Sunday Times

AB balances the books on Proteas’ wicketkeep­ing dilemma in tests

- LIAM DEL CARME

IT’S all about balance.

That is the assertion of former Proteas’ coach Ray Jennings when he ran the rule over the selectors’ decision to restore AB de Villiers to the wicketkeep­ing position for the first two tests against England, while relegating Quinton de Kock and Dane Vilas to a slightly dimmer-lit stage.

The virtues of balance cannot be disputed. It greases the components of a team and Jennings believes casting De Villiers in the dual role of wicketkeep­er and middle-order batsman has benefits. It gives the national selectors options and breathing space.

“AB is such a team man and that helps bring balance to the side. With him keeping, Temba Bavuma gets an opportunit­y in the middle-order. There will be a lot of pressure on AB because he has to keep and as the team’s best batsman he has to score runs.”

The wicketkeep­ing debate is one with which Jennings, himself a redoubtabl­e gloveman in his heyday, is all too familiar. He was the reluctant conductor as Mark Boucher, Thami Tsolekile and a young De Villiers played musical chairs behind the stumps in 2004.

As they were back then, ironically India and England are again the opponents as the selectors weigh up long and short stop solutions.

Many expected the selectors to recall De Kock but instead he has been deployed to the SA A side doing duty against the tourists in Potchefstr­oom.

Vilas, however, captains and wears the gloves in that match and the selectors have copped brickbats for sending out conflictin­g messages while failing to act decisively.

“They have already,” said convenor of selectors Linda Zondi about the detractors voicing opinions. “We have a plan. Our short-term goal is for AB to take the gloves as it gives us the edge because we have the extra batter. We have to win the first two matches.”

Jennings can see the rationale. “Funny things happen in test cricket. South Africa may win the first two tests and do you then want to change the side? It’s about winning the series. The process along the way may determine your thought patterns.”

Zondi insists theirs are not decisions based on guesswork.

“The key is when we dropped Quinton it was because he wasn’t scoring runs. It wasn’t about him being a bad keeper. Having him and Dane in the SA A squad is good and we are saying to them that we are looking at both of them.”

Though De Kock has found runs easier to come by of late, Jennings cautions: “You need to compare apples with apples. You’ve got to ask whether the one guy who scores runs on flat wickets in one-day cricket has done more than the other who has fought for his life on very difficult pitches in India.”

Zondi argues when the team became No 1 in the world, De Villiers played a vital role as keeper as it allowed the team an extra batter.

It is in that department Jennings believes the series will be decided. “Both teams have very good bowling units. It will be about who can put runs on the board against a difficult bowling side.

“South Africa is very difficult to beat on their own surfaces. The series defeat against India would also have refocused them.”

 ??  ?? THE TRUSTED GLOVE-MEN: From left, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock and Dane Vilas
THE TRUSTED GLOVE-MEN: From left, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock and Dane Vilas
 ?? Pictures: GALLO IMAGES and REUTERS ??
Pictures: GALLO IMAGES and REUTERS
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from South Africa