South Africans shine for Delhi

South African cricket players, and coach Gary Kirsten, are at the forefront of a Delhi Daredevils revival. The Indian Premiere League (IPL) team is currently fourth out of eight on the log in this year's tournament, as of 24 April. They have three wins and three losses, but seem to be improving from last season's dismal display. This is largely in thanks to JP Duminy, Proteas player, and Delhi captain.

Duminy has batted well thus far, scoring 207 runs at an average of 51.75 and strike rate of 129. He has scored two half-centuries. Duminy has also taken seven wickets with the ball at an average of 10.28 and economy of eight. Duminy seems to inspire his players to perform, and his great fielding helps in that regard.

JP Duminy captains Delhi Daredevils. Photo taken from www.cricketcountry.com

Imran Tahir is also the leading wicket taker in this IPL. He has 13 wickets at an average of 14.23 and economy of 7.7. Tahir is attacking the batsmen's wickets and reaping the reward. A few full and wide balls of his have been punished, but his accuracy has been excellent lately. With Indian spinner Amit Mishra also in the team not doing nearly as well as Tahir (six wickets at 25.83), it highlights the form Tahir finds himself in.

Of course, Gary Kirsten must be doing something right to rally the team from two initial losses to three wins in the next four games. Kirsten's work with the national Indian team in their 2011 world cup win was highly praised, and his period with the Proteas also saw us attain and hold the number one Test spot. It is safe to say that his strategies and approach benefit the Delhi team.

Albie Morkel has only played one match for Delhi so far. But his 73 not out off 55 balls came as a beautiful surprise to me. It was a momento of the player he used to be, and, maybe could be again. Quinton de Kock has not yet played for Delhi this season.

It is hard being a Proteas fan

The first thing a colleague said to me after the Proteas lost in the semi final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to New Zealand, was, "There they choke again. They are chokers." It is an opinion held by many South African cricket fans, and the issue is addressed by the Proteas players and staff themselves. The Proteas have never progressed past the semi final stage at a world cup, and are perceived to play below par in must-win world cup matches.

Proteas ODI Captain AB de Villiers will be distraught after losing in the world cup semi final to New Zealand.

Thus it is exasperating being a Proteas fan. Every time a world cup comes round, and even a T20 world cup, we all get excited that maybe this could be our time. Without fail, we are disappointed. Am I saying that the Proteas' chokers label is accurate? I do not know. All I can say is that, although New Zealand have a very skillful and hard working team this time round, we batted and bowled very well but our fielding in the last overs almost certainly cost us the match.

Du Plessis had called for a catch he could not reach, even when Hashim Amla was ready nearby. The ball landed between them. Then, Farhaan Behardien was poised for a catch when JP Duminy came out of nowhere and dived into him. It appeared that Behardien had already dropped the ball before Duminy arrived, but when a player is approaching like that it can distract you as a fielder. 

It was New Zealand who also ended our world cup dreams in 2011. For them, this is an opportunity to be rugby and cricket world champions at the same time. What a dream come true. With regards to the Proteas, foolish fans such as myself will have to wait another four years. We will wait, as time builds up our hope again.

SA on course in the World Cup

The Proteas are on course to do well in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. We may have only played one match so far, but the way we performed bodes well. We beat Zimbabwe by 62 runs on 15 February. It was through brilliant centuries by David Miller (138 off 92 balls not out) and JP Duminy (115 off 100 not out), an excellent bowling performance by Imran Tahir (three wickets for 36 runs) and fielding by AB de Villiers (three catches and a run out).

David Miller scored 138 not out to help the Proteas to a win against Zimbabwe. Photo taken from www.2015-icccricketworldcup.com

We scored 339–4 in our 50 overs and Zimbabwe did well to reach 277 all out. It was a tough game, but a good one because we were tested in all departments and passed with flying colours. When batting, we lost wickets early, but recovered to set a great score. When bowling, we were made to work hard for our wickets and were disciplined (although we gave 22 extras). The Zimbabweans had to work for their runs. Then in the field, our only dropped catches went down because they were incredibly difficult ones to take. AB de Villiers took one of the best catches I have seen to dismiss Solomon Mire.

Our next match will be played against India on 22 February. India recently beat Pakistan by 76 runs and their morale will be very high. They are a great team and will be very difficult to beat. Then we will play the West Indies on 27 February. The Windies recently lost to Ireland by four wickets, and their morale will be low. However, they will be determined to progress through the group stage, and will play hard against us.

Do our bowlers have what it takes?

In my last blog I said that the Proteas' bowling attack is its problem in One Day Internationals (ODIs). If South Africa are to do well in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, I believe that our bowling will need to be much better than it has been in recent months. In Tests we are great, but in ODIs our bowling is mediocre. Our death bowling is especially poor, with bowlers carelessly giving runs away in the final overs of an innings. We bowl too wide, too many half volleys, and not enough yorkers.

Morne Morkel is not the bowler he used to be. Photo from www.cricketcountry.com

Imran Tahir is not the world's best spinner. But I like him. He is always trying to take a wicket, and his passion is contagious. Our backup spinner, Aaron Phangiso, has his moments but is usually average. With the hard pitches in Australia and New Zealand, it would have been better to leave him out the squad and let JP Duminy play the role of backup spinner.

Our biggest problem is the fast bowling department. Dale Steyn is always difficult to score off, with pace, away swing and reverse swing. Vernon Philander is accurate and moves the ball well. These two do not bowl many yorkers but they take wickets and keep the runs down. The rest, not so much. Morne Morkel began his career as a positive, tall fast bowler with lots of potential. He was good at first. Now he gives lots of runs away and takes few wickets.

