Ken Borland

There are still six weeks of action remaining in the Indian Premier League, but notwithstanding the weak performances of the Proteas T20 side, there were some strong showings by South Africans in the first week of the biggest tournament in cricket, highlighted by David Miller and Chris Morris combining to steer the Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling win over the Delhi Capitals.

AB de Villiers had not played a competitive game of cricket since the previous IPL finished in November, but he opened his 2021 campaign with a matchwinning 48 off 27 balls for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in their thrilling win over the defending champion Mumbai Indians. In their next game, he was still trying to work out the wizardry of leg-spinner Rashid Khan when he was dismissed for just a single.

Chris Morris has had a frustrating start to the IPL in terms of his fast bowling, having figures of two for 41 in four and one for 27 in three overs, but he vanquished all those negativities as he roared to 36 not out off just 18 balls to win a thriller for the Rajasthan Royals against the Delhi Capitals.

David Miller missed the Rajasthan Royals’ loss to the Sikhs from the Punjab Kings in their opening game, but played hide-and-seek with the Delhi Capitals’ bowlers, hammering 62 off just 43 deliveries as he led the recovery that was finished by Morris after coming in at 17 for three.

Marco Jansen has been thrust into the limelight at the IPL from the outset by the champion Mumbai Indians, but the 20-year-old has shown immense heart with the ball. His debut was impressive as he took two wickets in the 15^th over of the Bangalore innings, including that of Glenn Maxwell, finishing with fine figures of two for 28 in his four overs. He then bowled two overs for 17 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Unfortunately he has made ducks in both his visits to the crease.

Kagiso Rabada played in that thrilling Rajasthan Royals’ loss to the Delhi Capitals and was the bowler of that penultimate over that cost 15 runs as Chris Morris hit him for two sixes. Rabada had been excellent with the ball before that, taking two for 15 in three overs. He also scored nine not out off four balls with the bat.

Quinton de Kock missed the first game and then scored just two off six balls, but he can still console himself with the fact that his Mumbai Indians team can still defend a low total like 152 as they beat Kolkata by 10 runs.

Faf du Plessis never got going in his opening IPL match, being dismissed for a three-ball duck as the Chennai Super Kings lost by seven wickets to the Delhi Capitals.

Lungi Ngidi and Imran Tahir have not yet played a game, while Anrich Nortje’s participation with the Delhi Capitals was delayed by a false positive Covid test.

Vernon Philander has never been one to pass the buck, as his tireless work uplifting his community has shown, which is why he has decided to make a comeback to help not just Western Province but South African cricket as a whole.

The great seam bowler’s decision to come out of retirement is great news for Western Province, who will be built around a core of the struggling Cape Cobras side, minus key figures who will be playing for Boland like the Malan brothers, Janneman and Pieter.

But the presence of Philander, who took 224 Test wickets at just 22.32 before retiring in January last year, will also help raise the standard of the new-look domestic game and the 35-year-old said he is wanting to help players from all the teams and not just his own.

“Western Province will have a young squad and there is a big need for me to play a part there, considering I still probably have two or three years left in me and I still have the firepower to perform and do well. But there is also not much experience around the country and I’m looking at the greater picture. We were fortunate to learn from older guys when we started out whether they were in our squad or not.

“So there’s a massive role to play in helping the future generations with those extra learnings, they can tap into our knowledge and hopefully stay calmer for longer. Hopefully I can help make sure they mature in the proper manner. Obviously I am still playing for trophies, but I want to encourage bowlers from other teams to speak to me so I can help South African cricket grow,” Philander told Saturday Citizen on Friday.

While the jury is still out on whether the new domestic system will actually improve South African cricket, Philander said the quality of play locally definitely needed some attention.

“I’ve been having honest chats with a few people and it boils down to standards and whether we are okay with mediocre. I personally don’t think there’s any place for that, so my goal is ultimately to help the standard of cricket in this country by setting a good example and standards. You want an atmosphere of enjoying what you do, but you also have a responsibility to perform,” Philander said.

