Tag: Proteas

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SACA Celebrates Tony Irish on Receiving the Prestigious Tim May Medal of Honour

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) is proud to celebrate its founder and former CEO, Tony Irish, who received the…

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Kyle Simmonds Crowned Overall Division 1 SACA MVP

The 2025/26 domestic cricket season concludes with Western Province all-rounder Kyle Simmonds named Division 1 Overall SACA MVP. Simmonds earned…

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Liam Alder Named Overall SACA MVP for Domestic Division 2

Following the completion of all domestic fixtures, Liam Alder of the Garden Route Badgers finished at the top of the…

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Bosch Powers to Proteas SACA MVP Summit

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has released the updated Proteas Men’s MVP rankings for the 2025/26 season following the conclusion of the tour to Pakistan.

Using the objective data from the CricViz-powered SACA MVP rankings to highlight the performance of individual players as the squad immediately shifts focus to the demanding Test series in India.

The rise of all-rounder Corbin Bosch, who leads the overall Proteas Men’s MVP with 269.943 MVP points. Bosch’s consistent high-impact performance across all formats, including Test, ODI, and T20I, confirmed his position as the season’s most valuable player thus far.

Looking at the format leaders, Wiaan Mulder remains the top-ranked player in the Test rankings with 154.959 MVP points. His red-ball form, anchored by a record individual score earlier in the season, ensures a strong core for the upcoming Test matches.

In the limited-overs formats, Dewald Brevis dominates the T20 International standings with 165.839 MVP points, reflecting his consistent strike-rate and boundary-hitting prowess in the shortest format.

Meanwhile, Keshav Maharaj is the most consistent performer in the One-Day International format, leading the ODI rankings with 66.483 MVP points for his ability to control the game and take key wickets.

“The Pakistan tour was a good exercise in building depth, and the SACA MVP rankings clearly indicate the resilience and individual capability that emerged,” said Andrew Breetzke, SACA CEO. “For an all-rounder like Corbin Bosch to lead the overall rankings speaks volumes about his individual value.”

The SACA MVP rankings, driven by the analytical partnership with CricViz, move beyond traditional statistics to deliver an objective measure of player influence. This sophisticated model assesses a player’s performance on every ball, factoring in match-defining moments, opposition strength, and the high-pressure context of tournament play, providing an accurate reflection of their objective value.

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Mlaba Tops Proteas Women’s SACA MVP Test Rankings

Nonkululeko Mlaba’s superb 10-wicket match haul in the once-off Test match against England has not only etched her name in the history books but also propelled her to the top of the Proteas Women’s SACA MVP Test rankings.

Mlaba’s dominant performance has seen her take over the top spot on 53.457 MVP points, ahead of Suné Luus on 49.899 MVP points and Laura Wolvaardt on 48.247 MVP points. This significant achievement is a testament to her exceptional skill, hard work, and dedication to the game.

In the overall SACA MVP rankings, Mlaba has climbed to the third position behind Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt. This highlights her consistent performances across all formats and her valuable contribution to the Proteas Women’s team.

The SACA Most Valuable Player Rankings offer a more nuanced approach to evaluating player performance. By leveraging CricViz’s extensive database, the algorithm considers factors such as expected performance, match-defining contributions, and venue-specific historical data. This comprehensive analysis goes beyond traditional batting and bowling averages, providing a more accurate reflection of a player’s impact on the game.

Proteas Women SACA MVP Overall Rankings as of 19 December 2024

Proteas Women SACA MVP Test Rankings as of 19 December 2024

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Maharaj Takes Proteas SACA MVP Test Rankings Top Spot

Keshav Maharaj has claimed the top sport in the Proteas SACA MVP Test rankings following a successful clean sweep over Sri Lanka in the recently concluded home Test series.

The Proteas spinner achieved a significant milestone by completing his tenth Test five-for and his fourth at St George’s Park to secure a 2-0 series victory. This win boosts South Africa to the summit of the World Test Championship standings, surpassing Australia.

Maharaj tops the table on 142.281, followed by Proteas SACA MVP Overall leader Tristan Stubbs on 134.12 MVP points and Kagiso Rabada on 126.679 MVP points.

