Ken Borland

The Unlimited Titans bowlers, given the security of the Qaasim Adams-inspired total of 176 for seven, comfortably completed the team’s second victory in this season’s RamSlam T20 Challenge as they beat the Sunfoil Dolphins by 19 runs at Willowmoore Park in Benoni last night.

Leg-spinner Shaun von Berg was named as the bowler of the match, taking two wickets in the 12^th over, Cody Chetty (28) holing out at cow-corner and Andile Phehlukwayo (1) being bowled through the gate by the next delivery.

But seamers Darren Sammy, Junior Dala and David Wiese were also outstanding and just as instrumental in the win.

Dala may not be known to many people but the fast bowler has tremendous potential and an unorthodox action, bowling with great pace up front as his first three overs cost 14 runs and included the wicket of Dolphins captain Morne van Wyk, who he bounced out for seven. Dala then bowled the final over of the match and conceded just nine runs, which included a six off the last ball.

Sammy ended the last lingering hopes of the Dolphins when he removed fellow West Indian Dwayne Bravo, who was living dangerously but effectively for his 34 off 18 balls, and Khaya Zondo (25) on his way to excellent figures of two for 29, while Wiese conceded just eight runs with the new ball in his first two overs, claiming the wicket of Jonathan Vandiar (3), and also bowled well in the closing overs.

The Dolphins were always up against it once Vaughn van Jaarsveld was caught in the deep off debutant Sammy Mofokeng for a run-a-ball 32 in the 11^th over.

The Titans were in early trouble after winning the toss and choosing to bat first, with thunder and lightning in the air, as Theunis de Bruyn and Graeme van Buuren were both dismissed for a single.

But Henry Davids, the competition’s leading run-scorer, was looking secure on a pitch that certainly had something in it for the bowlers, cruising to a run-a-ball 32.

But it was Adams who provided the foundation for the innings with his brilliant 76 off 53 balls, showing solid ball-striking as he collected nine fours and two sixes and won the batsman of the match award.

Sammy certainly holds the bragging rights over Bravo as he hit him for two important sixes in the final over of the innings, while Heinrich Klaasen (19) and Wiese (17) shared in important partnerships with Adams in the closing overs.

Paceman Craig Alexander was the best of the Dolphins bowlers with two for 24 in his four overs.

The Titans have now moved into fifth place in the standings, on 11 points with the Warriors, while the Dolphins are in freefall after a solid start. Their third successive loss and fifth in total leaves them on 12 points and clinging on precariously to fourth place, five points behind the Knights.

Pakistan’s cricket team manager and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will probably disagree over the security situation in that country, but what isn’t in doubt is that Pakistan will face a daunting assignment of their own in South Africa over the next two months as they take on the Proteas in Tests, ODIs and T20 internationals.

Three Tests against the top-ranked South Africans will be Pakistan’s first and toughest appointment.

While the Proteas have shown brilliant current form with a 12-Test unbeaten run since December 2011, Pakistan have only played six Tests in the same period.

That’s partly because nobody wants to play in Pakistan due to the security situation in the troubled country and they have been forced to host their “home” Tests in the United Arab Emirates.

“There is a difference between perception and reality. Pakistan is as safe as any country. We’re not getting enough Test experience, under the pretext of security concerns,” manager Naveed Akram Cheema growled at his team’s arrival press conference at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday.

Cheema is the managing director of the Water and Power Development Authority and the chairman of a host of other parastatals, so it’s perhaps not surprising that he insisted on giving a political answer to what was a cricketing question.

But be that as it may, Pakistan will face an uphill challenge taking on the South Africans at home.

Captain Misbah ul-Haq acknowledged that, saying his team will have to adapt quickly to conditions here, having last played in anything similar when they won a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in September 2011. Earlier that year, they won a two-Test series in New Zealand.

“It’s really difficult for a team that does not play a format on a regular basis, but we’ll have to work hard and adjust as a group. Against the number one team, in South African conditions, we will have to play well for it to be game-on. We know it will be tough, but we will have to adapt to conditions. But this Pakistan team has a lot of youngsters who have really performed well and they love to take on a challenge. It’s time for them to come up with good performances and go one step ahead in their careers,” Misbah said.

Though Pakistan seemingly have a bowling attack that is capable of storming the Proteas’ castle, their biggest challenge will be scoring enough runs. Their batsmen, so impressive in sub-continental conditions, might not even make it across the moat when they come up against the bounce, swing and seam of Steyn, Philander and Morkel.

“It’s a quality bowling attack and we will have to bat well. It’s a real challenge when you’ve just come here from the sub-continent and whenever we’re abroad in countries like New Zealand and South Africa, we have to practise hard for the bounce and pace,” Misbah said.

Pakistan handled James Anderson, probably the closest bowler to Dale Steyn in world cricket, reasonably well in the UAE last year, but they will not have seen Vernon Philander before.

“The way Philander bowls, swinging the ball and hitting the seam, he will be a real factor with the new ball and it’s not surprising he takes so many wickets,” Misbah mused. “But in Test cricket you need to get the basics right, you need to stick to the basics against a bowler like him.”

The Pakistan attack is one of the best balanced in world cricket, with two right-arm quicks in the tall Umar Gul and Ehsan Adil, a left-arm giant in the seven-foot Mohammad Irfan, a pacy left-arm swing bowler in Junaid Khan and quality slow bowlers in off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and left-arm orthodox Abdur Rehman.

“The attack doesn’t have much experience here, only Umar Gul has played in South Africa, but if they adapt to the conditions then this attack can get the wickets we need. Especially Junaid, I think he will love to bowl here and Irfan too if he can get the ball in the right positions. Saeed Ajmal will be a factor if there is turn and bounce,” Misbah said.

Dav Whatmore, the former Sri Lanka and Bangladesh coach who played for Australia, is now with the Pakistan team and he warned against his bowlers getting too hyped up.

“In terms of fighting fire with fire, I’d like to see our skills do the talking more. The aggression part of the bowling should be shown with skill.

“It will be difficult for our batsmen over here, generally there’s higher bounce and more pace, but if the guys get over that, then it’s pretty good batting conditions, like Australia. If the youngsters get over the initial difficulties, then they could capitalise,” Whatmore said.

The Pakistanis open their tour with a four-day match against an SA Invitation XI starting in East London on Friday and Misbah said the likely Test team will play.

But the conditions in the sleepy Indian Ocean city will be very different to the charged-up atmosphere at the Bullring when the first Test starts at the Wanderers the following Friday (February 1).

The safety of the Pakistan team might then be in serious doubt.

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