Ken Borland

In wonderful batting conditions, South Africa dismayed their sparse number of supporters at the ground with a naive, almost clownish batting display.

The Ball in Play

Absorbing intensity and assessing the situation were the two key phrases used by Proteas batting coach Ashwell Prince at the end of the third day of the first Test against Australia at Kingsmead on Sunday.

It was a day which ended with Australia leading by 139 runs with all 10 second-innings wickets intact. That fact alone suggests things did not go well with the bat for South Africa, who had begun the day on 27 for one in reply to Australia’s 390.

While it may seem appropriate to blame the bowlers for allowing the tourists to score so many first-innings runs, having been 124 for six at one stage, Australia’s revival was down to the conditions easing and the brilliance of Matt Renshaw in scoring a career-best 190 which was the epitome of patience and good judgement.

So the template for success with the bat was there, plain to see, and South Africa’s batsmen had seen it up close for the whole of the second day as they toiled in the field under clear blue skies and a north-easterly wind: Leave well, stick to safe shots that fit your game plan and make the bowlers bowl to you.

But the Proteas top-order ignored what had been in plain sight and tumbled to 284 all out. The fact that their first innings made it that far – a deficit of 106 – was thanks to partnerships of 52 for the ninth wicket between Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj (34) and 35 for the last wicket between Harmer (35*) and Anrich Nortje (16).

Those two last partnerships showed up the proper batsmen for their lack of composure and indicated that there were no demons in the Kingsmead pitch. The north-easterly blew again and batting should have been a pleasure. The pace and carry were true, the new ball moved around just a bit and off-spinner Nathan Lyon obtained bounce but not much turn.

Australia bowled full lengths at the start of the day, looking for swing with the ball being nine overs old, and Aiden Markram and David Bedingham capitalised with a series of handsome drives.

They put on 84 for the second wicket in an hour-and-a-half and all seemed right with the world.

But Australia, who have undoubtedly played smarter cricket than the hosts, then switched to back-of-a-length bowling, plugging the line just outside off-stump. Markram fell for 37 trying to punch Mitchell Starc off the back foot through the covers with little footwork; Bedingham did much the same on 49 to give Pat Cummins his first wicket. The back-foot drive is a difficult stroke to play on a pitch renown for the bounce it offers.

Lyon and Starc bowled particularly well to Proteas captain Temba Bavuma, who could only score three runs off 26 balls. And so he tried to relieve the pressure through a reverse-sweep, which was a reasonable option. Except when Steve Smith is at slip and, in a moment of brilliant anticipation, he moved rapidly into the likely path of the ball and made the catch.

Bavuma could maybe be sympathised with, but when Kyle Verreynne (13) did exactly the same thing two-and-a-half hours later, it seemed awfully naive and foolish, notwithstanding the psychic Smith making a sensational one-handed grab.

That was the most frustrating aspect of the Proteas’ batting display, their complete failure to learn from what had happened before. Renshaw had been widely praised for leaving so much during his epic innings; South Africa’s batsmen flashed with abandon outside off-stump.

Cummins then devoured the middle-order as both Wiaan Mulder (30) and Tristan Stubbs (32), who had combined promisingly for a 56-run fifth-wicket stand in just over an hour, tried to hook well-directed bouncers in that off-side channel. Not taking the bait would have been a far better option.

Marco Jansen lifted the mood briefly with six fours in a 26 off just 20 deliveries with powerful pulls and classy drives down the ground. But then he too picked the wrong delivery to attack. Josh Hazlewood hit the deck hard and bowled a straight line, cramping Jansen, who still tried to clear mid-on but with a more vertical bat, only managing to sky the ball to mid-off.

Ashwell Prince is the batting coach of the Proteas and the man who shored up their middle-order in the 2000s was careful to tread gently as a guardian of his charges.

“I don’t think there was too much aggression, it was more the timing of the dismissals, which kept hurting us. Everyone has their individual approaches and we’ve talked a lot about playing positively and being on the front foot.