The Proteas SACA MVP is determined through a systematic process that considers various factors, including player performance, match impact, and contextual factors. The model, backed by CricViz’s extensive historical database, is designed to account for the nuances of the game, such as different playing conditions, opposition strengths, and match phases.

With two crucial home games against Pakistan on the horizon, South Africa aims to maintain their winning momentum. A continued string of victories could secure their place in the World Test Championship final.

Proteas Men SACA MVP Overall rankings as of 10 December 2024:

Proteas Men SACA MVP Overall rankings as of 10 December 2024:

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Stubbs Extends SACA MVP Overall Rankings Lead

Tristan Stubbs has further cemented his position at the top of the Proteas Men’s SACA MVP overall rankings after a superb performance in the recently concluded Test series against Bangladesh. The Proteas wrapped up the series with a convincing victory, placing the team in an excellent position in the ICC Test Championship.

Stubbs’ unbeaten 30 in the second innings of the first Test was particularly impressive, highlighting his ability to adapt to different match situations. His maiden Test century and a total of 159 runs in three innings contributed significantly to the team’s success.

With a series tally of 219.399 MVP points, Stubbs has extended his lead over Aiden Markram (168.794) and Kagiso Rabada (145.324), who currently holds the number one spot in the ICC Test Bowler Rankings.

The SACA Most Valuable Player Rankings takes into account expected performance on every ball according to CricViz’s extensive database. The algorithm calculates batting, bowling, and fielding performances as well as match-defining contributions, and it considers the historic performances of the venue where each fixture is being played. Therefore, providing a more accurate reflection of the top performers in the game compared to traditional batting and bowling averages.

Proteas SACA MVP rankings as of 1 November 2024:

PROTEAS SACA MVP – OVERALL RANKINGS
PROTEAS MVP – TEST RANKINGS
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PAKISTAN EDGE PROTEAS IN ODI SERIES OPENER

Mohammed Hafeez provided the top-order experience that Pakistan had lacked in the Test series to get his side over the line for a five-wicket victory over the Standard Bank Proteas with five balls to spare in the opening Momentum One-Day International at St. George’s Park on Saturday.

The experience of the Momentum Man of the Match was there for all to see as his unbeaten 71 off 63 balls (8 fours and 2 sixes) got his side over the line and made sure there would be no 11th-hour stumble.

The other key batting contributions for Pakistan came from Imam-ul-Haq (86 off 101 balls, 5 fours and 2 sixes) and Babar Azam (49 off 69 balls, 5 fours) who put on 94 for the second wicket to lay the foundation for victory.

Other important contributions came on the bowling front from Hasan Ali (1/42) and Shadab Khan (1/41) who had the most economical bowling figures in the match and tied down the Proteas batsmen at critical times.

The Proteas total of 266/2 on the back of a 155-run second wicket partnership between Hashim Amla and new cap Rassie van der Dussen always looked a little bit below par and so it turned out to be.

Amla put his barren 2018 ODI year behind him with his 27th century in this format (108 not out off 120 balls, 7 fours and 1 six). It was his first century at this venue and his third against Pakistan which tied the South African record against these opponents of AB de Villiers.

Van der Dussen made South Africa’s fourth highest ODI score on debut (93 off 101 balls, 3 fours and 3 sixes) and had every reason to feel happy about his first performance.

The other debutant, Duanne Olivier, turned in a mixed performance. He did outstandingly well in the opening power play, taking 1/13 in 4 overs, and there is no doubt that, although he has to work on his white-ball skills, he provides genuine wicket-taking opportunities.

The two areas that the Proteas will undoubtedly reflect on will be their batting in the final power play and their bowling in the second power play.

The Proteas only managed to score 76 in the final 10 overs, way below their norm which often runs to three figures.

On a slow-paced pitch that lacked bounce and pace and under conditions that provided neither seam nor swing assistance the Proteas were left with a lack of wicket-taking options in the middle overs and it required the part-time spin of Reeza Hendricks to break the second-wicket partnership.

The chances are that pitches may be similar for the ICC World Cup and the Proteas will need to consider whether they need to play two specialist spin bowlers as an attacking option.

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PROTEAS WRAP UP NINE-WICKET SERIES CLINCHER

The Standard Bank Proteas needed just 47 minutes and 59 deliveries to score the 41 runs necessary for victory and wrap up the Castle Lager Test Series against Pakistan at PPC Newlands on Sunday. They now have a 2-0 lead in the series with the chance to make a clean sweep in the final match at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, starting on Friday.

