Our report card for ‘Faf ’s tour’ Down Under
HOW did the Proteas rate on their 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 after the Proteas skipper was shown to be shining a ball with the use of a mint in his mouth during the second Test in Hobart, 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 enthralling. The Aussie media were caught in a right pickle about whether to loath or love Du Plessis for his one liners, especially as his “spending the night” with his man-of-the-match 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 never went 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 that those in charge 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 | BB: 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 before 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 the “Pro” may 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 a 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 turner, 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 too 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 | BB: 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 314: Runs for the series’ leading run-scorer Usman Khawaja. Quinton de Kock’s total of 281 was the highest among the South Africans, while his average of 56.20 was the highest among both teams. Both batsmen scored a single century and made two fifties in the three Tests
17: Wickets for the highest wicket-taker in the series Josh Hazlewood. Kagiso Rabada with 15 was the best for the Proteas at an average of 22.40. Vernon Philander and Kyle Abbott took 12 and 13 wickets each respectively. Mitchell Starc finished with 14.
5: The number of times Hashim Amla was dismissed by Hazlewood in the series. Stuart Broad and Mitchell
strengths of pace and bounce. It certainly proved a masterstroke 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 | BB: 5/92 | Runs: 24 | HS: 12 | Ave: 11 This young man simply raises Johnson with seven, have dismissed Amla more times. Shanthakumaran Sreesanth of India has dismissed Amla six times.
12 and 136: Wickets and runs for Philander, the man of the series. Those 12 wickets included the sensational return of 5/21 in Australia’s first innings in Hobart. His 73 runs in the Proteas’ second innings in Perth was vital in stretching the lead, enabling him and Rabada enough time and runs to win that match.
3: Australian collapses, which feature prominently in the first two Tests. In Perth they slumped from 158/0 to 244 all out in their first innings. In Hobart Australia were bowled out for 85 in the first innings
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 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 and in the second went from 129/2 to 161 all out in less than 20 overs.
5-1: The number of hundreds scored by SA batsmen compared to Australia, for whom Khawaja’s 145 in Adelaide was the sole three-figure score. Dean Elgar, JP Duminy, De Kock, Faf du Plessis and Stephen Cook all have their names on various honours boards Down Under after this series.
250: The highest partnership of the series by Elgar and Duminy in the second innings in Perth a display of resilience and skill from the two left-handers which set up victory at the Waca. The Proteas batsmen shared three century partnerships, two of which
wrap up 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 | BB: 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 involved De Kock. The Baggy Greens’ batsmen shared two century stands in the series.
3: Test series wins in a row for SA in Australia. Only England in the late 19th century and the great West Indies side of the 1980s and early ‘90s have done that. It is a very special achievement for SA cricket.
7: The number of Test series since isolation against Australia in SA, none of which the Proteas have won. The record makes for dismal reading, five defeats and two drawn series. Australia will next journey to these shores in February 2018 for a fourmatch Test series.
1: Massive mountain made out of a molehill over a mint.
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 change-room 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 | BB: 1/51 It certainly is no myth that Duminy keeps his best performances for the Baggy Greens. The little left-hander just loves playing in Australia and reminded the folk here 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 never converted 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 against Sri Lanka at St George’s Park.
Dean Elgar: 6.5 M: 3 | Runs: 161 | Ave: 32.20 | HS: 127 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 0 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.
Stephen Cook: 6.5 M: 3 | Runs: 179 | Ave: 35.80 | HS: 104 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 0 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 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.
Keshav Maharaj: 6 M: 2 | Wkts: 4 | Ave: 40.50| Econ: 2.47 | BB: 3/56 | Runs: 58 | HS: 41* | Ave: 29 A promising debut series for Maharaj despite losing his place in a “horse for courses” selection when Tabraiz Shamsi was preferred for the pink ball Test. Provided good control for his captain with accuracy in the first two Tests and showed hunger for the fight with the bat at the Waca.
Tabraiz Shamsi: 5 M: 1 | Wkts: 2 | Ave: 75 | Econ: 3.42 | BB: 1/49 | Runs: 18 | HS: 18* | Ave: - 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 the 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 South Africa’s former Test captain. There’s no doubt Amla struggled with the accuracy and movement off the seam that Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood was able to get, which accounted for his five dismissals to the same bowler. It was the first time in Amla’s career that this had taken place. A big series against Sri Lanka is required to maintain the aura Amla purveys.
Dale Steyn: 3 M: 1 | Wkts: 1 | Ave: 51| Econ: 4.02 | BB: 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.