Ken Borland

There were no nasty surprises for South Africa as they thrashed neighbours Zimbabwe by 10 wickets, with 7.2 overs to spare, in their ICC World T20 match at Hambantota on Thursday.

12th over – Kyle Jarvis returns and his first delivery is cut hard to backward point by Hashim Amla, but Vusi Sibanda can’t hang on to the catch going to his left. Amla gets a let-off on 29.

11th over – A touch short from Ray Price and Richard Levi slashes the ball through the covers for a fine boundary.

9th over – Nicely controlled and crisply struck as Levi slog-sweeps Prosper Utseya for a one-bounce four.

6th over – Two cracking drives on the up through the covers for four by Levi off Brian Vitori.

5th over – Amla creates room for himself so well and his quick hands allow him to lean back and slash a perfectly good delivery from left-arm spinner Price through extra cover with great timing for four.

4th over – In the slot from Jarvis and Levi pulls it from off stump over mid-on for a one-bounce four.

2nd over – Levi top-edges a hook at left-arm paceman Vitori for four.

1st over – Jarvis drags a slower ball down short and wide, Amla waits for it and cuts the ball powerfully through the covers for four. Jarvis again provides too much width on the last ball of the over and an edged slash by Amla flies to the third man boundary for another four.

Zimbabwe innings

Jacques Kallis was the hero as the South African pacemen blasted Zimbabwe and restricted them to 93 for eight in their ICC World T20 match at Hambantota on Thursday.

20th over – Ray Price ends the innings by stepping back and forehand-smashing Kallis between mid-off and extra cover for four.

18th over – WICKET – Kallis has four now and it’s the admirable Craig Ervine out for 37 off 40 balls. Kallis sends down a well-directed short-pitched delivery which the left-hander tries to run down to third man. But there’s steep bounce and the line is tight, so a cramped shot can only succeed in giving wicketkeeper AB de Villiers his fourth catch.

17th over – Dale Steyn has conceded just three runs in his previous three overs, but now Ervine half-steers/half-edges him past the slip for four. WICKET – Steyn ends with a well-deserved wicket as Prosper Utseya (5) tries to fend off a fast, short-pitched delivery on leg stump and can only glove the ball, wicketkeeper De Villiers taking a superb diving catch.

14th over – WICKET – Kallis now has tremendous figures of 1.4-1-2-3 as Graeme Cremer (6) gloves an attempted hook at a bouncer and is caught behind by De Villiers.

11th over – Two wickets in two balls for Kallis in his first over! WICKET – Stuart Matsikenyeri (11) comes down the pitch and slaps the ball hard, but straight to Robin Peterson at cover. WICKET – Elton Chigumbura goes back to his first delivery, but it’s full, the bat is nowhere near the ball and he’s plumb lbw for a royal duck.

9th over – Johan Botha tosses up the first ball of the over and Ervine responds with a beautifully-played drive through the covers for four.

8th over – Robin Peterson joins Botha in the attack but a flatter, quicker delivery is brilliantly reverse-swept for four by Ervine.

5th over – Albie Morkel joins the attack, but his first delivery is short and angling across the left-hander and Ervine punches the ball crisply through the covers for four. WICKET – But three balls later, Morkel gets in on his brother’s act with a wicket of his own. Hamilton Masakadza (6) gives himself room, Albie Morkel follows him and a cramped drive, on the up, loops to deep mid-on.

4th over – WICKET – Morne Morkel strikes again as Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor plays an awful shot. Taylor backs away to leg and then plays a half-hearted cut shot as Morkel puts the ball outside off stump, presenting a comfortable edge for De Villiers and Taylor is caught behind for four. The first boundary of the innings comes after 23 balls as Masakadza bashes a delivery straight down the ground as Morkel over-pitches a touch.

2nd over – WICKET – A brilliant delivery from Morkel bowls Vusi Sibanda for a duck! Morkel gets a ball to jag back and bowl Sibanda through the gate, hitting the top of off stump.