The final margin was 9 wickets after Theunis de Bruyn, opening in place of the injured Aiden Markram, was caught behind off a top edge, attempting to hook a bouncer from Mohammed Abbas.

Hashim Amla retired hurt after taking a nasty blow on the right arm, leaving Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis to finish the job.

Du Plessis was named Castle Lager Man of the Match for his first innings century that underpinned the Proteas decisive first innings lead.

The Sunfoil Education Trust (SET) has benefited to the tune of R422 500 from the number of fours and sixes hit and wickets taken by the two sides in the series to date with the final tally for the current match being R217 500. The players on both sides score income for the fund by hitting boundaries (R1 000) and sixes (R2 000) and taking wickets (R2 500)

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HAMZA CALLED UP FOR PAKISTAN TEST SERIES

Zubayr Hamza, the 23-year-old World Sports Betting Cape Cobras batsman, has been named as a potential new cap in the Standard Bank Proteas squad for the three-match Test series against Pakistan which starts at SuperSport Park, Centurion, on December 26.

The other matches will be played at PPC Newlands from January 3 and at the Bidvest Wanderers from January 11.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced a 13-man squad for the series today that also features the return of VKB Knights fast bowler Duanne Olivier in place of the injured Lungi Ngidi. Olivier was part of the squad for the previous home Test series against Australia and has represented the Proteas in five Test matches.

“Zubayr has been one of the standout cricketers in domestic cricket over the past year and carried that form into South Africa A tour to India where he averaged over 50 in the four-day series against tough opposition and under tough conditions,” commented CSA National Selection Panel (NSP) convener Linda Zondi.

“Before that, he had an outstanding season in the four-day franchise competition where he scored 823 runs, including three centuries, at the impressive average of 69.

“His selection is part of our vision for the future as we start to feed new players into the system. It is inevitable that some of our senior players will start thinking of retiring in years to come and it is vital that we have a good succession plan in place,” explained Mr Zondi.

“As unfortunate as Lungi’s injury is we are blessed to have outstanding depth in our fast bowling resources. Duanne has impressed on his previous appearances for the Proteas and has had a good franchise season to date with 20 wickets in his five matches at an average of 22.80.

“Tladi Bokako will work with the squad as a learning experience during the series in a continuation of the initiative we started with Kagiso Rabada and continued with Matthew Breetzke earlier in the season. He has had a good debut season for the Cape Cobras with 21 wickets at 26.33 to date.

“We will continue to identify young players with the potential to become future Proteas,” concluded Mr Zondi.

If Hamza gains selection in the final XI he will become the 100th player to represent the Proteas in the five-day format.

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PROTEAS WOMEN LOOKING FORWARD TO WI TOUR

Proteas captain, Dané van Niekerk believes the West Indies tour will provide the perfect opportunity for senior players to showcase their experience in conditions unknown to the majority of the team. South Africa’s last tour to the Caribbean region was in 2012 and only four players remain from that squad.

The tour will comprise a three-match ICC Women’s Championship (IWC) One-Day International (ODI) and five-match T20 series. It will play a big role in the tourists’ plans to secure points towards direct qualification for the 2021 ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand as well as solidify preparation for the first-ever stand-alone ICC Women’s World T20 also in the West Indies this November.

“I think this is going to be a tough and challenging tour,” the skipper commented. “It’s located in absolute paradise, of course, you won’t get to see more beautiful places when on a cricket tour, but when it comes down to the business of cricket, the West Indies will test the athlete in you like very few places will. The heat, the humidity, their very unique pitches, it all comes down to one package that is designed to demand a lot out of a player and it’s why I’m really looking forward to seeing what the seniors do when they are presented with this type of challenge.

The seniors Van Niekerk refers to are vice-captain Chloe Tryon, Mignon du Preez and Marizanne Kapp, while she believes the knowledgeable minds of Lizelle Lee, Masabata Klaas and Suné Luus will also play a big role in rallying up the predominantly young team.