The new-look team based at Newlands is also likely to feature the returns of batting maestro Hashim Amla and Wayne Parnell, who at 31 years old is still very capable of bringing some all-round magic.

“This is not the standard of fielding you are used to from a South African team,” coach Mark Boucher admitted on Thursday before explaining his frustration over the performance in that crucial department ahead of the fourth and final T20 against Pakistan at Centurion on Friday.

The Proteas have to win on Friday to level the series, but it has been an uphill struggle for a bowling attack shorn of its first-choice fast bowlers and not being particularly well-backed in the field. It was particularly apparent in the third T20 when Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan survived a few half-chances before putting the bowling to the sword as Pakistan chased down 204 with two overs to spare.

“We are pushing the guys so hard in training and the frustration is that they are brilliant then, taking unbelievable catches and the intensity is great. But then in the last game from the second over already we gave away soft runs. We need the guys to stand up in the field and we have been asking the players why the energy and intensity is not there always?

“It’s almost like they take a step back when they get into a match and this is not the standard of fielding you are used to from a South African team. We need to change that, it is something we are addressing and fielding is largely about attitude. Maybe the players are lacking confidence to bring it on match day?” Boucher mused on Thursday.

South Africa also need to be much better under pressure than they were in the third T20, which was as one-sided as the Proteas’ big win in the second match at the Wanderers.

“Under pressure, the guys have not responded the way we know they can. They’re not used to being attacked like that at this level, they got rattled and we did not stick to the plan, we ended up chasing the ball a bit. We’ve gone from the absolute high three days ago to the last game, that’s T20 cricket. We just looked completely rattled under pressure and it was a bad day.

“But three days ago we were very good and that shows things can change quickly in T20 cricket, as long as the energy is right. So we need to come with the right attitude and intensity, yes we have to execute our skills as well, but in our meetings all morning with the players, I got the sense that they know they were not up to scratch and they really want to put that right,” Boucher said.

Babar Azam amassed a host of records as he put the wayward South African bowling to the sword in the third T20 International at Centurion on Wednesday, leading Pakistan to a nine-wicket victory with two overs to spare.

The Proteas were defending a seemingly decent total of 203 for five, their highest ever against Pakistan, but they did not have a prayer as they turned in a poor bowling performance and Babar was simply majestic as he stroked 122 off just 59 balls.

It was the captain’s first T20I century, the fastest ever for Pakistan in just 49 balls, and the country’s highest ever individual score. It saw the tourists romp home in their biggest ever successful chase. He was ably assisted by the prolific Mohammad Rizwan, who struck another punishing 73 not out off 47 deliveries. Their opening stand of 197 off only 107 balls was the highest in any T20 between the established Test nations, and the fourth best of all time.

On a good batting pitch, the Proteas lacked penetration and could only create half-chances, that left them begging “no mas” before long as Babar and Rizwan took advantage of a timid display in the field, turning in a masterclass of batting.

Proteas fans had been purring with delight as South Africa’s openers, Aiden Markram and Janneman Malan, slipped into top gear and led South Africa to what seemed a commanding total.

Markram and Malan are arguably the Proteas’ second-choice opening pair after Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma, but they batted brilliantly in their opening stand of 108 off just 65 balls, both making career-best scores.

Markram, who was only a late inclusion in the T20 squad after Bavuma tore a hamstring in the ODI series, became just the second South African batsman after Hashim Amla in 2016 to score three successive fifties in T20 cricket as he belted 63 off just 31 deliveries with four sixes. He has proven in this series that he can do the power-opener job most capably.

Malan went on to hammer 55 off 40 balls, also doing a fine job for the team as he batted through to the 15^th over. Both openers played mostly classical strokes with exceptional timing, but they also improvised superbly.

Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz (2-38) removed both openers but George Linde, promoted up the order, brought some x-factor batting as he belted 22 off 11 deliveries and the returning Rassie van der Dussen scored an explosive 34 not out off 20 balls.

South Africa’s total, their best ever against Pakistan, beating the 192 for six they made at Newlands in 2018/19, was however no match as Babar massacred them in the field.