Ken Borland

The last time AB de Villiers led South Africa was in December 2017 as the stand-in captain for the only day/night Test this country has hosted – an innovation that turned into a freak show as Zimbabwe were beaten by an innings-and-120-runs in less than two days at St George’s Park.

The experiment has never been repeated by the Proteas. But De Villiers will be back at the helm of another national team when he skippers the South Africa squad in another innovative cricket event – the World Championship of Legends to be held in England from July 18 to August 2.

This enterprising T20 tournament has already enjoyed a successful first season, with 325 million viewers watching the televised matches last year, and more than 100 000 spectators coming to the stadiums used for the inaugural event – Edgbaston in Birmingham and the Northampton County Ground.

This year, the venues being used have doubled to include Grace Road in Leicester and Headingley in Leeds. The tournament is open to any cricketer who is 33 or older and is not signed up by their national board.

The South African team that missed out on the semifinals last year on nett run-rate included several players of the world-beating side of around 15 years ago – JP Duminy, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Charl Langeveldt, Vernon Philander, Ryan McLaren, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Herschelle Gibbs, Makhaya Ntini and Ashwell Prince.

But they lost their first three games against much younger teams, but then beat India and Pakistan, the two sides that contested the final, which India won.  The turnaround came largely due to the introduction of two current players in Sarel Erwee and Jacques Snyman. The lesson has been learned, though, and De Villiers will lead a squad that features many more players of the previous decade and not the one before that.

The likes of Aaron Phangiso, Hardus Viljoen, Wayne Parnell, Duanne Olivier, Jon-Jon Smuts and Erwee all played domestic franchise cricket last summer. Viljoen, Parnell, Smuts and Erwee have been part of the SA20 competition.

The firepower that still-fast bowlers like Viljoen, Parnell and Olivier can bring suggests South Africa are going back to the traditional strength of pace bowling.

The presence of De Villiers, still the hero of millions, is a massive coup for the World Championship of Legends, along with the recently-retired Chris Morris, Albie Morkel and Hashim Amla.

De Villiers said he made the decision to return to playing cricket thanks to the backyard games he is involved in with his two boys, aged nine and seven. He will be hoping to continue in the same vein as the tremendous 101 not out he scored off just 28 balls for the Titans Legends against the Bulls Legends at SuperSport Park on March 9.

“The kids keep me busy playing cricket in the garden, I’ve become a bowler thanks to them,” the 41-year-old De Villiers said at the launch of the South Africa Champions team at the Wanderers. “I’ve really enjoyed playing with them and now I want to go out and enjoy every second on the cricket field again. I’ll be with familiar faces and I will just go out and compete and hopefully we can sneak in a few wins.

“To be honest, the bowling wasn’t too hard against the Bulls and I started two weeks before with net sessions. But I’ve always had a lot of respect for my opponents, sometimes they have won our contests. So I just want to enjoy some more special moments with my team-mates, I haven’t been in a changeroom for many years,” De Villiers said.

Amla has travelled to Qatar and India in recent years to play in Masters tournaments and will also be looking to continue some good recent form as he scored 76 and 82* in the recent International Masters League earlier this year.

“I was really worried when I went to India in February having had just one net beforehand, worried if I could still see the ball,” Amla said with a chuckle. “But it went well, although it takes time to get back into it.

“The competitiveness is actually very high, there are top cricketers playing like Chris Gayle, the Universe Boss. And we will be wearing South Africa on our chest, so we are representing the country,” Amla said.

South Africa squad: Aaron Phangiso, Hardus Viljoen, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, AB de Villiers, Duanne Olivier, Jon-Jon Smuts, Sarel Erwee, Imran Tahir, Morne van Wyk, Dane Vilas, Albie Morkel, Richard Levi, Hashim Amla.

DULLSTROOM (Mpumalanga) – Vodacom Bulls legend Akona Ndungane is clearly comfortable with change and, having mastered the gales around Highland Gate Golf and Trout Estate, he turned his attention to rugby and said it was no surprise Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has not just massaged his starting line-up for their second Rugby Championship Test against Australia but made a massive 10 changes to the run-on XV.

Ndungane is an avid golfer who plays off a five handicap, but playing in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Pro-Am Series is a first for the 43-year-old. It was also the first time he has played at Highland Gate, the 6717m course perched 2000m above sea level in the valleys and mountains of the Steenkampsberge. And then to make the challenge even more daunting, the wind blew at 30km/h on the first day of the pro-am.

“This is the first Vodacom Origins of Golf Pro-Am I’ve played in and it’s wonderful,” Ndungane said. “I love golf, both watching it and playing, and to be around the pros is really special. Just to be here at this beautiful course is amazing, especially for me, being my first time playing here.

“What an experience, especially with the wind blowing so hard it felt like the Western Cape or a coastal course. But our pros, Cara Gorlei and Keenan Davdise, were great company and I got to play with my mate OG Molefe. So it was a great outing, and we managed to lead after the first round.

“When conditions are tough, the quality comes through because you have to be more focused. If you hit it in the rough, then it was very tough, even to just try and find your ball. But the greens are firm and nice,” the former Springbok wing said.

Quality is also something the 2007 Rugby World Cup winner sees in the Springbok set-up at the moment. Ndungane believes the squad has advanced well in the development of their more attacking game, allowing Erasmus more flexibility in selection ahead of Saturday’s match against the Wallabies in Perth.