“I’m going to look to them to help lead the youngsters and provide guidance in the changeroom,” she continued. “We have four players who have toured here and another handful of senior players who have played all over the world and know what it’s like to adapt to difficult conditions. We have been blessed with an exciting group of youngsters who are salivating at just the thought of getting started and we need to bottle that energy and distribute it wisely.”

The Proteas boast four graduates from the South African Emerging team whose performances in the last season made compelling arguments for selection. Saarah Smith, Tumi Sekhukhune, Robyn Searle and Faye Tunnicliffe are all exciting prospects for Van Niekerk.

“It’s really encouraging to see how much talent has come up in the last few years and that the CSA pipeline is developing some quality players,” she elaborated. “I’m looking forward to seeing what these girls do and the fact that each offers something different and unique to the team’s needs is even better. That, mixed with other young talents that we already have in Laura Wolvaardt, Riaisibe Ntozakhe and Zintle Mali is the stuff captains’ dreams are made of. It’s going to be a good headache for selectors when it comes to picking teams going forward.

“We have a lot to play for on this tour and I hope that the balance of youthful exuberance to experience will give us that ‘X-Factor’ that we’re looking for because West Indies as a team in home conditions is going to be a big challenge.”

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DE BRUYN PUTS DOWN MARKER WITH MAIDEN TEST CENTURY

Theunis de Bruyn put down his marker for an extended run in the Standard Bank Proteas Test team with his maiden Test century on the fourth and final day of the second Test match against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Monday.

He was unable to prevent Sri Lanka from clinching the inevitable win by 199 runs and a 2-0 series victory but both he and Temba Bavuma will have gone a long way to restore credibility for South Africa’s ability to make runs on the sub-continent.

De Bruyn was eventually bowled, not offering a stroke, by Rangana Herath for 101 (232 balls, 12 fours) to be the eighth man out by which time the game was beyond saving but his fourth innings century will go down alongside other notable fourth innings centuries for the Proteas.

These include Jonty Rhodes unbeaten century in the first ever Test match between the Proteas and Sri Lanka at Morutuwa in 1993, Jacques Kallis’ maiden Test century at Melbourne in 1997, Faf du Plessis’ match-saving century at Adelaide in 2012, the centuries made by Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers in chasing down 414 for victory at Perth in 2008 and the centuries by De Villiers and Du Plessis that nearly brought about a record runs chase against India at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium in 2013.

But, taking into account the struggle that foreign batsmen have on the sub-continent, De Bruyn’s innings has a special status.

De Bruyn and Bavuma both displayed excellent technique with their footwork and decisive use of the bat that largely took the bat/pad catch and lbw out of the equation.

This was De Bruyn’s debut Test match on the sub-continent while it was only Bavuma’s fifth, one of which was a virtual wash-out in Bangladesh, and they can both take a lot out of their performances looking ahead to the next visit to India.

Bavuma contributed the majority share (63 off 98 balls, 4 fours) to a partnership of 123 that was only six short of South Africa’s sixth-wicket partnership record against Sri Lanka.

Together they were responsible for the Proteas having easily their best batting session of the series with 109 runs being scored for the loss of 2 wickets in the morning session. The result was that the Proteas were able to make their highest fourth innings total ever on the sub-continent of 290.

The Proteas now have a few days to regroup ahead of the start of the five-match ODI Series in Dambulla on Sunday.

Sri Lanka opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne was the obvious choice as both Man of the Match and Man of the Series as his consistent batting in both matches as his 356 runs at an average of 118 was an essential difference between the two sides.

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SACA RESPONDS TO CSA ON PLAYERS MOU

 

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) today responded to statements made by Cricket South Africa (CSA) in a CSA media release late yesterday regarding the players MOU.

 

The MOU is a comprehensive collective agreement concluded on a four year basis between CSA, SACA and cricket Franchises which regulates critical matters relating to professional cricketers, including the contracts of national and franchise players. The current MOU will expire on 30 April 2018 and a new MOU would ordinarily commence on 1st May 2018 and run for a four year period from that date. Certain key elements of the MOU (which include the financial model underpinning player contracts and benefits) need to be agreed between CSA and SACA prior to player contracts being finalised.

