Abbott or Viljoen in Bullring?
KYLE Abbott or Hardus Viljoen? That’s the choice the Proteas selectors will have to make for the third Test against England starting tomorrow at the Wanderers, with cunning and consistency being weighed up against brute force.
The second attribute sits with Viljoen, a muscular man capable of bowling at over 150km/h. That power has been allied to some much-needed consistency this season, which has seen Viljoen claim back-to-back “10-fers” for the Highveld Lions in the Sunfoil Series, on both occasions at the Bullring. He is undoubtedly the “hot hand” as far as South African bowlers are concerned.
Abbott is less forceful, but what he lacks in raw pace he more than makes up for with nagging accuracy. He arguably also has a better skillset than Viljoen, as he’s able to swing the ball or if there is little in the surface, bowl cutters. If there is something in the surface, he’ll certainly exploit it, and most players, coaches and the local ground staff anticipate a lively Wanderers pitch.
So, with the Proteas leaning towards playing four fast bowlers for the crucial third Test, who is the better option? Viljoen has had some of his teammates hopping about in the nets this week, while Abbott has been accurate and swung the ball, too, an important element if the cloudy conditions that have been forecast for most of the match prevail.
The big Durbanite is the “safer” option and has been impressive when called upon, claiming 21 wickets in six Tests at an average of 23.38.
How the pace bowlers fit together is another consideration for the selectors.
Chris Morris, Morné Morkel and Kagiso Rabada all propel the ball at over 140km/h, and perhaps having Abbott’s greater cunning will help balance the attack better.
South Africa’s Test record at the Wanderers since 1992 is somewhat disappointing given how much the venue suits their strengths. In 24 matches there, the Proteas have won 10 times, lost eight and drawn six. Their bowlers may enjoy play- ing there, but so do the opposition’s and Alastair Cook’s team have sufficient weapons in their arsenal to make the conditions work in their favour.
In addition to their skill-set, there is experience in England’s attack – between them, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn and Ben Stokes have played 249 Tests, three times as many as South Africa’s likely four seamers, for whom Morkel is the most capped with 69 matches.
That experience counts for a lot at the Wanderers, where it is easy for fast bowlers to get carried away with all the pace and bounce that’s on offer.
“The important thing for us when thinking about the swing is the lengths we are going to bowl, we know we might get more carry and bounce so we must make sure we bowl that fuller length even though we get that extra bounce,” said Anderson.
Morris, who has played a lot of cricket at Wanderers for the Lions before moving to the Titans, emphasised patience.
“This is a result wicket; as a bowler, there is always something in it for you. It’s exciting for a bowler to play here, but it can also be daunting if you’re not as patient as you should be,” said Morris, who made his Test debut in Cape Town last week.
His batting has become as important as his bowling, as the Proteas seek a lower-order all-rounder in the mould of a Shaun Pollock or Lance Klusener, so Morris’ performance at Newlands was encouraging.
“I’ve focused better on what I need to do with my batting. It’s one thing to go and hit 300 balls, but it’s the level of intensity you have when doing so that counts,” he said.
“It’s quite a big responsibility (being an all-rounder), and if I can be half as good as (Pollock and Klusener) I’ll be quite a good cricketer. The workload is big but I enjoy it and if you can make the role your own, that will be quite special.”
Morris was unsure if South Africa’s fightback at Newlands represented them “turning the corner”, but the players were taking the positives out of their comeback.
“(New captain) AB (de Villiers) told us this is a must-win situation if we want to win this series,” he said.
“It’s exciting around the camp at the moment, and hopefully we can take that confidence from Cape Town into this Test.”