“In the subcontinent we played spin well and all the sweeps are options there. As long as the guys have been training them and playing them well, then you can accept it when they get out to one. They were a couple of blinders by Steve Smith.

“It was a really good innings by Renshaw and he deserves a lot of credit. He was very patient and he took the approach of wearing the bowlers down. Everyone has their personal approach and some are more aggressive, they go after their shots more and sometimes it does not pay off.

“There’s lots to take away from today, probably the biggest learning is that the make-up of the Australian attack means they are heavily dependent on three seamers and they have a classy spinner, they come at you with a certain intensity, but that can only last for so long. Sometimes you have to absorb intensity, because it can only last so long.

“The pitch so far has been pretty good and most batsmen feel that they can play more strokes. The ball seemed to come on better today, the bounce was consistent. You could trust the bounce and pace, so the confidence is there.

“Maybe we need to be better at sensing the intensity of the bowlers and assessing the situations. Pat Cummins is astute and when he feels they have a sniff, he pushes his fast bowlers. Just when it looked like a partnership was going to wrestle the advantage our way, a wicket would fall. Every time that would energise them and the bowlers would come again,” was Prince’s carefully considered, diplomatic response.

Australia came out to bat for 25 minutes before bad light stopped play and their dominant position allowed them to be aggressive. Nic Maddinson, who had made a 33-ball duck in the first innings, shook off the pressure of being a controversial selection and hooked his first ball from Marco Jansen for four.

The comeback man added one more four and a flick for six over midwicket to reach 17 not out off 19 balls at stumps, with Travis Head on 10 not out off 15 deliveries, out of a total of 33 without loss.

Prince believes they will bring the same aggressive approach on the fourth day.

“Tomorrow we’re going to see a lot more of the same approach, they’re going to come out with a lot of aggression to try and make up time and stretch their lead as much as possible,” he said.

South Africa will need to try and prolong the amount of time Australia spend at the crease, to make their task of saving the match an easier one. To do that, Prince says they will need to attack rather than defend.

“Taking wickets will be our best approach, while trying to control the run-rate at the same time. In the first innings, Australia made a big total, but they scored it at 2.8 runs-per-over. It’s a different scenario now that they are over a hundred ahead and they can take more risks.

“So we have to be positive, we’ll probably see more spin tomorrow and some innovative field placings to put the ball in their court,” Prince said.

Innovative is one thing, but what the Proteas most require is smarter cricket.

The DP World Lions men’s team may be able to settle for a total of between 140-160 in their massive Division One CSA T20 Challenge top-of-the-log clash against the Dafabet Warriors at St George’s Park on Wednesday, but one thing that is non-negotiable for coach Russell Domingo is playing with high intensity.

Our Pride are coming off a run of four successive wins, so confidence is high and there is also plenty at stake on Wednesday in Gqeberha as the DP World Lions can claim first place in the standings with a victory in this last week of round-robin action.

Playing now at the height of autumn, Domingo is not expecting a run-fest and the gravity of the game means it is likely to be a tense, tight affair.

“Historically you would bat first at St George’s Park, but playing this late in the season means there could be dew around. We will need to assess that on the day,” Domingo said. “But the most important thing is for us to match and exceed the Warriors’ intensity. We’ve got to be right up there.

“The Warriors have defended a lot of scores around 160 and we’re not seeing massive totals anymore this season. The trend is not scores of 190-200. You have to bat properly because it’s now a bit cooler, there’s more moisture around and the ball is doing a bit more. So we’ll have to be on top of things with our batting

“It’s the two teams with the most wins going head-to-head and getting to first on the log is a big incentive for us. I’ve been really happy with our intensity and focus in the last couple of games, it’s really improved and our fielding has been fantastic,” Domingo said.

