Why we need gladiators like KG and Milne
THE last time South Africa visited New Zealand for a full tour, their bowling attack consisted of the world’s premier fast bowler of the last decade.
It also had a new-ball bowler who seamed the red Kookaburra just enough to be chasing a record 50 Test wickets in only seven Tests and a giraffe-like paceman, who more than tickled the rib cages of the opposition batsmen with the steep bounce he generated from even the most serene surfaces.
Combine that with the skillset of arguably the game’s greatest all-rounder and it was easy to understand why local scribes were purring about the quality of the 2012 tourists to the Land of the Long White Cloud, with senior correspondents comparing them to the legendary West Indian quartet that enthralled cricket aficionados during the 1980s and early 90s.
Their status in the world game was confirmed later that year when Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis formed the bedrock for Graeme Smith to lift the golden ICC mace handed to the World’s No 1 Test team at Lord’s.
Five years on, and neither of the afore-mentioned quartet is available for the limited-overs leg of this tour.
Kallis, of course, spends his time on the golf fairways instead of the nets these days having retired in 2014, while Steyn and Morkel are battling long-term shoulder and back injuries respectively.
Only Philander, who is shaking off the effects of a minor injury, is a confirmed participant in the three-match Test series that follows Friday’s one-off T20 international at Eden Park and five one-day internationals.
Considering the way the game fell apart in the Caribbean and how the West Indies’ results plunged into an inexorable decline, how is it possible that South Africa have progressed to the No 1 ODI ranking and still hold a highly-credible No 3 position on the Test rankings?
Much of that has to do with the arrival, and continued rise, of a panther-like 21-yearold from Johannesburg.
Kagiso Rabada represents the present and future of South African cricket.
And if the recent past is anything to go by, with Rabada moving ahead of Steyn on the ICC Test bowlers’ rankings, the Kiwis, who have yet to see “KG” in action on their shores, will no doubt be similarly enthralled with the youngster’s searing pace, venomous bouncer and unrelenting stamina.
“He is the real deal,” South Africa’s Test and T20 captain Faf du Plessis told the media contingent in Auckland.
“He’s someone who’s going to be, injury permitting, just as good as Dale and Morne. He’s going to be leading South Africa’s attack for a very long time.
“From a captain’s perspective, he’s a guy in all formats who has the skills to do whatever is required.
“If it is to keep the game quiet, he’s got the skill to do that; if it’s to shut the game down, his yorkers are fantastic. Bounce and pace he’s got, so it will be nice to see what he can do in these conditions.
“He hasn’t played in New Zealand, so this will be a nice learning opportunity for him. He ticks all the boxes with his skills.”
There is always great excitement when a new fast bowler arrives on the international circuit. The Kiwis will certainly appreciate that, having had a couple of rookie speedsters of their own hovering on the horizon for the past few years.
Unfortunately for them, as Du Plessis poignantly made reference to, the situation of “injury permitting” always has to be factored in when affirmations are made about young fast bowlers.
Case in point is Adam Milne. The Palmerston-North quickie burst onto the international scene as an 18-yearold back in 2010, but has only appeared sporadically for the Black Caps over the intervening seven years with his most consistent run coming during the 2015 World Cup where he clocked speeds in excess of 150km/h before breaking down just before the epic semifinal against South Africa.
Ironically, Milne is on the comeback trail yet again and was scheduled to face the Proteas in their opening warm-up tour match yesterday after recovering from ailments ranging from shin splints, to an elbow injury and side strain.
He was forced to keep the training wheels on with the T20 at the Eden Park outer field being washed out without a ball being bowled.
His Pretoria-born Central Districts coach Heinrich Malan believes the 24-year-old’s rehabilitation programme should not be rushed.
“He’s bowling nicely, has worked really hard on his fitness, getting his bowling loads up,” Malan told the New Zealand Herald.
“But it’s about looking after his wellbeing. There might be an opportunity and we have him on specific workloads to build up that resilience.
“It’s not just bowling, but spending time on the park for four days.
“We believe that’s something Adam would benefit from and hopefully that falls in with plans from the Black Caps to get over that line.
“We need to build his confidence, have him trusting his body.
“The sooner we can get to that point, the quicker he’ll play for the Black Caps again and be a force again.”
It is not only the Black Caps who will be hoping Milne becomes a “force again” for having genuine fast bowlers like Rabada and the Kiwis express parading their skills like gladiators hunting down their prey in the coliseums of the cricket world, is not just an asset for their respective nations but for the global game as a whole.