Elgar and Markram rock-solid on a shaky day for SA cricket
WHILE ONE partnership ended ignominiously in the boardroom yesterday, another new one was being forged on the field where Cricket South Africa’s primary asset, the Proteas, battled hard to provide a distraction from the administrative drama their employers were causing.
The first day of international play, in what will be a busy summer for the national team, was overshadowed by CEO Haroon Lorgat’s immediate parting of ways with Cricket SA. While it was what the organisation described as a sad day for itself, for Aiden Markram and Andile Phehlukwayo the occasion of their Test debuts brought a contrasting emotion.
Phehlukwayo has yet to play a part in proceedings, but Markram’s impact was immediate.
Markram was presented with his cap by Elgar at a team meeting on Wednesday night, a sort of symbolic signal of their new partnership. A much more definitive sign was produced on the field where they produced a century partnership for the opening stand – South Africa’s first since the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka at St George’s Park last season.
The Proteas have been in desperate need of stability at the top of the order. Poor old Elgar has had to acquaint himself with six different opening partners in the last two years and throughout 2017 he’s also carried South Africa’s batting.
He scored his fourth century of 2017 yesterday, surging past India’s Cheteshwar Pujara to regain top spot as the leading run-scorer in Tests this year. It was another redoubtable display; strong on defence, patient too, while the loose ball was punished. There was even a bit of stretching and flexing of tight muscles towards the end of the day as the left-hander ended unbeaten on 128. With him was Hashim Amla, who helped himself to 68, surviving one difficult chance offered to Shabbir Rahman on 40.
But those two old pros will be delighted that the spotlight wasn’t on them as the day concluded.
Markram’s innings was a gorgeous display of strokeplay and awareness. Naturally there were nerves early on, which he said settled down once he’d scored his first boundary. Thereafter the building of a partnership with Elgar was central to South Africa’s hopes of establishing a dominant position in this match.
Their task was aided by the decision by Mushfiqur Rahim, who wrongly chose to bowl after he’d won the toss. According to Sabbir Rahman, the tourists misread the pitch. “You don’t expect a pitch like that in South Africa, it was more like a Bangladeshi one,” said the all-rounder.
The South Africans were pleasantly surprised with Mushfiqur’s charity, but happy to have first use of the surface. The blustery conditions helped to accelerate the drying of the surface and the bounce the Bangladeshis had anticipated wasn’t there. In fact as the ball got older some deliveries at the University End kept low, an unwelcome sign for the tourists who will bat last.
Nothing troubled Elgar and Markram, and it was a case of a bad error from them that gave the Bangladeshis their only bit of success on the first day. Elgar had started down the pitch to take a single to take him to his hundred, but once he’d noticed it wasn’t on he scrambled to a stop. Unfortunately by that stage, Markram was two-thirds of the way down the track, and couldn’t get back in time.
Nevertheless he was happy to accept 97 as a first effort in Test cricket. ALLISTER COETZEE has called on the Springbok back division to “man up” against the Wallabies when the teams clash in a Rugby Championship Test in Bloemfontein tomorrow (5.05pm kickoff ).
The Boks are coming off letting in eight tries in a 57-0 hiding by the All Blacks, a result that left South African rugby fans fuming. Coetzee has copped plenty of blame, but so have his players, chief among them wing Raymond Rhule who missed nine tackles as the New Zealanders ran riot in Albany.
In the wake of that defeat Coetzee has dropped Rhule and brought in Dillyn Leyds, a player he believes has all the attributes to star at Test level. Tomorrow’s Test will be Leyds’ first start in the green and gold after playing three times off the bench.
“He’s a hard-working winger and he’s got a special awareness because he’s played at fullback as well,” gushed Coetzee about his team’s new right wing. “He’s got a good feel for space, he’s got a big right boot and he understands what’s needed in defence.”
The Bok coach added that Rhule, who’ll run out for the Cheetahs in the PRO14 today, had to work on his defensive game. “I haven’t discarded Raymond... he ticks a lot of boxes, like his kick-chase and his cross-field cover is also good, but the reality is he must work on his defence, it’s no secret. He’ll get to do that in a game where there are 15 versus 15 and when he’s under pressure to make decisions; it’s not the same doing it against tackle bags,” Coetzee said.
The Boks go into the game under heaps of pressure after their winless trip to Australasia and with the All Blacks waiting for them in Cape Town next week. Coetzee intimated yesterday that winning against the Wallabies was not the be-all and end-all.
“Every Test is massively important, results are massively important, but our process is to learn and improve. The results will come when we do the basics right under pressure,” said Coetzee.
“Although it is important to win, we’re not outcome-driven. We won’t play out of fear for losing and winning. But we certainly want to turn things around this week.”
Also back in the mix for tomorrow’s game are scrumhalf Ross Cronje and flank Francois Louw, who starts for the Boks for the first time this year after missing out through injury until now. Hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle is also back in the Bok squad for the first time since 2013.
“It’s brilliant to have Ross back, he’s a class player who you only miss when he’s not there,” said the Bok coach. “And Chiliboy has been sitting in the wings, waiting for his chance. He’s got a lot of experience and we’re going to need him to come on and close out the game for us at hooker. You really want to finish as well as you start in the set-pieces and Chili is excellent in the set-pieces.”