Captain Faf-tastic’s Aus coup
Trio of bowlers rate highly in report card, but Amla needs a good home series against Sri Lanka
HOW did the Proteas rate on their successful tour of Australia?
Faf du Plessis: 9.5 M: 3; Runs: 206; Ave: 51.50; HS: 118* 100s: 1; 50s: 0 WHAT more can be said about “Fabulous Faf” that has not already been said? The 2016 South Africa tour to Australia will forever be remembered as “Faf ’s tour” and the Australian public will certainly not forget “Captain Charming” in a hurry.
While the “Lollygate” saga engulfed a nation for a solid 10 days, it would be a grave injustice if that was all Du Plessis was remembered for. His leadership was outstanding on the field and his media conferences off the field were equally insightful.
The Aussie media were caught in a right pickle about whether to loathe or love Du Plessis for his one-liners, especially as his “spending the night” with his man-of-thematch bowlers comments after the first two Tests had them eating out the palm of his hand.
Such is the substance of the man, though, that he backed up all his talk with arguably a career-defining century in Adelaide when, despite the boos of the crowd ringing in his ears, he came out and played a magnificent innings.
The only thing that did not go his way was the cheeky first innings declaration at the Adelaide Oval, but even that can be forgiven purely for the nuisance factor it caused in the Australian dressing-room. South Africa have a true leader in Du Plessis.
Let’s hope the suits realise the obvious and keep him in the job ahead of his good mate AB de Villiers. Vernon Philander: 9 M: 3 Wkts: 12 Ave: 23.58 Econ: 2.73 BBI: 5/21 Runs: 136 Ave: 27.20 HS: 73 100s: 0 50s: 1* THE man of the series was Du Plessis’s “go-to-guy,” the moment Dale Steyn clutched his shoulder, which brought an end to his series on the second day at the Waca.
Philander thrived on the extra responsibility by immediately claiming four first innings wickets in Perth and showing off all his skills in abundance on a seaming Bellerive Oval surface.
It was not just a reminder to the Australian batsmen of his unique abilities, but also a strong message to his critics who questioned whether “Pro” might have lost his mojo.
Philander’s batting throughout the series has also been refreshing, with a new positive mindset reaping the rewards. Quinton de Kock: 9 M: 3 Runs: 281 Ave: 56.20 HS: 104 100s: 1 50s: 2 Catches: 11 “QUINNY” arrived in Australia with the hang-ups of a poor 50-over World Cup last year.
He certainly put that disappointment to bed with a string of spectacular performances in this Test series.
For the maverick talent that he is, it has been amazing to witness the consistency he has brought to his game without losing that trademark flair.
A first innings century in the second Test was arguably the series turning-point, as not many batsmen on either side could cope with the seaming conditions at the Bellerive Oval.
The comparisons with Australian legend Adam Gilchrist grew louder as the tour wore on and it was no doubt influenced by a couple of breathtaking catches De Kock gobbled up during the series.
The one-handed grab diving to his right in Hobart was particularly special. Kyle Abbott: 9 M: 2 Wkts: 13 Ave: 14.84 Econ: 2.57 BBI: 6/77* Runs: 20 Ave: 6.66 HS: 17 100s: 0 50s: 0* THE Proteas’ “super sub” just continues to deliver whenever called upon. Just like in the one-day international series preceding this tour, Abbott came in for a couple of games and created havoc among the Australian batsmen from the outset.
“Jimmy” was simply brilliant in exploiting the conditions in Hobart when the selectors opted for his more subtle skills instead of Morne Morkel’s traditional strengths of pace and bounce. It certainly proved a master stroke in selection with Abbott claiming nine wickets to seal off the series for the Proteas.
He was equally good with the pink ball in the third Test and deserved more rewards for his efforts. Can expect to hand the neon bib in for good now and look forward to playing a whole summer of Test cricket at home. Kagiso Rabada: 9 M: 3 Wkts: 15 Ave: 22.40 Econ: 3.10 BBI: 5/92 Runs: 24 HS: 12.0 Ave: 11 * THIS young man simply raises the bar every time he steps out on to the field for South Africa. Came into the series with plenty of hype surrounding him and the 21-year-old certainly lived up to his billing. Brilliant at both the Waca and Bellerive Oval, he not only troubled the Australian batsmen with his raw pace but also his skill factor.
