magala, Malusi Siboto, Codi Yusuf, Mitchell van Buuren, Levert Manje, Duanne Olivier, Evan Jones, Cameron Delport, Tladi Bokako. National contracts – Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen.

Outlook – The old tried and tested Lions outfit, one of the dominant forces in recent years, has been bolstered by the arrival of Evan Jones from Northern Cape, who wields the bat in white-ball cricket like Thor wields his hammer. The batting holds much promise with three of the brightest young talents in Ryan Rickelton, Josh Richards and Mitchell van Buuren, while their pace attack can really hurt the opposition. Perhaps the only weakness is the lack of a proven red-ball spinner, but at home at the Wanderers that shouldn’t matter much.

Boland Rocks:Pieter Malan, Isma-eel Gafieldien, Ferisco Adams, Christiaan Jonker, Siyabonga Mahima, Ruan Terblanche, Imraan Manack, Shaun von Berg, Clyde Fortuin, Achille Cloete, Hardus Viljoen, Michael Copeland, Stiaan van Zyl, Khwezi Gumede, Bamanye Xenxe, Hlomla Hanabe, Farhaan Behardien. National contract – Janneman Malan.

Outlook – The strength of the Boland team will once again be in white-ball cricket, in which they defend the T20 Challenge title. The power of Janneman Malan and the consistency of Pieter Malan, and the experience of Stiaan van Zyl and Christiaan Jonker, has now been boosted by the arrival of veteran finisher Farhaan Behardien. Hardus Viljoen is the pace spearhead of an attack that is strong in the spin department and has the skills of Ferisco Adams.

Eastern Province Warriors: Matthew Breetzke, Wihan Lubbe, Sinethemba Qeshile, Glenton Stuurman, Marco Jansen, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Lesiba Ngoepe, Rudi Second, Akhona Mnyaka, Diego Rosier, Jordan Hermann, Tsepo Ndwandwa, Tristan Stubbs, Beyers Swanepoel, Ziyaad Abrahams, Kgaudise Molefe. National contract -Anrich Nortje.

Outlook – The list of exciting young batsmen in the EP team is long and has been added to by the arrival of Jordan Hermann, who scored a century and three fifties in his first six innings for Northerns last season. Tristan Stubbs and Lesiba Ngoepe will spearhead their limited-overs efforts. The bowling attack is willing and able too, and the Warriors finished as runners-up in the four-day competition. Their title aspirations will also depend on how often they have Jansen and Stubbs available.

Western Province: Kyle Verreynne, George Linde, Tony de Zorzi, Nandre Burger, Jonathan Bird, Mohamed Vallie, Kyle Simmonds, Wayne Parnell, Beuran Hendricks, Daniel Smith, Dane Paterson, Ethan Cunningham, Eddie Moore, Aviwe  Mgijima, Tshepo Moreki, Mihlali Mpongwana.

Outlook – There are some exciting young batsmen down at Newlands, but Western Province would love a bit more experience in a batting line-up that will depend heavily on Kyle Verreynne, Tony de Zorzi and Eddie Moore. Their bowling attack has depth and potency though, with two quality spinners in George Linde and Kyle Simmonds, and three excellent left-arm pacemen in Wayne Parnell, Beuran Hendricks and Nandre Burger.

KZN Dolphins:Ottniel Baartman, Daryn Dupavillon, Marques Ackerman, Eathan Bosch, Ruan de Swardt, Sarel Erwee, Lifa Ntanzi, Jon-Jon Smuts, Thando Ntini, Bryce Parsons, Grant Roelofsen, Jason Smith, Khaya Zondo, Tshepang Dithole, Prenelan Subrayen, Andile Simelane. National contracts -Andile Phehlukwayo, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, Keegan Petersen.

Outlook – The KZN Dolphins will surely be more competitive this season given the all-round strength of their team. The likes of Sarel Erwee, Grant Roelofsen, Marques Ackerman and Khaya Zondo provide a quality top four, new acquisition Jon-Jon Smuts, Ruan de Swardt, Bryce Parsons and Jason Smith are all-rounders, there are four potent pacemen in Ottniel Baartman, Daryn Dupavillion, Eathan Bosch and Thando Ntini, and a top-notch spinner in Prenelan Subrayen. Given how little Test cricket the Proteas will be playing, Keegan Petersen will probably be a batting kingpin for them as well.

North-West Dragons: Delano Potgieter, Nicky van den Bergh, Lesego Senokwane, Senuran Muthusamy, Tumelo Tlokwe, Eldred Hawken, Wesley Marshall, Lwandiswa Zuma, Shaylen Pillay, Kerwin Mungroo, Renaldo Meyer, Khanya Cotani, Caleb Seleka, Duan Jansen, Grant Mokoena, Heino Kuhn. National contract -Dwaine Pretorius.

