Behardien laps up the chocolate at the Cake Tin
WELLINGTON: There was just far too much yellow around the “Cake Tin” yesterday. This match was always going to be a hard sell for the organisers despite the large expat South African community residing here in the New Zealand capital.
It was a week day, it was a match many knew the outcome of and the Black Caps are playing today. So it left this venue nine/tenths empty. And so the match took place in the middle of this yellow bowl, an eye–aching yellow with spots of orange – on account of the Tshirts for a local crowd catching competition – and green in between.
There didn’t appear to be any supporters of the United Arab Emirates. If there were, they weren’t wearing team colours, probably because the UAE have the ugliest colour scheme of any side at the tournament. It lent a hollow feel to the in-stadium entertainment.
New Zealand’s stadium DJs are quickly gaining a reputation for smart musical interludes usually utilising a host of classic pop tunes from the 70s and 80s. Here though, they went too South African: ‘Leeu Loop,’ and ‘Baby Tkjoklits,’ a couple of Afrikaans tracks more suited to Welkom than Wellington got air time yesterday. It didn’t seem to make much difference to those who broke up the monotonous yellow seat scheme, besides raise a few laughs.
But it did seem to suit Farhaan Behardien. Hearing those tunes must have made him feel like he was back at SuperSport Park, where he has played his most accomplished innings’ for the Titans.
Rarely has he replicated that form for the national side, but yesterday was one of those occasions.
He built his innings cleverly, even if it must be said it was against an extremely limited attack, who made some comical errors towards the end of South Africa’s innings.
Behardien smashed his way to a third half-century in his 25th One Day International. It meant South Africa could post a big total of 341/6 although the UAE’s captain, the affable Mohammed Tauqir was extremely proud his side managed to prevent AB de Villiers’ side from registering a total of 400 for the third time in the tournament.
De Villiers was happy with his side’s performance, though even he admitted he didn’t think it would mean much for their confidence heading into a likely quarter-final meeting with Sri Lanka in Sydney next Wednesday.
“I won’t say that win has given us the confidence to believe that we are better than ever,” he remarked. Earlier this week he had no idea where the confidence levels of his side were after that awful loss to Pakistan, but at this juncture he is willing to take any little lift that there is and continue to build on that in the coming days.
It’s certainly what he’s keen to do with Quinton de Kock. For all the world De Kock looks like a lost little boy at this tournament: feet stuck on the crease, hands thrown at the ball, eyes wide open in anxiety. He nearly doubled his aggregate of runs for the World Cup yesterday, but with the exception of one cover-drive boundary, his innings made for painful viewing.
At one point it even pained his partner at the other end Rilee Rossouw, who was winded while diving into his crease after having to scramble back having been called then turned down for a single. That was the second occasion when the Free Stater could (and should) have been run out on account of De Kock’s frazzled mind. It was a partnership in which the differences in the levels of confidence between two of the younger members of the South African squad were clearly evident.
De Villiers ever loyal, continues to support De Kock. “Quinny is a match winner and he will play a big part in us winning this World Cup, I would not like to see him go, but it is something that we will discuss in the future. He is still my first pick. When push comes to shove, when the heat is on, I truly believe he’s going to play a big knock for us.”
De Villiers does have his own selfish reasons for backing De Kock, and was honest enough to admit them. “Personally I don’t want to keep, it puts a lot of pressure on me as captain,” he said.
From that response it can be gleaned that discussions have taken place about him taking over the gloves in the knockout stages should De Kock’s form not improve. While for all and sundry it looks like it hasn’t – 26 off 45 balls was more pitiful than pretty – De Villiers was glad about the time the 21 year old opener spent at the crease. “Quinny showed some good signs today, he was prepared to fight it out. He will win us a few games moving forward. He will be a big player to leave out.”
“I’ve got more time without the gloves in hand, I feel I can get to my bowlers, the communication is much better, it will be a last resort for us to move in that direction.”
Is a knockout match in a World Cup not the time to move to a last resort though?
Quinny is a match winner and he will play a big part in us winning this World Cup, I would not like to see him go, but it is something that we will discuss in the future. He is still my first pick.
AB de Villiers