The Dean of true grit
Comparisons with Graeme Smith have haunted SA’s senior opening batsman
THE role of the opener has always been multifaceted — and open to debate.
India’s Virender Sehwag changed the landscape with his unbridled aggression, and Graeme Smith did his best to ensure that batting’s ugly ducklings will continue to have their day in the sun.
Smith’s model of ungainly effectiveness appears to have informed the approach of Alastair Cook, who tops England’s list of run-getters in tests. And Dean Elgar is clearly on a similar path.
Smith, despite his obvious flaws, showed that opening the batting is more about the production and less about the means.
The Smith comparison will forever loom large but it’s one Elgar is learning to live with.
After all, he’s the senior opener after 29 tests in which he’s scored 1 429 runs at an average of 35.72.
“As an opener, comparisons will always be drawn with Graeme Smith and it helps that he fashioned his runs in a way that worked for him.
“In our own rights, we are different even though we’ve done a similar job. His career speaks for itself and it’ll always be difficult to shake off that comparison,” Elgar said.
“The transition to being the senior opener hasn’t always been the smoothest and I didn’t have experienced players to open with so I had to fast-track my learning — but it’s a challenge I’ve taken to quite well.
“The tough subcontinent tours were an eye-opener and I learnt very quickly because those trips were difficult for me in the past. It’s just a case of dealing with the teething issues and carrying on with life.”
To say South Africa’s openers batted Australia into submission would be an overstatement, but when it was required of them, they responded to the call to arms.
Elgar’s 316-ball 127 in the first test in Perth was not just about slaying the ghosts of his test debut pair inflicted by Mitchell Johnson at the same ground four years ago, but ensuring a strong and eventual series-winning position was not squandered.
There was conjecture about Stephen Cook’s century in the Adelaide day-night test but his contributions showcased the vagaries of opening batsmanship.
They don’t always fire at the same time. South African pitches are not the easiest to bat on, which is where Elgar is asking for patience.
“Opening the batting in South Africa is one of the toughest jobs in world cricket. The new ball is some proposition and there’s always some grass on our wickets. I sometimes think our openers don’t often get a lot of credit because the platform laid by the guys who came before me — like Smith, Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs — made sure the explosive middle-order batsmen had something to work with,” Elgar said.
“It’s one of the basic requirements of being an opener: making sure the stroke makers can ram home the advantage after the shine has been taken off the new ball.
“We know the credit will not always come our way but openers are a unique breed. We know the work is for the team and when we do well, the rest of the team does well.”
Sri Lanka only have one test win to show for their efforts since their maiden voyage here in 1997/98.
Elgar tasted success against them on the 2014 tour when his first innings 103 helped set up a 153-run win in the first test in Galle.
In Elgar’s view, the capricious cussedness of South Africa’s surfaces makes any touring team dangerous customers, especially a Sri Lankan side with the pacy Dushmantha Chameera, who prospers on fast pitches.
“Subcontinent teams play a lot of cricket on the road and they adapt quicker to our conditions. They travel far more frequently now than they used to, which shows their willingness to learn and experience new things. Sri Lanka have shown they’re willing to fight,” Elgar said.
I didn’t have experienced players to open with so I had to fast-track my learning — but it’s a challenge