1st over – A fantastic opening over from Steyn. All six deliveries are pitched just outside off stump, swinging away and he concedes just a single as Masakadza comes down the pitch and then defends the ball into the covers.

National selector Vinnie Barnes said on Tuesday that he was surprised both by South Africa’s lack of success in Zimbabwe and the conditions which the team played in during the T20 triangular series.

South Africa were hammered by nine wickets by Zimbabwe in the final of the tournament last weekend, having been beaten once each by both the hosts and Bangladesh in the round-robin stage.

“I was a bit surprised, I thought we’d play better. I know there was a bit of rustiness and they were up against international bowlers, especially the slower bowlers, who are world-class. It was also difficult for the batsmen because it was not easy just to come in and score runs,” Barnes said at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria on Tuesday.

“I was also surprised by the conditions. Last year when South Africa A played a triangular series with Zim and Australia A, the conditions weren’t like that at all. At the start, teams were defending 230 in 50 overs, but, by the end, teams were scoring 300.”

The T20 triangular series was regarded as a warm-up/trial for the ICC World Twenty20 Championship in Sri Lanka in September, and South Africa will probably be met by similar conditions on the sub-continental island.

“Some places in Sri Lanka will be similar, but at others you’ll be looking to defend 200. But the pitches will generally be slow and turning and the ball won’t be bouncing much,” Barnes conceded.

But the former national assistant coach said the trip should not be regarded as a failure, because it has brought more clarity to selection, some players advancing their cause and others dissuading the national selectors of their suitability.

“We definitely have more clarity now, it gives us ideas of what combinations will work. Gary Kirsten wanted specific players to rest for the tour and we wanted to have a look at fringe players, we wanted to know what was available for our best 15 for Sri Lanka,” Barnes said.

There has been a simmering air of discontent over South Africa’s strength in depth after the unexpected results, but Barnes, who is currently coaching the SA A team, put the inconsequential defeats into context.

“Lonwabo Tsotsobe is still the number one ranked bowler in limited-overs cricket, even though it was disappointing to see him not being so effective, and Wayne Parnell and Marchant de Lange are both quality bowlers who are coming up through the system.

“Our preparations this winter are all about the A team shadowing the national side and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the energy and drive and ambition there is to play for the national team. It’s higher than I expected, even more than last year.

“A lot of time and effort is spent with the A team and we give them all the necessary tools to get them where they should be,” Barnes said.

As the South Africa A team prepare to do battle with Sri Lanka A in two four-day matches, plus a one-day triangular series in Zimbabwe against the same opposition and their neighbours, it would be stupid to write off the system that has served brilliantly as a pipeline in the past, based on one poor series of matches that were being used more as a trial than competitive outings.

Even though Quinton Friend is likely to sit out with a strained back, South Africa A will still field a top-class attack with De Lange, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, Chris Morris and Parnell all available, while leg-spinner Imran Tahir will be making a guest appearance in the first four-day match at Kingsmead.

A batting line-up featuring Faf du Plessis, Farhaan Berhardien, Dean Elgar, Colin Ingram, Heino Kuhn, Richard Levi, David Miller, Justin Ontong and Dane Vilas should certainly also engender a great deal of confidence, and a clearer picture of South Africa’s depth should emerge after SA A complete the four-dayers and the limited-overs triangular on July 21.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120626/Barnes_surprised_by_lack_of_success

Brendan Taylor and Hamilton Masakadza powered Zimbabwe to an emphatic nine-wicket victory over South Africa in the final of the Pran RFL T20 Triangular Series at Harare Sports Club on Sunday.

 – http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120624/Taylor_Masakadza_power_Zim_to_title

While South Africa rested four key players in AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn, the result was still a shock as Zimbabwe marked themselves as far more than just minnows in this version of the game.

Masakadza finished with an industrious 58 not out off 50 balls, with two sixes, while Taylor hammered an excellent 59 not out off 41 balls as Zimbabwe handed their big-brother neighbours a thorough hiding with 17 balls to spare.

