Burkina Faso suspect foul play on Covid tests
AIDEN Markram’s form in this series has understandably faced scrutiny, given the effect it has on the weakest area of the South African team – the batting.
The 31 he scored in South Africa’s second innings on Wednesday is Markram’s highest score in his past six innings. It may be a sign he’s regained some confidence, after finding the going rather difficult against Mohammed Shami in Centurion.
Markram will be cut a little slack. His captain’s remarkable performance, which ensured South Africa won the second Test against India, has given everyone in the Proteas camp a little bit of breathing room – along with the obvious boost in self-belief.
Although it was a different format, it’s worth remembering how well Markram played at the T20 World Cup. Assigned to a new role in the middle order, he gave the innings some critical upliftment. He certainly came into the series against India confident, even though his recent
BONGOKUHLE Hlongwane’s Bafana Bafana performances, combined with a new American soccer initiative known as the “U-22 initiative”, helped the player secure a move to the US from Maritzburg United, according to Major League Soccer (MLS) insider Andrew Olsson.
The 21-year-old was signed by Minnesota United on a three-year contract this week with a “one year club option”. He also becomes the Loons’ first U-22 signing.
“The U-22 initiative allows each team in MLS to sign players who fit that bill at a reduced cost to the salary cap. It had to do with his (Hlongwane’s) national team performances. He broke through with Bafana Bafana in World Cup qualifiers and every African World Cup qualifier has been
Test form wasn’t what he’d have wanted it to be.
He had an excellent tour to Pakistan last February, which was widely viewed as a turning point for his career, particularly as it pertained to how he played spin bowling. But scores of 0 and 4 in the second Test in the West Indies and then 13 and 1 in the first Test of this series with India, put Markram’s spot in the order – and even the team – under the spotlight.
South Africa’s batting has been poor for the past few years. Since January 2018, the Proteas have only passed a total of 400 four times, and major batting collapses have been the order of the day.
In that period there’s also been major retirements; AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and more recently Quinton de Kock.
As a result more pressure has been heaped on Markram and Dean Elgar’s shoulders at the top of the order. Individually in the past year, they’ve played well; the South African captain scored over 400 runs in 2021, averaging 44.20, while Markram scored 346 runs, with his average dropping to 34.60 as a result of twin failures at Centurion.
“We know the quality player that he is,” the Proteas’ batting consultant, Justin Sammon, said this week. “That is not going to change over three or four broadcast in the US. I’d imagine that MLS teams have been following those matches to identify talent. Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos also gave Hlongwane a good endorsement. Bafana under Broos have been trying to bring in younger players,” said Olsson, speaking to Independent Media.
Hlongwane’s move comes on the back of a breakthrough year during which he established himself as a rising star for Bafana and arguably became Maritzburg’s most influential player. Hlongwane scored two goals in 2021 for Bafana (against Uganda and Ghana).
Olsson also suggested that MLS teams are more likely to scout players from modest Dstv Premiership clubs such as Maritzburg over more financially boosted clubs such as the Gauteng giants for cost-effective reasons.
“I’d imagine MLS clubs will not really look at players from clubs like innings. He’s received some good balls, balls that are going to get most batters out.”
That is most certainly true. Markram was victim to one of the finest spells seen from a visiting bowler at Supersport Park, where Shami surgically picked him apart in the first innings. It was understandable that that was still in his head in the second, when the same bowler needed just three balls to get his wicket again.
Shami got him a third time in the first innings at the Wanderers. Markram isn’t the first nor will he be the last batter to be hypnotised by a top bowler.
Which is why, all the talk about dropping him – whether out of the team or down the order – was premature.
“He showed glimpses of what he is capable of in the knock on Wednesday afternoon,” said Sammon. “He needs to stick to his processes, keep doing what he is doing in his preparation because his preparation has been good and he must trust that it will come through.”
The main issue is the starts Markram and Elgar are providing as a combination. Wednesday’s opening stand of 47 was their biggest since the first Test against Pakistan last year.
