AB gets his big chance
SOUTH Africa’s new limited overs captain, AB de Villiers, finally gets his hand on the tiller when the five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka gets under way at Paarl tomorrow.
De Villiers missed the short games against Australia earlier in the season after picking up a hand injury in the Champions League in India, and Hashim Amla deputised for him.
His long-time teammate at the Titans, Albie Morkel, said yesterday he believes De Villiers will do a good job, particularly because he is on top of his own game
“He will lead from the front because he is comfortable with his own game and he knows how he plays, I don’t think he will change his style,” added Morkel.
Mental strength and preparedness are essential parts of any international player’s game, and Morkel, back in the ODI squad after more than a year, has battled to overcome a series of injuries to get back to the top level.
His mind is stronger for having lost and then regained a place in the squad, even if he came in late as a result of injury to Dean Elgar.
“I am probably the same player I was before I got dropped but have a better mental attitude, and that’s the most important thing you can bring to the team,” said Morkel. He has earned a recall because of good form for the Titans in Supersport Series cricket, most recently hitting a century and a half-century, and taking five wickets in the match against the Warriors, which ended on Sunday.
His role under new coach Gary Kirsten still needs to be defined, but he seems to in competition for a place with another seamer who can hit them far in the Cape Cobras’ Rory Kleinveldt.
“Bowling is what people will judge me on,” said Morkel. “Batting is always a bonus, though, and something I work on every day in the nets.”
Kleinveldt, who has two T20 caps for the Proteas, said: “Being dropped is never nice but it’s how you come back from that that matters. It shows your character.”
Kleinveldt’s franchise teammate Vernon Philander set the world alight with his great performances on being selected in the South African Test team this season, and Kleinveldt, who had a good One-day Cup campaign with 13 wickets, will be hoping some of that good form will rub off on him.
As for the venues that the Sri Lanka series will be played at, Morkel expressed the view that a couple, like Paarl and Kimberley, could suit the tourists’ style of play by being slowish and offering turn. “They are a strong side… they were in the World Cup final not that long ago,” he added.
Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan is certainly a player who can quickly take a game away from the opposition, although the jury is still seemingly out on how a bowler like Lasith Malinga will fare over time, given the new rule which sees two new balls used from both ends, for only 25 overs each.
Since the balls do not get older than 25 overs, the reverse swing factor prevalent with an older ball is largely taken out of the equation.
Kleinveldt, having played domestic 50-overs cricket at Paarl this season, said the venue did not necessarily serve up wickets that were excessively low and slow, as in the past, and a score of 280 or 290 would probably be par at the venue.
The Proteas’ last ODI series was the truncated three-match affair against Australia in October, when Durban again proved to be an unlucky venue for the home side.
Half-centuries in the decider from Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis proved insufficient in a total of 222-6, as the visitors cruised home with 15 balls to spare thanks to 40s from Shane Watson and Michael Hussey.
Sri Lanka themselves are coming off two series defeats. They lost the ODI portion of their tour to the UAE to play Pakistan 4-1, while at home the scoreline had been 3-2 in favour of Australia.