Ken Borland

Ensuring the Proteas can dominate in spin-friendly conditions and creating an environment of inclusivity within the squad are the two goals that have been occupying captain Temba Bavuma’s mind ahead of the South African cricket team’s departure for Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

The Proteas will play three ODIs and three T20s, all at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Sri Lanka also hosted India for three matches in each white-ball format last month at the same venue and spinners took 23 of the 37 wickets claimed by the home side.

“We had a look at that series to see what we will probably come up against and experience is on our side because a lot of the team have been to Sri Lanka before. We expect conditions to be in their favour, suiting the spinners, and Sri Lanka are a very strong outfit in their own conditions. So it’s going to be tough and our challenge is to be successful in those conditions.

“I definitely have a lot of confidence in our spinners – Tabraiz Shamsi is top of the T20 rankings and flying high on confidence, we know what quality Keshav Maharaj brings and we also have Bjorn Fortuin and George Linde. I believe we can be more than competitive, we can dominate. Our bowling group has been stretched and they adapted, now it’s the batsmen who will be put into a space that tests their skills,” Bavuma said on Monday.

The Proteas confirmed on Monday that paceman Junior Dala and bowling coach Charl Langeveldt are both still quarantining after testing positive for Covid two weeks ago and will not tour Sri Lanka. They have been replaced by Lutho Sipamla and Titans coach Mandla Mashimbyi.

In the four weeks that the Proteas have been home after the Ireland tour, the Social Justice and Nation-Building hearings have dominated the cricket discourse, and Bavuma said the team have kept a keen eye on the revelations and are eager to ensure they do not repeat the mistakes of the past.

“Most of what has been spoken about in the SJN has been thrown around the team with passion. We welcome the initiative, it is necessary and we want to learn from those experiences and mistakes. We’ve had informal conversations and everyone is positive. We have the opportunity to shape our team the way we like, so that down the line no-one can say the same mistakes happened.

“I’d be lying if I said the testimony has not had an impact because some members of the squad have been named. Our coach, Mark Boucher, has addressed us as a team and provided clarity and context, he has kept the guys in his confidence. For me, the biggest take from SJN is to create an environment that allows for a strong sense of belonging and acceptance,” Bavuma said.

The recently-appointed Proteas white-ball captain has been adventurous in pushing his team into potentially uncomfortable places, which must partly be because he feels comfortable in that space.

“The squad in 2021 is very different to what it was like in the early 2000s, guys walk into the team now and feel a lot more comfortable. It was no big struggle for me when I walked in in 2014. I really like to think things are different now and it starts with hard conversations, putting each other in uncomfortable positions to find a better way forward,” Bavuma said.

Proteas coach Mark Boucher praised Temba Bavuma as an exemplar of good leadership at the weekend, following the captain’s man-of-the-match performance in South Africa’s 49-run win in the final T20 against Ireland in Belfast that secured a 3-0 series sweep.

Bavuma set up the winning total of 189/2 with his polished 72 off 51 balls, and Boucher expressed his delight at his skipper being back in the runs. Bavuma’s first half-century for the Proteas in 10 innings ticks another box for South Africa as they prepare for the T20 World Cup in October/November.

“I was very happy for Temba to get some runs at the end of the tour because he’s been putting in the hard work, he’s a tough character and he takes it personally if he doesn’t score runs. Those runs have come at the perfect time now and he will definitely take that confidence forward to Sri Lanka. It was really just a matter of time before he made runs.

“It’s always nice when your captain can lead with confidence because he has runs under his belt and I have to say Temba has been leading very well on and off the field. It’s very nice now that he has also ticked the scoring runs box,” Boucher said.

While Bavuma said he was aware of his shortage of runs, his focus had very much been on driving the Proteas chariot and ensuring the team came first.

“I have been a bit lean on runs, but I just put aside my personal ambitions and tried to execute for the team. From a batting point of view, our approach was a bit different in this match and we really wanted to lay a foundation up front. We haven’t been good in the powerplay in the previous games, we’ve been too aggressive and lost too many wickets,” Bavuma said.

