Ken Borland

Stormers coach John Dobson admitted that the Bulls had played them off the park in their Super Rugby Unlocked match at Loftus Versfeld at the weekend, with play being called off at the 63-minute mark with the Bulls enjoying  commanding 39-6 lead.

Dobson pointed to the fact that the Stormers were about to enjoy their first put-in at a scrum when the match was ended due to lightning as a measure of how error-free the Bulls were, and their coach Jake White admitted that his team were certainly where they wanted to be at this stage of the season, and probably playing better than he expected.

“As a coach, one can always be critical of little things and we will learn from those and get better. But I’m looking forward to where we will be in two months’ time if this is the sort of improvement the guys are showing now. We are where we want to be, considering that we haven’t been together for long, only four or five weeks. So the future just looks good.

“But we have won nothing yet and we will prepare the same every week, and make sure we still keep our detail sharp. We have a good group of players and I’m looking forward to seeing how they grow. We managed to hold on to the ball and the first 40 minutes are the best rugby the Bulls have played in a long time. What I enjoy the most was the continuity we played with,” White said after the match.

The game was touted as being a massive forward battle, but predictions of an intense, tight match were made foolish by the Bulls forwards putting in an exceptional display.

“The forwards were outstanding, the scrum and the maul, but I was especially pleased with their ability to adapt and the interplay between backs an forwards was very pleasing. We knew the Stormers would use their forward pack to get out of trouble and our plan was to nullify them and get them to play out of their own half. The game hasn’t changed and it’s still your pack of forwards that wins you the game.

“Our pack was outstanding, the scrums were very good and the way they carried the ball, their offloading, and the way they played between the backs was great. They gave the platform for the backs to play. And then watching Morne Steyn and Ivan van Zyl and the impact they made was great, and I’m really enjoying the combination at centre between Stedman Gans and Cornal Hendricks,” White said.

AB de Villiers plundered 61 off 24 balls to lead his Eagles team to a commanding total of 160-4 in their 12 overs, something neither the Kites nor the Kingfishers were able to chase down in their 3TCricket match in Centurion at the weekend, and afterwards said he enjoyed the format and it definitely was something worth continuing.

The new format sees three teams of eight playing at the same time, with each side batting for six overs against each of their opponents. With Aiden Markram firing alongside him in a dazzling innings of 70 off 33 deliveries, captain De Villiers was the first to lift the Solidarity Cup, with Kites posting 138-3 and the Kingfishers finishing on 113-5.

“It was great fun and lovely to just be out there, I’ve been pretty frustrated not playing any cricket. It was great to have a hit-around and the format is pretty good. It definitely has scope for the future, I liked the flow of the game that you spend time in the dugout and the teams rotate. I was also incredibly impressed by a lot of the bowling. I thought they’d be rusty but they were nailing their yorkers and clearly there’s a lot of talent around.

“I also really like that the leading team at halfway bats first in the second innings because chasing is definitely an advantage in limited-overs cricket. This was just one of those rare occasions when we were able to take our score out of reach. My only suggestion would be to have teams start from zero again in terms of wickets lost when you bat again, because otherwise they try to consolidate and think of the next innings. With that bit of insurance, teams can have a really attacking mindset,” De Villiers told The Citizen after the match.

With De Villiers in scintillating form, his starring role has again raised questions about his possible return to the Proteas, at least in T20 cricket, in which a World Cup is scheduled for October in Australia but is probably going to be postponed to next year. The 36-year-old said the Covid-19 pandemic has left everything in limbo, but he still has an interest in playing for South Africa again.

“I have no idea when I’ll be playing cricket again, there’ve been lots of talks about all sorts of leagues. So I will just stay fit and keep hitting balls. It’s difficult to commit myself a year ahead of time, but I have a good relationship with Graeme Smith [director of cricket] and Mark Boucher [Proteas head coach] and I would love to play again. But once we know what the calendar will be like then we can sit down and I will make a decision because I have to be either in or out,” De Villiers said.