From the West Indies tour, to the first Test last week the Elgar/markram combo had reeled off six consecutive
Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs as those clubs can compete well salary-wise with MLS clubs. They must have seen Hlongwane during World Cup qualifying and established that single figure stands for the first wicket. Keegan Petersen was coming to the crease by the second over each time. That is no way for a new player to bed in, certainly not at number three. The suggestion that Petersen be moved down the order was wrong as well. As the 28 year old showed in both innings at the Wanderers, if given just a little bit of extra time, he has the technique and temperament to be a top class, number three batter.
The problem starts at the top, and Elgar and Markram need to solve it.
“We know the responsibility and burden that comes with opening the batting,” Elgar said before the second Test. “We need to look after the new ball. If we do that then 3, 4, 5 and 6 can come in and be as natural as possible. Of late we’ve played in relatively rough conditions, but that is not an excuse, we need to be better and get those partnerships going again.”
They made a step in the right direction here in the second innings. And Elgar further relieved the heat with his knock for the ages to seal that epic triumph. If Markram draws inspiration from it, and the two can combine for something of great substance at Newlands, South Africa could go a long way towards pulling a truly stunning turnaround in the threematch Test series. he was performing well for Maritzburg United and then spoke with Broos,” said Olsson.
By moving to the US, Hlongwane will be one of two South African footballers plying their trade in the American top flight, with Kamohelo Mokotjo on the books of FC Cincinnati, while former South Africa U17 player Lindo Mfeka plays for Oakland Roots in the USL Championship (second tier of American soccer).
Meanwhile, Bafana legend Bradley Carnell continued to make waves in the US by being appointed as the coach of St Louis City SC who are due to be integrated into the MLS in 2023.
Carnell has been in the US for five years, having initially been appointed as assistant coach of New York Red Bulls in 2017. He served as head coach of the Red Bulls between September-november 2020 following the sacking of Chris Armas.
BURKINA Faso captain Bertrand Traore has deplored as “a scandal” coronavirus testing procedures at the Africa Cup of Nations after up to five players and coach Kamou Malo tested positive in the run-up to today’s opener against hosts Cameroon.
The Aston Villa forward told a press conference in Yaounde yesterday: “It’s a scandal, we cannot be deprived of first team players 24 hours before the match.”
Assistant coach Firmin Sanou, standing in for Malo, said: “We have four or five Covid cases, mainly first team players, we're not going to name names.
“It calls everything into question, but we have confidence in the players who will replace them,” continued Sanou, who hit out at the organisation with two different medical teams arriving to test the team.
“On Friday a medical team showed up at our hotel for tests, when we tried to understand who had sent them, the CAF (African Football Confederation) clearly told us that they hadn’t sent them so we refused to do the tests," said Sanou.
"Another team arrived at 10pm, apparently the CAF team, we carried out the tests which informed us of four to five cases of Covid.
"I say four or five because they say that our first player tested did not carry out the test ... " he continued.
The Burkinabè delegation are disputing the fact that the tests were not PCR tests, which must be carried out 48 hours before the match, and have requested a second opinion.
Traore said: "The authorities must review the organisation. We cannot accept this decision. We can redo tests of our positive players."
Meanwhile, droves of armoured vehicles are patrolling the streets of Limbe in Cameroon's conflict-torn South West Region ahead of today’s opener.
Cameroon is hosting the tournament in six cities, but security is potentially most at threat in Limbe, a city on the tropical Atlantic coast whose surrounding region has been rocked by armed attacks since war broke out in 2017.
Violence has worsened this year as separatists increase their use of improvised explosives.
Insecurity is just one issue facing the tournament. Concerns about the readiness of stadiums and the spread of the omicron COVID-19 variant have also made headlines in recent weeks.
Limbe's Omnisport Stadium will host matches from Group F comprising Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania and Gambia. The group's first game will be between Tunisia and Mali on January 12
The nearby regional capital of Buea, where some Group F training will take place, was struck by two explosions in November including one in a university that wounded 11 students.
Authorities have kept security plans under wraps, but promised there will be no disruption to Group F matches.
As Limbe readies for an influx of fans, some residents said they are not focused on soccer.