Proteas ponder team selection
GIBSON: COACH IS LEFT WITH A SERIES OF QUESTIONS
South Africa begin the ODI portion of their ill-fated Sri Lankan tour tomorrow and they should have no complaints about conditions in Dambulla, given the recent history of limited-overs matches at the venue.
The Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium has generally provided a good batting pitch, but seamers have also enjoyed success there recently, which will soothe the troubled psyches of a South African team whose batsmen were shell-shocked by the spin bombardment in the Tests and their pacemen rendered impotent by the lack of any swing, conventional or reverse.
The spirits of the Proteas camp were also no doubt lifted by the victory over a useful Sri Lanka Board XI in their warm-up game, with pace-bowling all-rounder Wiaan Mulder taking three wickets to add to his crucial half-century, and saying the conditions gave cause for some optimism that there will be a fairer contest in the five ODIs lying ahead.
“Pitches over here will always turn more than back home, but there was also more pace up front today and I think it gave us a fair indication of what to expect. So it was a decent workout, especially against five of the guys who will play in the ODI series for them.
“So it was great preparation for us and it can only benefit us to see some of their back-up players, it was a good test for us, a good challenge. We’ve had a couple of net sessions as well, as a team I think we’re ready and now we can’t wait for the one-day stuff to start, especially for the guys who played in the Test series,” Mulder said.
Coach Ottis Gibson does have a few questions to deal with.
Does he back Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock as opening batsmen, a pairing that has averaged 65.57 in the last 18 months with two century and six half-century first-wicket partnerships, or does he act on their recent lack of runs and bring in Reeza Hendricks and/or Heinrich Klaasen?
Should Aiden Markram bat at four, which he did in the warm-up game before being run out backing up at the non-striker’s end, or should he open with Amla if Klaasen replaces De Kock behind the stumps?
Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Tabraiz Shamsi seem certain to lead the bowling attack, but should the Proteas play the second spinner in Keshav Maharaj or another seam-bowling all-rounder? Is Andile Phehlukwayo still the first-choice genuine all-rounder or did Mulder’s match-winning performance in the Colombo warm-up see him jump the queue?