South Africa’s Test reputation at stake as problems grow
Tourists face buoyant England in second Test New T20 tournament may harm them further
England have a very fine record against South Africa at Trent Bridge, having won four of their five Tests since 1951. Indeed, they have a very fine recent record against everyone on this ground, having won all but one of their past seven Tests – and that was drawn – on the back of the swing-and-seam bowling of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
South Africa, however, have to turn the tide of this history and this series. Otherwise, the foreseeable consequence is that Test cricket in South Africa will be diminished irreparably if England go 2-0 up and, with their revitalised side, break the virtual deadlock that has existed between these countries for more than half a century
In November, South Africa launch the T20 Global League as their answer to the Indian Premier League and Australia’s Big Bash. They have had a domestic T20 competition before, but the Ram Slam was no more prestigious than the Natwest Blast, and even less so after several players were caught match-fixing. So now it is the Global League, with eight franchises each captained by one of South Africa’s top players, from AB de Villiers to Kagiso Rabada, plus other marquee players such as Kevin Pietersen.
In the Caribbean cricket no longer means the West Indies Test team, even though in the 1980s they were arguably the strongest team of all time – as they would have blitzed Australia of the late 1990s, who were protected by only two bouncers per over. But the present West Indies Test team are losers, and even their 50-over side was held to a 1-1 draw last month by Afghanistan. The Caribbean Premier League is what appeals to the public and aspiring players.
South Africa could go the same way, re-prioritising T20 ahead of Tests, if the bottom falls out of this tour. There comes a tide in the affairs of cricket teams, and hindsight may prove that it turned in the case of South Africa this year, after they had won splendidly away from home in Australia and New Zealand, though only by the margin of one match.
South Africa’s chief problem has been that the Test centuries have dried up: hence they have made decent totals, not commanding ones. They cobbled together enough runs to win in the Antipodes through their lower middle order, counter-attacks led by Quinton de Kock with Temba Bavuma as dogged support.
But baby hundreds, never mind “daddy hundreds”, have dried up. None has been scored for South Africa in their four previous Tests; the last was five Tests ago by Dean Elgar, who here gives back the captaincy he held at Lord’s to Faf du Plessis, who turned 33 yesterday.
Hashim Amla used to churn them out, like Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, but no longer. Since England’s last Test in South Africa, at Centurion in January 2016, Amla has made only one score of 60 or above. He keeps on scoring runs, but less and less in the arena where they will be remembered.
He made two hundreds only recently, but they were in the IPL. It is hard to think that, at the height of his game, Amla would have been dismissed twice cheaply by England spinners as he was at Lord’s.
No Smith, no Kallis and no De Villiers either. He has done his share of Tests – for a dozen years – but his message, that he can take Test cricket or leave it, has to be corrosive. Elgar can grind out three figures, but without transferring pressure on to bowlers.
While England have named an unchanged XI from Lord’s, Du Plessis – in the absence of his coach, Russell Domingo, with a family bereavement – has had to replace Rabada, banned for this Test. The perfect replacement would have been Kyle Abbott, had he not Kolpaked.
For Hampshire this season, Abbott has taken 40 wickets at 18, which is just about enough already to have guaranteed their survival in the first division. Especially if the conditions were favourable, Abbott would have made ideal support for Vernon Philander, whose ankles do not seem to allow lengthy old-ball spells, and Morne Morkel.
Instead, Rabada’s replacement will be Duanne Olivier, quick and South Africa’s leading domestic wicket-taker. Du Plessis, who has replaced Jean-paul Duminy, explained that South Africa would be fielding their best XI, irrespective of quotas which are spread over a year. As for his birthday present, the best would be cloud when South Africa bowl and sunshine when they bat.