More needed from Proteas’ batsmen

SOUTH AFRICA left batsmen No 8, 9, 10 and 11 to bat 10 overs in the second one-day international against Sri Lanka at Centurion yesterday.

That scenario is marked in the file “worst case scenario” for the Proteas. It is why there has been so much made of the No 7 spot being filled by an allrounder who can bat. It’s why there is always very heated debates around braais, in bars and on social media about Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram and JP Duminy.

Less is talked about the composition of the starting team; six frontline batsmen, the all-rounder at No 7 and the four bowlers all wicket-takers, all of whom’s batting is too unreliable. So do SA ask their batsmen to rein themselves in at the start? They tried to do that with Quinton de Kock at the ICC Champions Trophy two years ago and it proved to be a failure. De Kock is best left alone and the benefits of that could be seen yesterday. He scored 94 off 70 balls, producing a driving exhibition as he smacked 17 fours and a six in 91 minutes of sheer brilliance.

Until his dismissal he made the surface look like a road. By the time he was out it was doing all sorts; stopping on the batsmen, keeping low and there was turn.

That still doesn’t excuse SA being 227/6 with 12 overs to go or the fact they lost their last six wickets for 31 runs.

With the exception of Faf du Plessis’ 57 – who along with De Kock is SA’s other in-form player across the formats – everyone else performed dismally. Andile Phehlukwayo’s been in good form for the Dolphins lately in the One-Day Cup and came into this series having scored three half-centuries. He has heeded the message from Du Plessis and coach Ottis Gibson, but can expect a stern word from that pair about yesterday’s dismissal.

SA didn’t use five overs in their innings, a cricketing crime that will demand deep introspection.

It meant a test for the bowling unit, an attack built to take wickets, which it proceeded to do.

Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi had a wicket apiece inside the first powerplay and Anrich Nortje got another with his first ball

Wiaan Mulder bowled just two overs and conceded 13 runs. It wasn’t a very good trial for a World Cup spot.

Rabada, bowled rapidly and finished with 3/43, while Ngidi, Nortje and Imran Tahir finished with two wickets apiece.