Five areas under scrutiny for SA
form”.
Twenty-two runs in five matches at an average of 5.70 certainly provides credibility to the former Proteas captain’s claim, but one player’s struggles cannot be held solely responsible for South Africa’s inconsistent performances here at this World Cup.
Coach Russell Domingo spoke prior to the Pakistan match about how the youngster needs “love” during this testing time, and Morné Morkel, the gentle giant within the South African team, certainly behaved like a big brother to the baby-faced De Kock yesterday.
“You expect those comments when you have a bad game, or a bad spell. As international ath- letes, as the Proteas, we have to take it on the chin. If I bowl badly then it’s part of my job to take criticism, and to try and get better,” said Morkel, trying to alleviate the pressure on the young opener.
“We’re in the quarter-finals and we’re three solid games away from lifting the trophy. Yes, of course there are lessons learned from the losses to India and Pakistan, but on any given day we have eleven match-winners in the team.”
Although South Africa should comfortably see of the United Arab Emirates’ challenge tomorrow here at the “Cake Tin,” the final roundrobin game is not even the appetiser for the main course in Sydney next week. There the in-form Sri Lankans possibly await the Proteas in the first quarter-final, causing the UAE tie to increase in importance as it is a final opportunity for the likes of De Kock and some other players to regain their touch.
The quality of opposition tomorrow cannot be compared to the 1996 world champions with the UAE team consisting of a couple of Emirates Airlines employees and various other amateur players. Due to these circumstances, the Proteas will have to create their own match intensity and set specific goals within the entire match context.
“It’s very important to respect the game and your opposition, and it’s an impor- tant game for us. They have started well in games, they bowl a pace that is difficult to get away, with a bit of swing, and it’s a chance for our top order to be nice and tight. From a bowling perspective, we can work on our “death’ skills and many other things,” Morkel said at Wellington’s Test venue yesterday.
“Practising at the Basin Reserve is also great because we can have match situations in the middle, death ‘hitting’ and bowling, not just nets. We just need to make the best use of it for the next two days, play well against the UAE and then move on to Sydney with a strong mind and take the negativity out of it.”
South Africa will certainly need to improve as a collective, and cannot rely solely on certain individuals like supercharged captain AB de Villiers and Morkel, who has been the Proteas’ most successful bowler thus far with 11 wickets – just two off the competition’s leading pair Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
Morkel believes this nirvana can only be reached through putting shoulder to the wheel.
“It’s not through lack of hard work that we lose – we’d love to win every single game, lift the trophy and make everyone happy, but unfortunately life, and this game we play, doesn’t work like that. We need to respect that and just give it our best.
“But hard work, that’s just my nature. I like to train hard, work hard – there’s no optional training for me, no stone unturned. I know my skills are going to be tested and I want to know I’m as well prepared as possible,” he said.
It is unlikely South Africa will make wholesale changes for tomorrow's clash, although the brainstrust would be keen to get Vernon Philander involved due to the fact that the seamer has not had any gametime since limping off the MCG with a hamstring strain.
QUINTON DE KOCK
So much has been said, but the fact is De Kock’s World Cup is on the line tomorrow. Another failure, and South Africa must axe him and change the makeup of the starting XI for the quarter-final.
VERNON PHILANDER
Unlike De Kock, he’s not out of form, but like him he needs a performance, and mostly has to get through his duties without needing to head off the field. He adds depth to the batting and of course gets the new ball to “talk” especially if there’s a bit of life on offer from the surface. If he doesn’t play, or goes off again due to injury, an early plane ride home beckons.
THE 5TH BOWLER
South Africa knew this would be a problem and it has been exacerbated by the injury to JP Duminy. Perhaps he was still stiff on Saturday, but being smashed for 21 in a single over by Sarfraz Ahmed put AB de Villiers on notice, and when all was said and done the two of them combined for nine overs in which 77 runs were conceded. That’s not the reason SA lost on Saturday, but it didn’t help. Duminy needs to get his bowling act together ahead of the quarter-final. Accuracy and subtle changes of pace are key for him.
THE MIDDLE ORDER
Against Zimbabwe, David Miller and Duminy rescued the situation perfectly, and that appeared to make South Africa look solid. But India and Pakistan showed that is not the case. So, more responsibility and nous will be in order if South Africa want to go further in the tournament.
RESTORING CONFIDENCE
De Villiers said after the Pakistan defeat that if his players wanted to, they could make that loss “worse than it is.” He refused to acknowledge any mental scarring. Well if there isn’t, this match is a good place to prove it. Next week, South Africa will be right under the microscope, but before then, to make themselves feel better about each other, they can win