After a fractious week in South African cricket, the launch of 3TCricket has provided some balm, with an air of unity and reconciliation at SuperSport Park as all the players wore black armbands with Black Lives Matter written on them and all three teams, the officials and the commentators took a knee before the start of play in support of the movement. “I’m happy with how things have unfolded, we’ve had really good communication, nobody felt left out and it was all explained to us. Black Lives Matter and the campaign against Gender Based Violence were the causes that were the focus for today and it was most important for us to show that unity,” De Villiers said.

South Africa’s second innings is still under construction, but even with half their wickets gone and only 135 runs on the board, they are still in a commanding position after the second day of the third Test against Pakistan at the Wanderers.

That was chiefly thanks to another demolition job by Duanne Olivier, their wrecker-in-chief in this series win, the 26-year-old Central Knights fast bowler taking five for 51 as Pakistan were bowled out for just 185, a first-innings deficit of 77.

Olivier has now taken 21 wickets in the three Tests, at the ridiculous average of just 13.28. He has broken Dale Steyn’s record for the most wickets for South Africa in a series against Pakistan – 20 in 2012/13, which included 11 for 60 in the corresponding Johannesburg Test.

South Africa’s batsmen did not fare much better in their second innings, but there is plenty of movement, both in the air and off the pitch, on offer at the Wanderers, and with a lead of 212 already in the bag, a couple of lower-order partnerships should take the target beyond Pakistan’s reach.

Despite their dominant position, the second day was far from the usual standards set by the Proteas. The first hour of play, after Pakistan had resumed on 17 for two, was particularly scrappy as South Africa dropped four catches, missed a couple of run outs and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, who dropped two of them, also missed a stumping, albeit an extremely tough one down the leg-side standing up to Vernon Philander.

Just to add to the sense of calamity, there were 8 runs gifted through overthrows, captain Dean Elgar dropped another catch soon after the lunch break and Dale Steyn left the field rubbing the shoulder that started all his injury problems.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Abbas took Pakistan to 53 for two at the first drinks break and the Proteas’ huddle was an intense one.

The change in fortunes was spearheaded by Olivier, who took two wickets in four balls in the first over after the break. Abbas, who had done the staunchest of jobs with 11 runs in 88 minutes, was taken in the slips by Theunis de Bruyn as he drove listlessly and then Asad Shafiq (0) showed terrible technique against the short delivery, just ducking without any idea where the ball was, and gloving a looping catch to the wicketkeeper.

Pakistan were back in trouble on 53 for four and when Elgar snapped up a sharp catch behind the wicket to dismiss Imam for a two-and-a-half hour 43, they were teetering on 91 for five.

But Babar Azam (49) and captain Sarfraz Ahmed (50) decided to react with a courageous counter-attack, bashing 75 runs in the next 10 overs. For them, there was no debate over whether to play or leave deliveries outside off stump, they went for them all.

Being so aggressive against such a high-quality attack is unlikely to succeed in the long-term, and Sarfraz fell two balls after reaching his second successive half-century, wafting outside off stump and edging Kagiso Rabada into the slips.

With Azam being dismissed in the next over, caught at fine leg hooking Olivier, Pakistan’s resistance was over as the last five wickets fell for just 16 runs.

Olivier was well-supported by Philander, who took three for 43 in 13 overs, while Rabada weighed in with two for 41.

Elgar was again caught behind by wicketkeeper Sarfraz (on his way to a Pakistan-record eight dismissals in the match against South Africa) for five, this time off Mohammad Amir, but the Proteas had reached 25 for one by tea, stretching their lead to 102.

But Markram was sent packing by Abbas in the first over after the break, also caught behind by Sarfraz as he was undone by his strength – his driving ability – on 21.

South Africa were then rocked by a double-strike by Faheem Ashraf in his first over.

Theunis de Bruyn (7) disappointed by trying to drive a delivery that was not full enough and edging to slip, while Zubayr Hamza fell lbw for a duck second ball as Faheem hit a crack and the ball barely rose shin-high. Such deliveries are almost impossible to play, but it also showed the magnitude of the task Pakistan are facing batting last.

Tough runs are Temba Bavuma’s speciality and he scored 23 in adding 48 for the fifth wicket with Hashim Amla, before leg-spinner Shadab Khan spun a delivery sharply across him and had him caught behind.

