So what if opener Dean Elgar is ugly to watch

Dean Elgar is to batting what pugs are to the dog family…many people appreciate his unique qualities as an opening batsman but, boy, is he ugly to watch.

One of my ex-mothers-in-law was a pug fan and she took them everywhere she went, meaning I got to share space with them on those rare occasions she visited.

I never could quite understand how a person could be attracted to a dog so hideously ugly, but mumin-law kept trying to convince me they had many redeeming features.

Finally, all these years later, I think I understand what she was getting at.

Elgar reminds me a bit of two former South African left-handed opening batsmen – Gary Kirsten and Kepler Wessels – but he is even uglier to watch.

He has a very limited repertoire of strokes and, if I was bowling to him, I would always feel I was in

with a good chance of taking his wicket.

But, here’s the thing, he is dependable, so much so that he would have to be seriously considered if you were looking for someone to bat for your life.

Compared to other left-handed batsmen like West Indies great Brian Lara and our own Graeme Pollock, Elgar looks positively clumsy.

Lara and Pollock were graceful and had the ability to fashion shots all around the ground, they were a joy to watch.

In saying that, I can fully understand why Elgar has become such an integral part of the Proteas setup.

He fully understands his limitations and plays to his strengths, and also has that dogged determination to preserve his wicket and will fight tooth and nail to do so.

After being named Man-of-the-Series against Sri Lanka, he said he was trying to work on increasing his scoring tempo and finding new areas to make his runs.

Well, Dean, if you get to read this, my advice is to stick with what you know and what has worked for you, as ugly as it may be – don’t try fi x what isn’t broken!