 

“We are both surprised and disappointed that CSA has seen fit to make a public statement announcing plans relating to the MOU without giving us any proper opportunity to respond to, or to deal with, these first” said Tony Irish, SACA’s chief executive. The suggested plans have caused consternation amongst players and they require a response from SACA. The indication of further possible delays and the unworkability of certain aspects of what is being suggested are particular matters of concern to us. The suggestion also that there have actually been negotiations conducted by SACA officials with CSA on the MOU to date is also not correct. Negotiations on the key elements have yet to start”

 

“SACA has been doing everything possible from its side for approximately three months to engage with CSA on the MOU and to deal with the key elements to enable player contracts to be finalised well in advance of 30th April 2018, being the date on which the majority of player contracts end. In past MOU’s the key elements have always been agreed by the end of February at the latest to ensure a proper player contracting process can take place well in advance of expiry dates. Unfortunately our attempts to date have been met with very little response from CSA and much of our correspondence has gone unanswered.”

 

“We have now reached a point where many of our players could be out of contract in less than two weeks. The effect of this runs across the player group from senior players who play for the Proteas to young players seeking to make their way in franchise cricket.”

 

“The delays have created an environment of uncertainty for players, and also for Franchises who wish to secure their players. This comes at a time when South African cricket needs to do whatever it can to retain its players in the face of competing opportunities afforded to players in the emerging T20 leagues market and also in the UK. A key recommendation of CSA’s National Teams Review Report released last year was the implementation of an effective retention strategy.”

 

“CSA further announced in yesterday’s release that it is willing to extend existing player contracts. This has caused confusion because it doesn’t cater for what is actually happening on the ground for many players. Some players have already been told that they will no longer be contracted, some will be moving between national and franchise contracts, some will be moving between franchises and some will be first time franchise players. Extensions of contract are simply unworkable for all of these players”

 

“Although CSA now acknowledges in its media statement that concluding the MOU has become a matter of urgency it goes on to suggest that a new agreement may only be finalised in July. We do not understand why such a long further delay may be necessary. We believe that the new MOU is likely to be substantially similar to the existing one in most respects”

 

“Whilst SACA does not have an issue with clarifying the relationship between it and CSA we urge CSA to prioritise finalising the key elements of the MOU so that there is a greater degree of certainty and security for players going forward. Our players deserve that.”
“Should an interim arrangement be necessary because finalisation of all the key elements can’t now be done by 30th April, then we believe that this needs to be agreed with SACA, before any further media statements are made, to ensure that it is workable and that it aligns with, and feeds into, the MOU once finalised.”

 

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ELGAR LEADS PROTEAS REVIVAL

Dean Elgar struck one of the finest centuries for his country to help the Standard Bank Proteas fight back from early trouble to end day one of the first Test against New Zealand with honours even at the University Oval in Dunedin on Wednesday.
 
The left-hander showed nerves of steel as he batted through the day to end unbeaten on 128 (262 balls, 22 fours) – South Africa reaching stumps on 229/4.
 
Elgar’s seventh career century was his second-longest in terms of balls, with the highest being the 316 deliveries he faced for 127 against Australia in Perth last year. It also came on the back of the tourists being in a huge hole at the start after they slipped to 22/3 in the first 19 overs against a disciplined Black Caps attack. Faf du Plessis (52 off 118 balls, 7 fours) and Temba Bavuma (37 not out) were also integral to the recovery.
 
The visiting captain won the toss at the start and took the rare option to bat first, the first time such a decision had been made in 22 Test matches in New Zealand – the last being in a clash between the hosts and Pakistan in Wellington during 2011. But it looked a questionable call as Stephen Cook (3), Hashim Amla (1) and JP Duminy (1) were all dismissed early, the latter pair removed within the space of five Neil Wagner (2/59) deliveries.
Elgar, who was dropped by wicketkeeper BJ Watling on 36, and Du Plessis then dug in as they put on 126 for the fourth wicket to give the innings a significant boost.
 
After the skipper fell to Jimmy Neesham (1/29), Bavuma proved the perfect foil with a typically determined 101-ball knock that enabled a further 81 to be added to the total with the visitors ending the day in the ascendancy.
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PROTEAS GO 4-0 UP BUT THARANGA TAKES MATCH TO THE WIRE

Faf du Plessis played one of the innings of his life and then had to watch helplessly as Sri Lanka’s acting captain, Upul Tharanga, almost stole his thunder in a memorable fourth Momentum ODI at PPC Newlands on Thursday.