South Africa clearly have a lot of work to do in the months remaining before the ICC World T20 in Sri Lanka, with more being expected of the support players to their quartet of stars.

Chasing a competitive 147 for victory, Vusi Sibanda bashed 23 off 16 balls before 12th man Farhaan Behardien took a sensational catch at cover-point to dismiss him off Chris Morris.

But there was far more punishment to come as captain Taylor took advantage of a liberal supply of poor deliveries to race to a 32-ball half-century.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe travelled for 20 runs in his first two overs and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson was brought on in the sixth over.

But Taylor swept his first ball for six with superb timing and then hit fours through extra cover and backward point. Masakadza then launched the last ball of the over into the crowd beyond long-on and 21 runs had come from the over.

Masakadza and Taylor brought up their fifty partnership off 32 balls and Zimbabwe’s hundred took just 69 deliveries.

Tsotsobe, purportedly a definite for South Africa’s T20 squad, had a dreadful afternoon, conceding 43 runs in his four overs, but new-ball partner Morris looked dangerous and finished with a commendable one for 24 in his four overs, half of those runs coming from three edged boundaries off his bowling.

Wayne Parnell needs to sort out his no-ball problem in the practices between now and September in Sri Lanka, conceding 27 runs in 3.1 overs, which included another two no-balls.

The hapless Peterson, who had been the most consistent bowler heading into the final, had 35 runs taken off his three overs as the Zimbabweans clearly targeted the experienced spinner.

Then again, the home side played with the intensity and confidence normally associated with the South Africans and were clearly the better side throughout the final.

Faf du Plessis and Albie Morkel had earlier combined to lead South Africa to a comfortable 146 for six.

South Africa had won the toss and elected to bat first, but there were nervous times for the first half of the innings as six for two in the second over became 67 for five in the 12th.

But Du Plessis worked the ball around beautifully to score 66 off 57 balls, while Morkel smoked three fours and a six in his 34 not out off 23 balls, sharing a crucial sixth-wicket stand of 60 in seven overs.

Zimbabwe made a change to their bowling strategy by giving paceman Kyle Jarvis the new ball and he struck with the first ball of the match, an inswinger trapping a flatfooted Richard Levi lbw for a duck.

The start then became disastrous for South Africa when captain Hashim Amla (3) swung a short delivery from Christopher Mpofu to Malcolm Waller running round the square-leg boundary.

Du Plessis and Colin Ingram then added 39 for the third wicket, but it was hard work as Jarvis and Mpofu conceded just 15 runs in the first four overs and spinners Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer were as tight as ever.

There was also a crucial let-off for South Africa as Du Plessis, on 12, sliced Richard Muzhange into the covers but Stuart Matsikenyeri made a stupid mess of the catch.

Ingram fell for 19 when he edged an unsteady cut shot off leg-spinner Cremer to Utseya at short third-man, and Utseya then managed to remove Justin Ontong (5) by clasping a return catch between his legs.

Dane Vilas (2) was also off-balance while trying to cut and was caught behind off Waller to leave South Africa on a decidedly shaky 67 for five.

But the Titans pair of Du Plessis and Morkel, also IPL teammates at the Chennai Super Kings, batted with authority to stabilise the innings and seemingly give South Africa a good chance of avoiding another embarrassing defeat to their neighbours.

Morkel’s hitting power is known worldwide, but the left-hander faced only 23 balls in eight-and-a-half overs, collecting successive boundaries off Cremer at the start of the 13th over and then ending the innings with a majestic six over long-on off Muzhange.

Jarvis put a clamp on the scoring at the death though, and was rewarded with the wicket of Du Plessis, who hit a booming drive down the throat of long-on in the penultimate over.

Parnell hit a couple of clever boundaries in the final over as he finished on 12 not out off six balls.

The Zimbabwe bowlers, barring Muzhange, were all pretty much on target, with Jarvis the pick of the attack as he returned a superb two for 22 in four overs.