IN A RACE AGAINST TIME
BIG BLOW: DISC PROBLEM KEEPS SKIPPER FAF OUT UNTIL ZIMBABWE TEST
New boy Frylinck ready for action on batting-friendly strip.
The painful back problem Faf du Plessis suffered while batting in the third and final ODI against Bangladesh has been confirmed as a disc injury which will keep the Proteas captain out of action for six weeks, Cricket South Africa announced yesterday.
“Faf consulted with our team of specialists in Cape Town on Monday. Further investigations and assessments have confirmed an acute lumbar disc injury. He will require a period of rest and rehabilitation for the next six weeks. We anticipate him to be ready for the Test match against Zimbabwe in December,” said Mohammed Moosajee, the team manager and doctor.
It had already been decided that South Africa will go into the two-match T20 series against Bangladesh, which starts in Bloemfontein tomorrow, without Du Plessis, with JP Duminy being given the responsibility as captain.
Bloemfontein usually does not boast the greenest of pitches, so batting-friendly conditions are almost assured, which means the Proteas will probably try and load their side with bowlers who can bat. They could go so far as to play both Andile Phehlukwayo and Robbie Frylinck.
Frylinck would be making his international debut at the ripe old age of 33 and he is clear about what his role would be in the team.
“Our batting line-up is phenomenal so we will have to see if I get a hit. I think I could have a vital role with both bat and ball, but I’ll probably be used more for my bowling. But I can do a job with the bat as well. It’s a boundaries game after all.
“With the ball, it’s about hitting the areas I want to hit and then if the batsmen play good shots they get boundaries, but if they play bad shots then we get wickets. You have to be skilful in T20 and espe- cially here at altitude where the pitch has played beautifully for the last few weeks. We expect a high-scoring game,” Frylinck said yesterday.
Although it will be Frylinck’s first international match, he has ample T20 experience, having played 87 games, including stints in the IPL, England and the Caribbean Premier League.
“Each game has its own pressures, but this one will have a bit more. You get to the stage when you think maybe it’s not meant to be in terms of international cricket, but I know my game and at this stage of my career I’m not really trying things, I just stick to the basics and do what I know I can do well,” Frylinck said.
Nosworthy pleased that 33-year-old has vindicated his faith.
Professional sport is sometimes just like modelling: if you’re not slim and fit, you’re lazy. If Rob Frylinck introduces himself to the wider cricketing public in the Proteas’ T20 series against Bangladesh, which starts tomorrow in Bloemfontein, he might leave that impression. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
“People who don’t know him will be prejudiced initially. Rob’s a burly guy. He always has been and will be,” said Dave Nosworthy, the former South Africa “A” and Highveld Lions coach.
“But I can assure you, if you want to go to war, Rob should be the first guy on your list. His work ethic is incredible.”
Nosworthy is a perfect judge of Frylinck’s character because he was the man who resurrected the 33-year-old Dolphins all-rounder’s career.
In 2008, Frylinck was stuck in domestic cricket’s so-called desert. Out of contract at Kingsmead, he was kicking his heels. Then the Lions came down to the East Coast for a domestic match.
“I knew about him and I knew his situation,” said Nosworthy. “I made contact with him and asked him if he wanted to come to our training session and be a net bowler.”
Frylinck didn’t hesitate and with his great attitude Nosworthy simply had to give him a chance.
“I have a real soft spot for player’s who’ve done their apprenticeship. I like players that aren’t flavour of the month when they’re 19 and have to work their socks off to get somewhere,” he said.
“I made Rob a deal: if I commit to him, he needed to commit to me. There weren’t any initial promises. I encouraged him to come up to Gauteng for a trial period. Rob was great. He wasn’t receiving a cent but he didn’t miss a single training session. It was inevitable that he’d get a contract. He eventually became a match-winner for the Lions.”
Nowadays, Frylinck is back at the Dolphins but he’s arguably indispensable. He remains one of domestic cricket’s most skilful all-rounders in limited-overs and has flourished as a very effective wicket-taker in four-day cricket.
Last season he destroyed his former Lions team-mates with a match haul of 14/62 in a Sunfoil Series game.
“Rob will never be an athlete. I tried to make him one and failed,” said Nosworthy.
“But there isn’t a guy who works harder. He’s got excellent skills and I’m thrilled he’s got a chance to play international cricket.”