Proteas weigh up the options
PROTEAS MULLING CHANGES IN BID TO NEUTRALISE FEISTY STOKES
English ICC Playerof-the-Year is ‘one of the wickets we need the most’, says SA skipper.
Feisty Ben Stokes may rub some cricket fans up the wrong way, but South African captain Faf du Plessis said yesterday that he is a well-deserved recipient of the International Cricket Council Player-of-the-Year award and the key English opponent to keep quiet when the third Test starts at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth today.
Stokes has enjoyed an incredible last 12 months, scoring two centuries in the Ashes, one of which led England to one of the greatest fourth-innings chases in the history of the game, and then averaging 66.42 at the World Cup, and being the man of the match in the final, thanks to his extraordinary heroics.
The all-rounder began 2020 in a similar vein as he was Man of the Match in the second Test against the Proteas in Cape Town. He blazed 72 off 47 balls and produced a decisive spell of fiery swing bowling on the fifth afternoon, plus he took a world record equalling five catches in the first innings, several of them blinders, in the slips.
Du Plessis said: “Ben Stokes winning Player of the Year is well-deserved. When it really matters, he steps up and performs.
“He has single-handedly won so many games for his team. He’s a big performer for England and we know he is one of the wickets we need the most.
“You can’t keep him quiet. He takes the game away from you and is very dangerous.
“Plus, with the ball he has a big tank, bowls long overs and always at 150%.
“England were the better side in the last Test, but we fought very hard to deny them the win.
“There hasn’t been a lot in the series so far and the quality of play has been brilliant for the fans.
“A four-Test series is a long time, though, and things can change very quickly.
“We’re at a very infant stage, we have guys still trying to get used to international cricket and we’re trying to put confidence into the team.”
The Proteas skipper said the home side were looking carefully at the mixture of their bowling attack after conceding 391 for eight in the second innings at Newlands, with paceman Dane
Paterson being considered for a Test debut.
“We’re considering the possibility of playing Pato but we haven’t decided yet, for who would be the big question,” said Du Plessis.
“Given the nature of the ground and the conditions, we have to weigh up what bowlers are effective here, the style of bowling that can work here.
“We have to see what we need to take 20 wickets.
“Dane bowls very straight and is always hitting the stumps.
“If he does come in, then it would mean playing one less batsman – the all-rounder [Dwaine Pretorius] – or not having the spinner [Keshav Maharaj].
“Ideally you’d like to keep the team the same but you need both a long batting line-up here, the longer the better, and spin.
“Plus, reverse-swing generally plays a role here, but you need the hot, dry wind.”