David Miller put his foot on the pedal in spectacular fashion at the end of his innings, after the wheels had fallen off the Proteas top-order, leading South Africa to a 42-run win over Ireland in the second T20 International at Stormont in Belfast on Thursday evening, giving them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Paul Stirling’s part-time off-spin was the vehicle for Ireland to make a dream start after they lost the toss and had to bowl first, the burly opening batsman having both Temba Bavuma and Janneman Malan caught at backward point for ducks in the first over.

South Africa were three down in the fourth over when Aiden Markram, driving loosely, was bowled by Mark Adair for 8, and when Quinton de Kock (27 off 20) was adjudged to be lbw to off-spinner Simi Singh to the first ball after the powerplay, the Proteas were in desperate trouble on 38 for four.

That’s when Miller came to the crease and South Africa were driven to their total of 159 for seven by his fabulous 75 not out off 44 balls. Wiaan Mulder helped his experienced partner to break the cycle of wickets as he contributed an impressive 36 off 26 balls as they added 58 off 43 deliveries for the sixth wicket.

South Africa went into the final over on a moderate 135 for seven, but Miller finished the innings in magnificent style, hitting left-armer Josh Little for four sixes and turning down singles on the other two deliveries.

Left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin then removed veteran Kevin O’Brien in the first over of Ireland’s innnings, for his second successive duck, and left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks had Andy Balbirnie caught behind for 6 inside the powerplay.

The middle overs were once again a time of celebration for superstar wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi as he removed the dangerous duo of Paul Stiring (19) and birthday boy George Dockrell (20) in his first two overs. In between, part-time off-spinner Markram dismissed Harry Tector  as Fortuin plucked a low catch diving forward at extra over.

Shamsi also added the wicket of Ireland’s top-scorer, Shane Getkate for 24.

Ireland were eventually all out for 117 in the last over, with Fortuin finishing with a career-best three for 16 in his four overs, which included a maiden, while Shamsi posted the outstanding figures of three for 14.

Seamers Lungi Ngidi (3.3-0-14-1) and Hendricks (4-0-28-2) displayed encouraging form with the ball as well.

Where Aiden Markram should bat in South Africa’s T20 team, if he should be selected at all, is one of the biggest issues to solve for the Proteas ahead of the World Cup in the shortest format of the game in the United Arab Emirates in October.

When South Africa take on Ireland in the second T20 international in Belfast on Thursday evening, Markram is likely to once again bat at No. 4, having top-scored there with 39 off 30 balls in the impressive victory in the first match in Dublin.

• Why has this become an issue?

            With captain Temba Bavuma probably best-suited to opening the batting in T20 cricket, Quinton de Kock in wonderful form up top and Janneman Malan showing he also belongs in the team, there is little space for either Markram or Reeza Hendricks in the top three.
            But Markram has, albeit in just 10 innings, the best record of all of them (see stats box). There has been a dearth of consistent finishers in the middle-order though, so moving Markram down the order has been mooted as a solution.

 

• What does Markram need to do in order to change his game to suit the middle-order?

“I’m doing a lot of work on my power-hitting and being able to go to that without having faced a lot of balls. As an opener, you’re used to getting to that stage having spent quite a long time in the middle already. So it’s important that I develop a power game that I can go to earlier on, I’ve been training to be able to pull the trigger after maybe just a few balls in my innings.

“As a middle-order batsman, your roles change based on the situation, so I try to go in with a lot of intensity. In the nets I look for the boundary every ball, if that’s not on then get the one or get it into space for two; I need the confidence that if the ball is in my slot then I am able to get it away,” Markram said on Wednesday.

In terms of a perceived lack of faith in the depth of the Proteas batting line-up, Markram said while George Linde and Kagiso Rabada are both really good ball-strikers who the team have faith in, it is the set batsman who needs to take responsibility for the last five overs and bat deep.


Top-order candidates’ T20I records

Aiden Markram                    349 runs at 34.90, SR 151.08; 4×50 in 10 innings

Temba Bavuma                     338 runs at 26.00, SR 125.18; 0x50 in 14 innings

Quinton de Kock       1578 runs at 32.87, SR 138.05; 9×50 in 53 innings

Janneman Malan      241 runs at 24.10, SR 130.97; 1×50 in 10 innings

Reeza Hendricks       812 runs at 25.37, SR 121.37; 5×50 in 32 innings