Our #PrideOfJozi is such a settled, confident team at the moment that the coach is able to introduce fringe players without disrupting the winning flow. Proteas stars Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen were rested for the last outing, against the North-West Dragons at the DP World Wanderers Stadium last weekend, and their replacements, Zubayr Hamza and Connor Esterhuizen, were sent up to open the batting and both scored 41 not out off 28 balls as they rushed the team to a 10-wicket bonus point victory.

“I’m trying to give guys opportunities for more game-time, more time in the middle. Obviously winning is the most important thing, but it’s also important to expose some of the other players,” Domingo explained.

“I was really happy for Connor, he’s been on the sidelines a lot this season, he hasn’t had much game-time and he really showed how good he can be. Both he and Zubayr are fantastic cricketers.

“I will probably make some more changes against the Warriors, keep giving guys opportunity. I’m pretty confident we will still have enough firepower to push them hard, although the Warriors have played fabulous cricket. Winning nine out of 11 games is a phenomenal achievement and we will have to be at the top of our game if we are to win and go to first on the log,” Domingo said.

The key to a successful outcome for the #PrideOfJozi will be doing the basics right.

“We need to really focus on the small things, do the basics well. Things like really running well between the wickets, scrapping in the powerplay when the bowlers are very much in the game in South African conditions, setting things up in the middle and then finishing well,” Domingo said.

Like a dieter trying to increase their metabolism, our DP World Lions men’s team have been hunting increased intensity in the field in the CSA T20 Challenge and the Pride certainly reached their goal in the Western Cape over the last week.

An impressive and commanding nine-wicket win over the Boland Rocks last weekend in Paarl was followed on Wednesday night by an even more tremendous, record-breaking triumph over Western Province at Newlands.

On a memorable evening for the #PrideOfJozi, they hammered WP by 132 runs, the biggest ever victory margin in the history of the competition. Having scored 213 for two, their highest ever T20 total against their traditional rivals, the DP World Lions then bundled the home side out for just 81. The record-breaking effort erases the Lions’ own previous mark for the heaviest defeat, having been beaten by 130 runs by the Eagles in Potchefstroom in 2004/5.

Having now secured second place with a five-point lead over Western Province, it all sets the DP World Lions up beautifully for their clash with the HollywoodBets Dolphins in Johannesburg on Friday night.

While there were superb individual performances from Ryan Rickelton (73 off 46), Reeza Hendricks (90 off 49), Lutho Sipamla (3-1-14-3) and Nqaba Peter (2.3-1-7-4 – the third-best figures ever for the Lions) in Cape Town, coach Russell Domingo was delighted by the lift in intensity by the team as a whole.

“We’ve been wanting to play to our standards and intensity. We have a lot of internationals in our team and with small crowds it can be challenging for them because they’re used to thousands of spectators. So we’ve tried to match our intensity to our own standards and we were crazy good with both bat and ball at Newlands and the fielding was really superb,” Domingo said.

“But the Dolphins have a formidable side with in-form batsmen, pace bowlers and spinners. They beat us in Durban and we’re going to have to be on top of our game, focusing on how we control the game.”

Rickelton and Hendricks, who put on an outstanding 151 for the first wicket – a record for Newlands, have now both climbed into the top six of the batting averages with over 250 runs to their names; only Rubin Hermann of the Dragons has scored more.

Rassie van der Dussen (29* off 18) and Delano Potgieter (14* off 7) then provided the finishing touches to the record total.

“It was good to see the batting fire after what has been a strange campaign with us not batting first a lot and having to chase several low scores. Reeza and Ryan batted superbly and they are both quality batsmen. They are finding a way to get substantial scores now that we’re in the crucial stages of the competition,” Domingo said.

Lutho Sipamla and Tshepo Moreki then backed up the batting effort by bowling superbly with the new ball, reducing WP to 38 for four in the powerplay, Sipamla being rewarded with career-best figures.

“Lutho and Tshepo were fantastic and they bowled really good Test lengths, they were aggressive and the pitch did a bit at night. I anticipate the DP World Wanderers wicket also doing a bit against the Dolphins, there’s a bit of rain around, it’s late in the season and there’s a chill in the air. We’ll have to assess and adapt to that as well,” Domingo said.