I thought that Kyle Abbott would be better in the international ring, but he has been very expensive. Wayne Parnell is not a good all-rounder. He does not bowl well and he does not bat well. Between him and Morne Morkel, I do not know who bowls more wides and gives more runs away.

To answer the question this blog post is headlined, I think that our bowling will have to improve for us to have a chance at taking this year's World Cup. In fact, they will have to be about 40 per cent better than they currently are.

Tide turns against the Caribbean

I blogged in December that South Africa would beat the West Indies in their Test series, but the Caribbean side would win the T20 International series. I was correct. I also said that the One Day International series could go either way. I've changed my mind.

The return of AB de Villiers and other key players will likely help the Proteas win the current ODI series against the West Indies.

When the Proteas won the Test series 2–0 it was no surprise, although the West Indies pushed us hard in the second Test. Losing the T20I International series 2–1 was expected. But the Proteas showed determination to make our highest T20I score (231) in the second match, and put in a good all-round performance in the third match to win back some pride. After our victory in the third T20I, I think that momentum has shifted towards us, and with the return of some of our best cricketers, I am 70% certain we will win the ODI series.

AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, JP Duminy and Vernon Philander come back to the playing 11. This will bolster the Proteas, while I think the West Indies squad will be pretty tired after a long tour. The five ODIs will be played in a short space of time (16, 18, 21, 25 and 28 January). This will demand a lot from the players.

With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to start in less than one month, both sides will see this series as preparation, and want to make sure they know what their strengths and weaknesses are. A win would also boost their confidence. But I think SA will take it. We are better rested and have our best players back.

SA vs Australia – the ultimate contest

Every South African cricket lover knows that the matches between South Africa and Australia are either the best or worst ones to watch. There is no middle ground, no run-in-the-mill "let me see what else is on TV because this is so boring" kind of match. Games between these proud, sports-obsessed nations are always exciting and memorable. 

You may remember watching for hours with eyes transfixed on the screen, ignoring your tummy moaning for food, as JP Duminy (166) and Dale Steyn (76) put on a ninth-wicket partnership of 180 to turn the fortunes of a Test match in Melbourne in 2008. Or you may remember the time Allan Donald dropped his bat and was run out in the 1999 Cricket World Cup semi-final. 

The contest between SA and Australia has always been heated. Here Proteas batsman Hashim Amla plays a ball from Australian bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile. Photo taken from www1.skysports.com

Yes I am bringing to attention the nightmare of how we tied with Australia but did not progress in the world cup because the Aussies finished higher in the Super Sixes stage, all because Donald dropped his bat and did not start running early enough to score us the winning run. Indeed, the ferocity of the contest between the nations goes back to the famous 1969-70 tour in SA, which SA won 4–0, through the likes of Barry Richards and Graeme Pollock.

With the current One Day International (ODI) series between the teams at 2–1 to Australia with two matches to go, we can expect the rest of the series to be exhilarating. The last two games will be played on 21 and 23 November. The current series includes mini-contests: Dale Steyn (SA) and Mitchell Johnson (AUS) will be gunning for the unofficial title of best bowler in the series, by taking the most wickets. 

AB de Villiers will look to score many runs against Australia in the current ODI series.

This while Glenn Maxwell (AUS) and David Miller (SA), who play together for Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL), will want to see who finishes with more runs and the highest strike rate. India are currently rated the best ODI team in the world by the International Cricket Council (ICC), with 117 points. SA are second with 115 points, and Australia are third with 114 points. A series win for either the Proteas or the Aussies could put the team at the top of the table.

Number 1 still, and a look at team selection

The Proteas beat Australia with class by 309 runs, helping them retain their number one test ranking. 

The Proteas after winning the test series against Australia 1 - 0 on the day of Ricky Ponting's international retirement, holding on to their number one ranking. Picture taken from http://sports.ndtv.com

With so  many good players being available for test selection, the choices regarding selection are hard. This is a very good thing. Duminy got injured, so du Plessis played for him, and he played brilliantly. The Proteas have immense depth in batting. Even if Duminy does not play for a long time the squad still includes Elgar, Duplessis and Rudolph to choose from. I think David Miller and Richard Levi deserve a look at for test cricket.



All three of our fast bowlers did well in the last test. However, the Proteas should look at the reserves. Rory Kleinveldt is obviously a good player. However, he didn't impress me when he played in the second test match. Ryan McLaren is also good, but I think the selectors should try find a better bowler than either of these two. I think McLaren should stay as a back-up all rounder in case there is an injury, but it would be nice to have another good fast bowler in reserve, Marchant de Lange perhaps, or Parnell. 

AB Devilliers is doing well with the gloves, but prudently, we still have Thami Tsolekile as back-up. This is perfect. But maybe some work should be done by selectors to look for young keepers who we could call on in the future.

Selecting a spinner has always been hard for South Africa. Between Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir it is hard to pick a favourite. Tahir has done better in domestic cricket but has not done as well as Peterson internationally. For me they are both almost equally good spinners. I think though that because Peterson is better with the bat and in the field, he should play more in tests. Of course, I also think younger spinners should be looked at. Dane Piedt of the Cobras is possibly a future option for SA.

South Africa's 3rd test score score saved by 3 outstanding innings.

Batting against England on 16 August 2012 we opted to bat, were in deep trouble early, but were saved by three great scores. Rudolph 42. Duminy 61. Philander currently not out on 46. SA finished day 1on 262/7

Taken from supersport.com

Taken from Google images

Taken from Google images