Proteas give selectors plenty to ponder

Stuart Hess

WHAT has South Africa learnt about its one-day team during this triangular series, and what are the areas that need improving?

We know about the established players – AB de Villiers, for example, and Hashim Amla – but what about Farhaan Behardien, Wayne Parnell, Tabraiz Shamsi and Aaron Phangiso?

Behardien, Parnell and Phangiso have all, for various reasons, been on the periphery of the national side. All have shown during this triangular tournament, however, that they are worth persevering with.

For Behardien and Phangiso, age is against them – both are approaching 33 – and in the coming years younger players are going to demand attention.

Parnell is in a different category. The inconsistency that has bedevilled his career is something he is working hard to overcome. In this series there have been glimpses that he is succeeding. The sample size is small – before last night’s game against the West Indies it was just four games – but when he matches his often talked about X-factor with greater control, the value he provides is an element the team cannot ignore.

There have been limited opportunities with the bat but Parnell has often shown – domestically at least – that he is capable of batting in an aggressive manner, and perhaps the team will use him higher up the order in the future.

Wherever he bats he does lengthen the batting order and, of course, provide his captain with options with the ball.

As a bowler, Parnell has been a useful contributor, picking up four wickets at an average of 25. His economy rate of 5.26 is reasonable but can certainly do with improving.

Shamsi has made a very good early impression and already the future beyond Imran Tahir looks bright. As Shaun Pollock pointed out this week, no one is quite sure how long the 37-year-old Tahir can continue, so the success Shamsi has had in just two games is encouraging for South Africa.

He is a very attacking bowler, but to succeed at international level he will need to balance that aggression with patience. He has made rapid strides domestically, but the quality of player he will face at international level will be far more challenging.

His presence, in the short term at least, will give the selectors some headaches. Picking all three spinners in a squad is one thing; it’s quite another knowing which of them to accommodate in a starting XI because, unless conditions are seriously in their favour, there is no way that all three can play at once.

Also of interest on the bowling front will be the manner in which Dale Steyn is accommodated once he is available for selection again. It seems unlikely at this stage that he wants to be considered solely as a Test bowler.

Chris Morris, because of his batting, looks like becoming an important part of the one-day plans.

The same will be true for Parnell if he can gain the consistency that he and the selectors are looking for.

The core of the batting will remain reliant on the usual suspects: De Villiers, Amla and Du Plessis. There is plenty of room for improvement as far as JP Duminy’s form is concerned.