Rasping yorkers rifled into the toes of the opposing batsmen has quickly become his signature. An inconsistent performance with the pink ball probably just cost the youngster the man-of-the-series award.
A treasure South Africa need to wrap in cotton-wool especially due to the uncertainty around Steyn’s long-term future in the national team. Temba Bavuma: 7.5 M: 3 Runs: 162 Ave: 32.40 HS: 74 100s: 0 50s: 2 Wkts: 1 Ave: 30 Econ: 3.75 BBI: 1/29* A young South African who captured the imagination of the Australian public and quietened the noise about targets within the Proteas team. It was mainly due to his brilliant athleticism in the field, especially that “once-in-a-lifetime” run-out of David Warner in the first Test at the Waca. However, Bavuma also grew in stature as a batsman in this series with valuable contributions in the middle-order under hugely pressurised conditions. He would dearly have loved to convert one of his half-centuries into a second Test ton, and was hopefully fined in the team changeroom for a poor review request on the third evening in Adelaide. JP Duminy: 7 M: 3 Runs: 184 Ave: 36.80 HS: 141 100s: 1 50s: 0 Wkts: 1 Ave: 84 Econ: 3.50 BBI: 1/51 It certainly is no secret that Duminy keeps his best performances for the Baggy Greens. The left-hander just loves playing in Australia and reminded the folk here of that with a sublime century in the first Test to set up the series-opening win for the Proteas. Unfortunately for Duminy, he did not kick on from that wonderful start to the series and despite getting going in both innings in Adelaide, he did not convert it into anything meaningful. It may just cost him his place in the line-up when De Villiers returns to the side on Boxing Day. ELGAR exorcised some major demons on this tour with a battling century at the Waca. It meant that he could finally move past “the pair” he made on debut at the same venue four years ago. Like Duminy, that was as good as it got for the left-hander on this tour as he struggled to get into any sort of rhythm after that and was especially poor in Adelaide when a double failure put South Africa under pressure early on in both innings. From the highs of Perth it was disappointing to end the tour with a duck and the jury remains out whether he can kick on to be that senior figure that the Proteas desperately need at the top of the order. THEY say the beauty of an opening partnership is when the two batsmen can dovetail off each other. Cook’s series was in direct contrast to that of his opening partner Elgar’s. After enduring a horrid run all the way through until the final Test, Cook found some relief in the shape of the pink ball. A first innings 40 was followed by a battling century that kept the Proteas afloat in the second innings. It may not have been the prettiest, but it should be enough to extend the veteran’s Test career into the home summer. A promising debut series for Maharaj despite losing his place in a “horses for courses” selection when Tabraiz Shamsi was preferred for the pink-ball Test. Provided good control with accuracy in the first two Tests and showed hunger for the fight with the bat at the Waca. WAS not the trump card South Africa were hoping he was going to be with the pink ball, but was also rather unfortunate that he beat the bat on so many occasions and could just not find the edge to get any sort of momentum. Learnt from his maiden bowl in Test cricket to show greater discipline in sticking to his stock ball in the second innings. Hashim Amla: 3 M: 3 Runs: 98 Ave: 19.66 HS: 47 100s: 0 50s: 0 A disappointing series for the “Mighty Hash” with all of his off-field dramas – the racism incident at Hobart and a standoff at the MCG – creating the only headlines around him. There’s no doubt Amla struggled with the accuracy and movement off the seam of Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood, which accounted for his five dismissals against the same bowler (for the first time in Amla’s career). A big series against Sri Lanka is required. Dale Steyn: 3 M: 1 Wkts: 1 Ave: 51 Econ: 4.02 BBI: 1/51 Runs: 4 HS: 4 Ave: 4 THE sight of South Africa’s pace spearhead of so many years leaving the Waca in agony will forever be remembered as most likely Steyn’s last moment in Tests on Australian soil. It was not the way he would have wanted it to end, especially after all “the cutting heads off the snake” talk, but at least he did get to land one killer blow before he left when he removed the dangerous David Warner to precipitate an Australian collapse.