With the increased pressure, Peter ripped through the remaining batsmen, baffling them with his flat leg-spin and changes of pace. Following on from his three for 14 against the Rocks, the 22-year-old has now taken seven wickets for 38 runs in eight-and-a-half overs and is top of the bowling averages.

“Nqaba bowled brilliantly, his discipline and control was really good,” Domingo said. “He only took up leg-spin a couple of years ago, so it is still a new art for him and he has a long way to go, but he is a really promising talent. He has coaches around him who have learnt from the very best leg-spinners, they give Nqaba feedback in terms of how they were set up as batsmen and he is understanding the nuances of the skill,” Domingo said.

Having kept Western Province in third place on the log, the DP World Lions will now be out to ensure the Dolphins stay fourth, currently 11 points behind them. A third victory in a row for our Pride will also close the gap on the log-leading Warriors to just a handful of points.

A frustrating draw against the GBets Rocks last weekend will ensure that the DP World Lions men’s team will bring a ferocious intensity into their local derby against the Momentum Multiply Titans at Centurion from Wednesday as they chase a place in the CSA 4-Day Series final.

Our Lions were in rampant form against the Rocks at the DP World Wanderers Stadium, a fine all-round bowling effort seeing the Bolanders bowled out for just 226 on the first day. The Pride then gathered a formidable 252-run first-innings lead as captain Dominic Hendricks led from the front with an innings of great determination and quality bringing him 135 runs. Wiaan Mulder then blazed 141 off 128 balls and there were also classy half-centuries from Ryan Rickelton and Temba Bavuma.

The Lions then reduced the Rocks to 36 for three in their second innings, raising hopes of a victory that would have taken them to the top of the log. But tremendous rearguard centuries by Pieter Malan and Jean du Plessis, and an 84 not out on debut by Nathan Engelbrecht, denied the Lions as the pitch seemed to just get better and better for batting.

Nevertheless, our Pride are still very much in contention for a place in the final, third in the standings on 95.50 points. They are just 8.02 points behind the log-leading Dolphins, so if they beat the Titans (102pts) this week then they are bound to finish in the top two.

“It’s just one of those things,” Hendricks said. “The pitch didn’t really deteriorate, there was just a little bit of variable bounce. So it was a phenomenal effort to take 19 wickets on a batting-friendly surface. It showed good skills and a desire not to turn down a challenge, so I was very chuffed for the bowlers and their monumental effort.

“It’s knockout cricket against the Titans, like a semi-final with the winners having the opportunity to play in the final. It’s the Jukskei derby and we will be up for it, matches against them are always a challenge, a good test of skills and the big thing is to be highly competitive for as long as possible.

“But it’s not rocket science, we will need to play good, old-fashioned cricket against them, good simple cricket. We will try to force mistakes and then capitalise on them. Even if we win on the fourth day, we will be happy, and we won’t worry about what the other teams are doing,” Hendricks said.

The left-handed opener admitted to some personal frustration this season before notching his first century of the campaign against the Rocks, more than doubling his tally of runs.

“It’s been a while since I scored a first-class century, I’ve had quite a few opportunities over the last couple of seasons which I didn’t convert, so it’s been very frustrating.

“So there was certainly some inward determination and grit to make sure that ‘today was the day’. There was not a helluva lot of assistance for the bowlers, unlike some of the tricky wickets at the beginning of the season, so I just wanted to knuckle down, get stuck in and bat for as long as I can,” Hendricks said.

Pace bowler Lutho Sipamla seems to have proven his fitness by bowling several spells during breaks in play against the Rocks. The condition of the Centurion pitch will determine whether he is brought back into the XI, however.

“The SuperSport Park pitch has generally done a bit more than the Wanderers this season, and it’s quicker with more bounce. So it will be a nice challenge,” Hendricks said.