In the end the Standard Bank Proteas achieved what looked like a clear-cut win by 40 runs to go 4-0 up in the series and extend their winning home run to 13 matches but it was anything but that. Sri Lanka were right in the game until the start of the 44th over when Kagiso Rabada, as he has often done in his brief career, broke the menacing fifth wicket partnership of 79 runs between Sandun Weerakkody and Asela Gunaratne that sparked an astonishing collapse that saw Sri Lanka lose their last 6 wickets for 20 runs off 27 balls.

Earlier in the day Du Plessis had made the second highest score ever by a Proteas of 185 (141 balls, 16 fours and 3 sixes) – only Gary Kirsten has done better with his 188 against the United Arab Emirates at the 1996 World Cup – to set Sri Lanka what seemed an impossible victory target of 368, bearing in mind they had been unable to score even 200 in the preceding three matches.

Du Plessis became the 9th Protea to make a score of 150 or better although there have been 12 instances in all with Hashim Amla having achieved the feat 3 times and Herschelle Gibbs twice. Remarkably, all of the top five Protea batsmen in the current first-choice XI – Amla, Quinton de Kock, Du Plessis, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy – have now achieved this feat.

The Proteas’ total was also the highest ever at PPC Newlands and meant that they had made totals of 300 plus in back-to-back games at this venue this season. They had previously made 327/8 against Australia in the famous whitewash series last year.

If the Proteas thought they were as good as home at the halfway stage, Tharanga certainly had other ideas. He took the lead with his consistent partner, Niroshan Dickwella, in putting on exactly 100 in the 10 power play overs with 13 fours and 4 sixes. This compared with the 59/1 the Proteas had managed at the same stage. He went on to finish with 119 (90 balls, 11 fours and 7 sixes). He and Du Plessis finished with almost identical strike rates.

Tharanga is no stranger to this sort of performance. He and the legendary Sanath Jayasuriya put on 286 in 32 overs for the first wicket against England at Headingley in 2006 and then he and Mahela Jayawardene added 213 in 38.4 overs for the first wicket against India in 2013. On the former occasion the pair posted 133 in the first 10 overs!

The Sri Lankans stayed miles ahead of the required run rate and De Villiers had to turn to Wayne Parnell for his get out of jail card. The latter made a concerted short ball attack to remove both the No.3, Kusal Mendis, and Tharanga in the space of three deliveries in a spell of 2/8 in 3 overs and he was then backed up by Rabada with 1/19 in his three that included a dropped catch that went for tour.

It was clearly going to boil down to which side held their nerve better and it appeared to be going Sri Lanka’s way when the Proteas dropped another catch in the deep to prolong the fifth wicket partnership even further.

But the match turned back the Proteas’ way when Rabada struck, Imran Tahir got two wickets in his last over, Dwaine Pretorius also got one and then Parnell cleaned up the tail to finish with the figures of 4/58 that were highly impressive in the circumstances.

It was statistically at least one of the great games played at Newlands in this format and victory here would have meant more to Sri Lanka than their success in the T20 Series. They lifted their game to a new level against what was to all intents and purposes a full strength Proteas line-up.

Du Plessis was named Momentum Man of the Match but it was an evening when it could easily have been shared.

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RABADA TAKES TEN TO HAD PROTEAS NEWLANDS VICTORY

South Africa took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Test series by claiming the last six wickets before lunch on the fourth morning at Newlands as Sri Lanka continued their ill-disciplined ways, a Test side irredeemably trapped in limited-overs mode. On the evidence of their tour of England last summer, and now here, in a changing cricketing world their appetite for the Test game cannot entirely be taken for granted.

The chief beneficiary of Sri Lanka’s faulty mind-set was fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who took four more wickets to finish with 6 for 55 and ten in the match for next to nothing.

Rabada’s graceful fast bowling has been one of the delights of the past year. That said, he is too talented and level headed to become over-excited about the praise that will fall upon him. A gentle shake of the head at a gimme wicket after Dinesh Chandimal chipped a stray delivery to square leg served as the perfect image of a morning when several gifts were bestowed upon him. His realism did him great credit.

