Ken Borland

Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers were once again earning themselves gold stars as they steadied South Africa after the loss of three wickets without a run being scored, taking the hosts to 102 for three at lunch on the first day of the first Test against the West Indies at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday.

Amla and De Villiers came together after an amazing collapse saw South Africa slump from 57 without loss to 57 for three, a previously-toothless West Indian attack suddenly taking wickets in three successive overs.

It was an extraordinary turnaround given how poorly the visitors had bowled in the first hour, producing assorted lengths and lines as openers Alviro Petersen and Dean Elgar brought up their 50 partnership in just the 10th over.

Petersen was the first to go, getting a start but only making 27 before he pushed at a regulation shortish delivery from Kemar Roach and edged it to first slip.

Just seven balls later, Elgar edged a loose drive at a short, wide delivery from Sheldon Cottrell and was caught by Marlon Samuels in the gully for 28.

It was not smart batting by the South African openers, letting an ill-disciplined West Indies side back into the game and worse was to follow another seven balls later when Faf du Plessis fell for a duck.

Du Plessis just couldn’t resist sparring at a fine delivery from Roach that just shaped away a bit and bounced more than expected, the edge safely taken by wicketkeeper and captain Denesh Ramdin.

South Africa were shaky at 57 for three after being sent in to bat, but Amla and De Villiers are both well-versed in saving the Proteas.

Amla swiped three fours through the off-side off Jerome Taylor on his way to 25 not out, while De Villiers played himself in, playing straight and reaching 16 not out at the interval.

Their partnership is currently worth 45 and, with debutant Stiaan van Zyl and young Quinton de Kock next to bat, South Africa’s hopes of a good total probably rest on their two best batsmen putting together a sizeable partnership.

Roach was the pick of the West Indian bowlers, featuring twice on the scorecard as he claimed two for 16 in six tidy overs.

 http://citizen.co.za/295185/south-africa-102-three-lunch/

As the Springboks return from a less-than-stellar European tour that has emboldened the prophets of doom once more, the 40^th anniversary of the infamous British Lions tour to South Africa has passed by with barely a mention.

Rugby is certainly a much-changed game from those days of 99-calls, wings throwing into the lineout and teams like the Western Transvaal Mielieboere and the South-Western Districts Volstruisboere being part of the mainstream game and playing against touring sides.

But there are still lessons and cautionary tales that can be drawn from that tour, which has been given a thorough going-over and a fresh perspective in Luke Alfred’s recently-published book, When the Lions Came to Town (Zebra Press).

The 1974 Lions tour to South Africa was meant to showcase the resilience of Springbok rugby in surviving the first shadows of isolation, to show that they were still a global power whatever the world thought of their shameful politics. It still makes me sick to the stomach to think that a leading Sunday newspaper saw fit to use a headline saying the Springboks had received a “K…erpak” in the 28-9 second Test hammering at Loftus Versfeld. Alfred reveals how the mastermind of that offensive headline is actually lauded as a progressive journalist and “anything but racist”.

But instead, in going through their 22-match tour unbeaten, winning the Tests 3-0 and drawing the fourth, the Lions showed that South African rugby was stuck in the past, gathering dust like a faded old trophy on the mantelpiece.

In many ways, the Springboks were meant to be the shop window for the National Party’s doomed social engineering project called Apartheid, but the insecurities of the nation were brutally exposed by a Lions team that not only physically dominated, but also out-thought, the South Africans and had more attacking flair, scoring 10 tries to one in the Tests.

It was, of course, a golden era for British and Irish rugby with the likes of Willie-John McBride, Ian ‘Mighty Mouse’ McLauchlan, Gareth Edwards, Phil Bennett, JJ and JPR Williams amongst the best players in the world.

It’s a delicious tour for a sportswriter to delve into, resulting as it did in seismic after-effects for South African rugby, and Alfred uncovers some extraordinary tales like centre Peter Cronje playing in the crucial third Test with a shoulder that was so badly injured that he could not lift his arm above the perpendicular; the two Lions players who commandeered a limousine outside a function and ended up taking Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith on a high-speed drive through the streets of Salisbury; and some of the ludicrous selections that the panicked Springbok management made through the series. At one stage the Test scrumhalf was chosen by all the candidates walking through a ballroom and playing out a set move … perhaps that’s why eighthman Gerrie Sonnekus was then moved to half-back!

