STEYN-LESS PROTEAS
‘Venomous’ Vern chuffed with Keshav as quickie fractures bone
Step up Vernon Philander. The South African opening bowler hails from Ravensmead in Cape Town, a neighbourhood that tests an individual’s will to survive on a daily basis. It also develops individuals with immense fighting spirit and that’s exactly what Philander exhibited.
He had spoken about having to get “nasty” and “ugly” in the build-up to this first Test, but Philander was now letting the ball do the talking through changing his mode of attack to a fuller length.
It reaped the rewards with Philander smashing into the pads of the Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitch, before going “bang, bang” to wrap up the Australian tail.
“Dale’s been the leader of this attack for a long time and it’s sad to see him go down like that,” Philander said.
“It motivated me to come back and really turn it up. As a bowling unit, we went back last night and chatted about the length we bowled and tried to execute a lot better today. We were a bit short. We need to find that length that would work on this wicket. Our execution today was a lot better.”
Philander was quick, though, to defer credit to his fellow bowlers too, if not for the only reason that they are going to have to repeat this herculean effort when the Australians get bat in hand again. Only this time, they will have to do it without Steyn giving them a head start.
“We had a job and that was to get the Aussies out as cheaply as possible, and it was a job well done by the rest of the bowlers. It’s a responsibility that will be taken by the rest of the team and the squad. We want to win this game for Dale as well. It’s about trying to find the best combinations bowling in the second innings,” he explained.
Part of that strategy will no doubt rely heavily on young Kagiso Rabada and debutant left-arm spinner Keshav Maha- raj. The duo’s performances yesterday would have filled Philander with plenty of confidence though, especially rookie Maharaj, who fully vindicated his selection as the first spinner to Test debut at the Waca. The 26-year-old held his nerve to claim three important scalps, none more crucial than Australia captain Steve Smith – albeit in controversial fashion – for a duck.
“Losing such big players leaves a big gap, but there’s always an opportunity for someone else to step up. In this game ‘KG’ and I will have to step up. That serves as motivation to deliver. Dale’s done it for a long time and we owe it to him,” Philander said.
“I’m chuffed for Keshav. He’s been bowling well leading up to this Test. In the warm-up games he’s been the top spinner, putting in the hard yards. To see the results and coming off the way he did here, it’s thumbs-up to him. Hopefully he can continue in the second innings.”
Before Maharaj gets another chance to show his wares, though, Philander will be hopeful that the two southpaws, Dean Elgar and JP Duminy, can continue their batting work long into what is expected to be a scorching day today to leave the bowlers with a fair total to defend.