South Africa were 93 for five, but Quinton de Kock was as fluent as ever as he stroked a run-a-ball 34 not out to provide a quick boost to the lead late in the day.

The home side are also fortunate to still have Amla at the crease, holding the innings together with 42 not out. The veteran batsman has already been at the crease for 164 minutes and was close to his imperturbable best.

Against a South African attack that has been completely dominant all series, if the lead grows to more than 300, the chances of a 3-0 series whitewash for the Proteas are highly probable.

Even scoring at an unlikely five runs an over, that would mean batting for at least 60 overs, something Pakistan have only managed once in five innings in the series.

AB de Villiers batted with all his former panache and authority upon his return to the domestic scene as he steered the Titans to a commanding seven-wicket win with 21.5 overs to spare over the Warriors in their Momentum One-Day Cup match at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Tuesday.

The bonus point win returns the Titans to the top of the standings, leading the Dolphins by four points ahead of the final round of fixtures.

While the Titans will host the fading Cape Cobras at Centurion on Thursday, the KwaZulu-Natalians face the daunting task of beating the Knights with a bonus point in Durban in order to claim first place and a home final. And obviously the Cobras must beat the Titans.

While de Villiers utterly dominated the Warriors attack as he stroked a sublime 75 not out off 62 balls, the Titans were only chasing 148 thanks to the brilliant work of their attack, with another returning international, Chris Morris, leading the way with three for 30 in eight overs.

Morris set the tone as his second ball of the match curved like a bow and bowled Gihahn Cloete for a first-ball duck.

With Morris conceding just nine runs in his first four overs, Lungi Ngidi then put the Warriors further back with a double-strike in the sixth over.

Colin Ingram (4) latched on to a poor, short ball down leg, but swung it in the air to fine leg, where Junior Dala made good ground around the boundary and took a super catch.

Ngidi then produced a beauty four balls later to have Colin Ackermann caught behind for a duck, getting bounce and away movement from an excellent length.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, the Warriors were 18 for three inside the first half-hour, but Jon-Jon Smuts and Yaseen Vallie then added 66 for the fourth wicket. It wasn’t hang-on-to-your-hats breathtakingly quick, coming off 87 deliveries, but it did stop the bleeding.

Smuts, coming off successive centuries, scored 39 before getting a little tickle on a Malusi Siboto delivery that was sliding down leg and being well caught by wicketkeeper Heino Kuhn, and off-spinner Aiden Markram then won a short battle with Lesiba Ngoepe, having him smartly stumped by Kuhn for two.

Morris then returned to deliver another top-class spell of fast swing bowling, Vallie, who had scrapped his way to a dogged 44 off 61 balls, being caught behind and then Kelly Smuts being bowled for a duck as he shouldered arms to a superb delivery to the left-hander from over the wicket, pitching off and then swinging enough to hit the off stump.

The Warriors were a parlous 117 for seven, but Jerry Nqolo added 26 to the total and there was 16 from Andrew Birch before the visitors ran out of luck on 147 all out, Dala claiming two wickets with short balls and Ngidi picking up a third as he finished with fine figures of three for 32 in eight overs.

Wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi was able to build on the pressure created by the pacemen as he squeezed the Warriors batsmen further by bowling his 10 overs for just 28 runs.

The star attraction De Villiers came to the crease with the Warriors still in the game, having just reduced the Titans to 47 for two, Birch striking early by having Jonathan Vandiar caught in the slips for one, and Aya Gqamane then dismissing Kuhn for a busy 23.

De Villiers was dazzling from the outset, hitting his second and third deliveries for sumptuous boundaries and, even though Aiden Markram being bowled by a grubber from Birch for 23 in the next over provided some food for thought, the global superstar just cruised through the rest of the innings.

There were seven fours and a six in his 40-ball fifty, as De Villiers covered the entire map of the Willowmoore Park outfield with strokes of extraordinary placement and timing; Farhaan Behardien but a support act as he made 24 not out in their unbeaten stand of 87 off 94 balls.

De Villiers finished with 75 not out off 62 deliveries, with 10 fours and a six, proving once again that he has more talent in his big toe than most batsmen on their best day.

http://citizen.co.za/sport/sport-cricket/1464011/ab-de-villiers-returns-to-former-glory/