Sri Lanka had anticipated a possible Test return to South Africa next year, but suggestions are growing that they might be jilted in favour of India. A 206-run win in Port Elizabeth has been followed by a 282-run margin in Cape Town. Big countries like to win; they also like to feel they have been in a fight.

Far from being a surface that was unfairly doctored to home team demands, this Newlands pitch possessed enough pace and bounce to provide captivating cricket and reward good batsmen and bowlers alike. Vibrant cricket is interesting cricket. Concentration needed other companions, not least cricketing nous and bloody-mindedness. Sri Lanka, overly given to limited-overs habits, were not up to it.

Rabada has looked a grand fast bowler in the making ever since he made his mark in Test cricket in South Africa’s home series against England, his action smooth, his development fast and his demeanour underlining that successful fast bowling does not necessarily have to come with glares and curses.

Sri Lanka, resuming on 130 for 4, retained three specialist batsmen as they sought to delay South Africa’s victory. All tossed their wickets aside like picture cards on top of a trump. Within 40 minutes, Rabada had dismissed not only Chandimal, but Upul Tharanga and the captain Angelo Mathews.

If anybody still wondered why Tharanga, a one-day opener, is carded in a Test to follow a group of ingénues and bat at No 7, his innings provided the answer. Met by a posse of close fielders, Tharanga struck three of his first balls for four with the air of a man who had no intention of hanging around. His downfall came in Rabada’s next over when he cut at a wide one which did not get up and under-edged to the keeper.

Rabada’s next two wickets did have intrinsic worth. Mathews’ attempt to drive a back-of-a-length ball of the back foot was exposed by challenging pace and bounce. And the dismissal of Suranga Lakmal was excellent: two hostile short balls in a row, the first of them fended uncertainly to short leg, the second deflecting off the glove to the wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock. Even then, with four wickets in a spell, Rabada’s response was gentle.

Amid all this mayhem, Kyle Abbott’s final Test could hardly have been more commonplace. Abbott pounded a challenging line, but to no avail: wicketless in the match.

Rangana Herath collected an unbeaten 35 while South Africa awaited the kill. It came with de Kock’s stumping of Lahiru Kumara as he made room to drive Keshav Maharaj through the off side and, finally, the splaying of Nuwan Pradeep’s stumps by Vernon Philander. And Johannesburg is next, the most demanding test of all

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DU PREEZ STEPS DOWN AS PROTEAS WOMEN’S CAPTAIN

Proteas women’s captain Mignon du Preez announced on Tuesday that she will be stepping down from the captaincy in all formats with immediate effect.

Du Preez will be succeeded by Dane van Niekerk.

Du Preez cited a desire to work on her game as the main motivation for stepping down. The announcement comes a month ahead of the team’s tour to Ireland in July.

Du Preez led the Momentum Proteas in 46 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), 50 T20s and one Test match in her four years at the helm. Her greatest achievement was to lead the side to its first ever ICC Women’s World T20 semi-final in 2014 and she was also the first women’s captain to beat India and Bangladesh in ODI series away from home.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision and took a lot of introspection, but ultimately I believe that this is the best step forward not only for myself, but for the team,” Du Preez said.

“Stepping down from the captaincy role will give me an opportunity to work on my own game, which has taken a downturn in the last couple of seasons. I believe I can make a better contribution by putting runs on the board and offering support and advice to the next captain.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Cricket South Africa for the faith that they have shown in me for the last five years in granting me the privilege of being the captain of the national women’s team. I would also like to thank my team mates and our management staff for all of their support over the years and for helping me make the Momentum Proteas the team that it is today.

“I would be remiss to fail to mention Momentum and my personal sponsors for their support and kindness towards me over the years. I hope that I can be an even better batter and continue to make you all proud.

“Finally, I would like to wish incoming captain, Dane van Niekerk, all the best in her new role. It is a thoroughly deserved appointment and I look forward to watching her grow in this all important role.”

Cricket South Africa (CSA) General Manager Corrie van Zyl thanked Du Preez for her contribution.

“We (as CSA) respect and accept Mignon’s decision to relieve herself of her captaincy duties and understand the reasoning behind the decision. As a senior player and now former captain, she will still have a massive supporting role to play for the new captain and in assisting in the further grooming of the youngsters coming into the national team,” he said.