“In a way I expected that sort of start last week because we have seen the game-plan they are trying to implement. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is in amazing form and starting at flyhalf allows him to free himself, to express himself. They all seem to be really enjoying their rugby at the moment.

“They beat Australia 33-7, but the Wallabies were fortunate not to concede fifty points the way the Springboks dominated first phase, defence and attack. Those yellow cards at the end helped them.

“But it’s no surprise Dr Rassie has made so many changes. He’s trying to build depth and give players quality opportunities to see if they can cope. When you’re in a good place then you’re able to make changes. And I don’t think this team is really any weaker than last weekend’s.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing Lukhanyo Am playing at 12. We saw how good he was in his comeback against Portugal, even though injury has unfortunately slowed him down a bit. It’s an exciting combination in the backline with Sacha, Lukhanyo and Jesse Kriel playing together,” Ndungane said.

KITWE (Zambia) – MJ Viljoen may have wondered why his fortunes turned sour on the back nine, but the 29-year-old held his round together to take a one-stroke lead after the third and penultimate round of the Mopani Zambia Open at Nkana Golf Club on Saturday.

Viljoen was three-under-par for his round through eight holes on Saturday, but suffered four bogeys coming home. But he showed his mettle by birdieing the 16^th and 17^th holes to finish with a one-under-par 71 for nine-under-par overall.

Jacques P. de Villiers shot an excellent 68 on Saturday to move to eight-under-par, tied for second with Dayne Moore, who slipped back in the third round with a 74.

Conditions were more difficult on Saturday with the wind picking up around the woodlands course.

“The wind was up today and it kept me busy, especially on the back nine,” Viljoen said. “I almost turned three-under but I was unfortunate on nine. I hot two gorgeous shots but I unfortunately went three metres too far and the ball rolled down the back and from there it’s bogey all day.

“And then on 10 I just nicked a tree, which threw me into trouble. So I had two bad lies in a row and then I had a bad bounce long-right on 13. I just struggled to get momentum on the back nine. But otherwise I was going well and played some flawless golf.”

The Serengeti Estates golfer said positive things is what he will be focusing on going into the final round as he chases his third Sunshine Tour title and his first since September 2022 at the SunBet Challenge Wild Coast.

“I’m trying to look at all the good bounces I got rather than the bad ones and I won’t be changing anything in my game-plan. My mental coach, Shaun Landsberg, has been working with me on uysing bad thoughts to my advantage. Last week I had a breakthrough, I must just let go and let it happen. My focus is going to be on where my confidence is,” Viljoen said.

The Sharks have turned down the option to play a more ‘upmarket’ team and include their returning Springboks in their United Rugby Championship visit to Newport to take on the Dragons on Saturday, instead deciding to leave them in Durban until after their tour is over.

While the Bulls and Stormers are fielding some of the Springboks who were involved in the Rugby Championship, Sharks coach Sean Everitt has made just two injury-enforced changes to the team that opened their campaign with a narrow (in the end) win over Zebre in Parma.

Lock Gerbrandt Grobler injured his bicep in training this week and will be replaced by new signing Justin Basson, with Hyron Andrews moving on to the bench.

And replacement flyhalf Fred Zeilinga has also returned home injured, with Anthony Volmink replacing him amongst the substitutes.

“The Springboks have been given a week off and will integrate themselves back into training next week in Durban,” Everitt said on Thursday. “If we need to call in some of them due to injuries for next week against Leinster, then we will.

“But I would prefer them to get up to date with what we were doing in pre-season and what we have implemented since then. It’s a bit different for us because of the number of Springboks we have.

“Fortunately they are all guys who prepare well. But they did miss part of pre-season and they need to get up to speed. They’re all quality players and we will need to introduce them for a couple of games in October.

“But for now we are leaving them in Durban to prepare for the clash with Glasgow back at home on October 15,” Everitt explained.

Having upset Munster in Newport last weekend, the Dragons are shopping for their second successive home win, having begun the season with a fearful 44-6 hammering away to Edinburgh.

What the Sharks want is a repeat of their first 40 minutes against Zebre last weekend, when they were impressively efficient in garnering a 28-3 lead. They lost focus in the second half though, and had to hang on desperately for a 42-37 triumph.

“The first half was the best rugby we’ve played for a long time and I was very happy with that,” Everitt said. “But in the second half we allowed them to get momentum.

“Zebre and the Dragons are both dangerous out wide and we struggled with our width in defence and allowed them quick ball at the breakdowns.

“Plus we never stuck to our kicking plan. So really we put ourselves under the pump. Having conceded only three penalties in the first half, not many at all, we then gave away seven in the second half when we were feeling the pressure. But those things are all fixable,” Everitt said.

Sharks team: Aphelele Fassi, Werner Kok, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Ben Tapuai, Thaakir Abrahams, Boeta Chamberlain, Grant Williams, Phepsi Buthelezi, Dylan Richardson, James Venter, Reniel Hugo, Justin Basson, Thomas du Toit (c), Kerron van Vuuren, Ntuthuko Mchunu. Bench – Dan Jooste, Dian Bleuler, Carlu Sadie, Hyron Andrews, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Cameron Wright, Marnus Potgieter, Anthony Volmink.