The fight is on for the Proteas’ No 7 spot
● It’s the number of the deadly sins, it made for a magnificent western, and it’s lucky. It’s septem in Latin, sjö in Icelandic, and, in isiZulu, isikhombisa.
It was worn by George Best, Richie McCaw, and this guy — who reckons it’s among the few vacancies in SA’s World Cup XI.
“In the current set-up, with South Africa picking the four main bowlers, the No 7 role is quite important. They’ll have to try and bat with the tail at times and make sure they contribute.
“That’s probably the position that’s up for grabs the most in that side at the moment. There are probably four guys who are all vying for that same allrounder’s spot at No 7, to be able to bowl most of their 10 overs and contribute with the bat.”
Shaun Pollock knows what he’s talking about because he’s walked the walk.
He had No 7 on his back for most of his 303 one-day internationals and he is South Africa’s most successful No 7 batsman in terms of innings, not outs, runs and half-centuries.
Only 16 of all the 1,015 men who have taken guard at No 7 in ODIs have scored a century. Pollock’s 130 in a losing cause for the Africa XI against their Asia counterparts in Bangalore in June 2007 is among them. He arrived with the scoreboard glowering 31/5 and his team in search of a steadily receding target of 318, and was last out with just 35 needed.
Thing is, Justin Kemp is also one of the sweet 16.
He walked out at Newlands in November 2006 with SA reduced to 76/6 and smashed 100 not out to take them to a total of 274/7. A demoralised India were hammered by 106 runs.
So it’s not easy connecting the dots between a cultured clipper of the cricket ball like Pollock with Kemp and his booming broadsword of a bat.
Pollock had made himself unavailable to bowl in that 2007 Afro-Asia Cup. Was he a genuine No 7 in that series considering, if they aren’t keeping wicket, they are invariably required to add at least a few overs to the cause? Or did not having to think about how he was going to bowl to whom clear enough space in his head to help him to give of his best with the bat?
Faf du Plessis is asking different questions about the No 7 spot for the World Cup, not least who he might be. Discussing the issue this week, Du Plessis listed Wiaan Mulder, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo and Vernon Philander as candidates.
A classy No 7 gives a team options and takes control in pivotal situations. All the players Du Plessis mentioned can do that, and more. As can JP Duminy, Chris Morris and Farhaan Behardien.
But Mulder is losing ground as he battles his way back from injury, Phehlukwayo is unafraid but also at times unconvincing, Philander’s opportunities to be taken seriously as an allrounder — which should have happened — have been wasted, and Morris has struggled with consistency. Pretorius lacks experience, but Duminy and Behardien no longer have Pretorius’s spark.
Whoever lands the job will have to align themselves with SA’s evolving philosophy.
“In the past six months or so we’ve discussed … where we’ve gone wrong in the past, mainly at big tournaments,” Du Plessis said.
“I do feel that within the batting line-up there is a regular occurrence of a fear of failure. That comes from pressure.
“[But] even if you didn’t get the results or the runs that you would have liked, at least mentally you would have challenged yourself; there’s something you would find out about yourself as a batsman.”
Maybe even, if you’re lucky, that you’re a magnificent No 7.