While some accuse current Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer of metaphorically being the recipient of apples from his class favourites, at least the national team will go into next year’s World Cup with a pretty clear picture of what the best starting XV will be.

The loss of captain Jean de Villiers with an awful knee injury is obviously a major blow, but Meyer has ensured there is plenty of leadership in the team, one of the first pillars of success.

First and foremost, however, now is not the time for the sort of panic that saw the 1974 Springboks humiliated. It is, however, the time for astute planning because underestimating the Northern Hemisphere challenge is a recipe for disaster.

It’s been the saddest of weeks for the cricketing world with the tragic passing of Phil Hughes in what can only be described as the freakiest of accidents dominating all discussions.

So many batsmen are hit on the head these days (I’m of the school of thought that says helmets encourage them to take their eye off the ball), but Hughes had the awful misfortune of being struck on the side of the neck, just below his helmet’s grille, flush on the vertebral artery, which split and caused the fatal brain haemorrhage.

South Africans have also been mourning the 25-year-old Australian, not least of all because he greatly impressed everyone on these shores with his grit and unorthodox talent as he averaged 53 against the Proteas in five Tests, scoring two centuries and two half-centuries.

The national team has, of course, just returned from Australia, where their 4-1 ODI series hammering caused much soul-searching and anguish amongst their fans, before being overshadowed by the real tragedy that unfolded in Sydney.

Whatever AB de Villiers so brashly said upon his return home about being the better side and South Africa’s World Cup plans being on track, serious questions have been raised about the Proteas’ ability to seriously contend at the global showpiece tournament starting in 11 weeks’ time.

Most worryingly, there is no further ODI cricket scheduled for them before they have to announce their final 15-man squad for the World Cup on January 7. So the five-match series against the West Indies will not provide the selectors with the opportunity to find someone who can bale them out of their current problems in terms of balance and form, because it starts on January 16. Neither is there any franchise 50-over cricket before then.

The squad that plays against the West Indies will be the World Cup squad and those 15 players will have dress rehearsals on five days in which they have to regain form and convince their fans that they are the strong contenders they perceive themselves to be.

South Africa’s most pressing need would seem to be to fill the number seven position with someone who can genuinely contribute with bat and ball. Ryan McLaren, with his mediocre bowling and his weakness against the short ball when batting, has done little lately to suggest he could be a match-winner in that vital position. Sadly, the schedule has dictated that the selectors are not going to be able to see what David Wiese can do.

I would back the Titans all-rounder because he brings power-hitting and a proven ability at the death, as well as the sort of bowling skills the South African attack desperately needs to master on what should be good batting pitches in Australasia.

In terms of cover, the 15-man squad will need to include two extra pace bowlers – perhaps one containing and one more attacking – an extra batsman who can bowl a bit and either an extra spinner or a top-order batsman.

This means Kyle Abbott must surely have secured his ticket, while I would choose Lonwabo Tsotsobe, in great form since returning from injury, ahead of Wayne Parnell. This would also reduce the pressure on the selectors in terms of Black African representation; although Aaron Phangiso deserves to go to the World Cup, his ill-timed injury and the need for top-order batting cover could count against him.

The selection of both Rilee Rossouw and Farhaan Behardien would facilitate cover for both the top three and the middle-order, with Behardien able to fulfil the crucial role of a sixth bowler that was vital in JP Duminy’s absence.

The presence of a genuine all-rounder like Wiese at seven would enable the Proteas to avoid the problem of either having to go into games a batsman or a bowler short, but the other issue they need to solve is not one of personnel but one of skills.

The bowling in the death overs was generally poor and the failure to consistently execute yorkers, slower-ball bouncers and changes of pace means the South Africans lack the weapons the other top teams enjoy.

My World Cup squad: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, David Miller, David Wiese, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Kyle Abbott, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Farhaan Behardien, Rilee Rossouw.