Outlook – With all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius unlikely to be available much, North-West need to get the best out of batsmen like Heino Kuhn, Wesley Marshall and Grant Mokoena, because Nicky van den Bergh and Senuran Muthusamy had to rather carry them last season in the batting department. They will need all their meagre resources to fire on all cylinders to avoid relegation at the end of the season.

Free State Knights:Mbulelo Budaza, Gerald Coetzee, Patrick Kruger, Jacques Snyman, Migael Pretorius, Pite van Biljon, Raynard van Tonder, Alfred Mothoa, Nealan van Heerden, Patrick Botha, Aubrey Swanepoel, Isaac Dikgale, Nhlakanipho Mpungose, Jason Raubenheimer, Gihahn Cloete, Matthew Kleinveldt.

Outlook – Pite van Biljon can always be relied on for runs and there is talent aplenty in Coetzee and Pretorius, while Budaza and Mothoa are bowling workhorses. But a questionable batting line-up needs Raynard van Tonder to return to his prolific best. The Knights are fighting for their survival in the top division.

A talent as rich as Dewald Brevis is never going to be localised for long, but the 18-year-old will at least be based in Centurion for the next two seasons, the Northerns Titans having contracted him for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns.

Brevis announced himself on the global stage in the U19 World Cup at the start of the year, being named Player of the Tournament after lashing two centuries and three fifties. It almost immediately led to the Mumbai Indians snapping him up for this year’s Indian Premier League.

And Brevis has also introduced himself to that dazzling competition in style, his blistering 49 off 25 balls against the Punjab Kings in midweek including a 112m six, the biggest of the tournament so far. One imagines other T20 franchises around the world will be keen to get their hands on him.

But for now, his first priority will have to be with the Northerns Titans, who first blooded him in intra-squad T20 games when he was just 17, during which he scored a 40-ball half-century against their first-choice attack.

The fact the Brevis signature is now sitting in the office of Titans CEO Jacques Faul at SuperSport Park will also end speculation that England are about to poach him.

Northerns fans will also be able to witness the talents of another extremely exciting T20 player at SuperSport Park next season in Donovan Ferreira, who has been granted his first provincial contract.

The Titans have also confirmed that veteran spinner Aaron Phangiso will be staying with them, after some speculation that he would be moving on.

Two players are leaving Northerns – batsman/wicketkeeper Gihahn Cloete is going back to the Free State Knights and opening batsman Grant Mokoena, fresh off scoring the most runs in the Titans’ triumphant four-day campaign (482 @ 48.20), has decided to join North-West.

The satisfaction of completing a successful summer with a 2-0 series win over Bangladesh was writ large on Dean Elgar’s face on Monday, but the South African captain knows that soon he will have to get busy analysing their Test campaigns and getting a handle on where they can improve for the bigger challenges that lie ahead later this year.

It does not get more convincing than their 332-run win over Bangladesh on Monday, their biggest ever at St George’s Park, but stiffer opposition lies ahead with tours to England and Australia later this year.

“Not a lot of people would have given us a chance of winning five out of seven Tests this summer and it’s great to have those numbers on our side,” Elgar said after Keshav Maharaj’s 7/40 had bowled the Proteas to victory.

“It’s been an extremely successful summer with a lot to build on, but my job is also to dissect our performances and get the negatives out.”

Elgar’s first and foremost concern was the batting and their failure to get more hundreds.

“From a batting point of view, we need to notch up more hundreds. Us senior guys are getting into position and we need to reach those three figures because we know how much pressure that then puts on the opposition.

“We haven’t quite nailed down the batting, and that’s on my own plate as well, so that’s the one main negative. But we’re extremely aware of it, we’re working bloody hard to fix it, maybe even trying too hard,” Elgar said.

The 34-year-old Elgar has been a hit as captain, introducing a hard-nosed, unrelenting style of cricket to the Proteas Test team. It has been a modus operandi that has resonated with the players and is a good fit with traditional South African values like determination and ruthlessness.

“I’ve been trying to install a way of playing that the team can buy into and we’ve come on leaps and bounds. As a captain, I’m now more experienced and I’ve been able to put my own leadership stamp on the group.

“I’ve gained confidence as I’ve been in the job and hopefully we have a style of play nailed down now that we can all follow. I know the players buy into it.

“I think the team is in a very special place, which means I’m a lot happier with what I’m doing as captain. Getting results and playing good, strong cricket definitely eases the burden of captaincy.

“I’m very grateful for the cricket we’ve played this summer and it’s been great to be competitive at this level,” Elgar said.