Three contenders vie for Proteas middle-order vacancy
ALTHOUGH AB de Villiers is expected to be fit for the much-anticipated three-Test tour to Australia later this year, the lack of form of JP Duminy and stand-in captain Faf du Plessis in the longest format of the game opens up the discussion as to who could actually replace the duo going forward.
We take a closer look at “The Contenders”…
Stiaan van Zyl Tests: 11 Runs: 355 HS: 101* Ave: 27.30 EASY on the eye is possibly the best way to describe Van Zyl. A left-hander blessed with an abundance of class, as well as a significant knack of seemingly always having that extra second to play a shot. These attributes came to the fore on his Test debut where, batting at No 6 against the West Indies at Centurion, he scored a glorious undefeated maiden century.
It was the perfect start to a promising Test career. Unfortunately for Van Zyl, the dynamics of the Proteas Test side changed with the retirement of opener Alviro Petersen, and with Duminy returning from injury, the only vacancy was at the top of the order for Van Zyl. A regular No 3 for the Cape Cobras and desperate to represent his country regardless of the position, the 28-year-old put up his hand to open the batting with Dean Elgar.
The experiment proved to be a failure, with Van Zyl’s technique first being examined on the ghastly spinning tracks of India before being given a solid working over back home by arguably the best Test newball attack right now, England’s James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Van Zyl was put out of his misery when specialist opener Stephen Cook replaced him for the final match of the series against England, and the veteran promptly struck a century on debut.
But Van Zyl’s failure as an opener should not detract from his ability to perform in the Test arena, especially now that he has reverted to his familiar middle-order role. He is certainly in form, judging by his scores of 73, 43*, 133*, 85, two and 10 in his last six innings for the SA A side in Zimbabwe and Australia. Van Zyl is also a useful medium-pacer able to break a partnership.
Omphile Ramela Tests: None ARGUABLY the most improved batsman in the country, Ramela has capitalised on opportunities that have come his way over the past three seasons. A classic lefthander, the Cobras skipper’s game plan is one of pure occupation of the crease.
He has patience in abundance, possibly garnered during his time studying for a master’s degree in economics at Stellenbosch University. Cricket-wise, his technique can stand up to the rigours of Test cricket as he knows exactly where his off stump is, while always being very compact. The 28-year-old has also played sufficient first-class cricket (90 matches) to be comfortable in terms of where he scores his runs. There is plenty of former Proteas opener and coach Gary Kirsten in Ramela in terms of how he maximises his scoring opportunities at the crease regardless of any possible limitations.
It also seems as if Ramela relishes the challenge of playing at a higher level. Although his overall first-class career average is only 29.89, it rises to 34.05 when playing franchise cricket and takes a further leap to 41.10 when representing SA A.
Rilee Rossouw Tests: None ODIs: 31 Runs: 928 HS: 132 Ave: 33.14 WITH Rossouw having been a major part of the Proteas’ limited-overs plans for the past few years, it is almost a forgotten fact that the left-hander was just 20 years old when he recorded the fastest triple-century in South African first-class cricket – 319 off 291 balls – during the 2009-10 season. It was in the same campaign that he passed 1 000 runs – a feat he shared with Elgar. But six years on and Rossouw has yet to make his Test debut, despite being called up on several occasions.
The drawback has routinely been his tendency to be overly aggressive, along with erratic shot selection.
There has never been a question about the boy from Bloemfontein’s talent, but rather one about his temperament. Injuries have also played a part in stalling Rossouw’s progress in the last couple of seasons as he is currently recovering from a shoulder injury suffered in the Caribbean recently. Rossouw may not be at the front of the queue at the moment, but a solid first-class season with the Knights this season could catapult him into the reckoning, especially as he possesses the flair and attacking intent that the national team craves in the middle-order at the moment.