“We would like to thank her for her many years of service and look forward to seeing her star continue to rise on the international stage and hope that she reaches the new goals that she has set for herself.

“At the same time, we would like to congratulate Dane van Niekerk and thank her for taking on this new role in the team. We look forward to watching her lead the team to many a victory in the future.”

Twenty-three-year-old Van Niekerk said she was both humbled and excited by the appointment.

“This is the biggest honour of my career so far,” she said.

“Captaining my country has been a dream since I began playing cricket and I am humbled that CSA have chosen me for the job. I would like to thank Mignon for paving the way and bringing the team this far. I look forward to filling her shoes as best I can and moving the team forward.”

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PROTEAS CONFIRMED TO PLAY ADELAIDE DAY-NIGHT TEST

CSA announced today that the third Test against Australia in Adelaide, starting on 24 November 2016, will be a day-night fixture.

“Following careful consideration and engagement with all our Test players, and acknowledging the need to exploit the potential of playing day-night Test match cricket, I am pleased to announce that we have agreed with Cricket Australia to proceed with this fixture,” said CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat.

The Proteas are currently scheduled to arrive in Australia in mid-October and will proceed immediately to Adelaide to play a warm-up match with a pink ball under lights as part of their preparations. This will be the very first time they will be exposed to such conditions.

An additional warm-up match under lights prior to the third Test is also being planned, giving the players a further opportunity to acclimatize to the pink ball.

In addition to the warm-up matches, the first four-day match of the upcoming A series tour between Australia A and South Africa A, starting on 30 July, will also be played with a pink ball, providing some of the potential Test players further opportunities to acclimatize to the pink ball.

“Our Proteas were initially hesitant to play such a key Test match without previous experience and adequate preparation but after working through all their concerns and the possible options to prepare sufficiently, there is new-found excitement for this novel Test match.  Our players deserve credit for the way they have worked through their concerns which were clearly not insignificant.

“I want to express appreciation to my counterpart, James Sutherland, for his understanding of the issues and willingness to accede to our requests for adequate preparation as well as to the South African Cricketers’ Association for their support and assistance in working through the issues,” concluded Mr. Lorgat.

James Sutherland, the Chief Executive for Cricket Australia, welcomed the decision by Cricket SA and the Proteas.

“Cricket fans will be delighted to hear the news that the third match of the Test series against South Africa will be played as a day-night match, particularly those planning to attend Adelaide Oval,” said Sutherland

“Nearly 124 000 people attended the inaugural day-night Test match in Adelaide last year and there has been great anticipation about future day-night Tests since.  It’s wonderful that the next one in Australia will be against South Africa. This announcement will further fuel the excitement about what promises to be a fascinating series between formidable rivals.

“I would like to acknowledge the open manner in which Cricket South Africa and the South African Cricketers’ Association have worked through this matter with us. We look forward to welcoming the South African players to Australia in late October and offering them the best possible preparation ahead of the series.  We know everyone involved will relish the challenge and fully expect the Test match will be a memorable occasion,” Sutherland added.

There’s excitement in the Proteas camp following the confirmation of this match. “As players, we are really happy to have grown our confidence to play a day-night Test match in a positive way,” commented Standard Bank Proteas captain, AB de Villiers. “We were never against this exciting concept, but only wanted to give ourselves the best opportunity of competing in conditions that will be new and foreign to us. Two warm-up matches will hopefully give us an idea of what to expect and hopefully our preparations will help us to adapt accordingly.

“This will be the first time that our players in the Test squad will play pink ball Test match cricket in front of such a large crowd and to be part of this novel concept will no doubt be a landmark moment in all of our careers,” he said in conclusion.

 

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SHAMZI NAMED IN PROTEAS ODI SQUAD

 

Tabraiz Shamsi today was named as a new cap in the Proteas ODI squad for the triangular series in the Caribbean next month against hosts, the West Indies, and Australia.

The Unlimited Titans 26-year-old left-arm wrist spinner will become the 116th player to represent the Proteas in the 50 overs format.

“We have opted for three specialist spinners as we anticipate the pitches in the Caribbean to be on the slow side,” commented CSA selection committee convener, Linda Zondi. “Tabraiz has certainly earned his call-up following outstanding form both in our domestic cricket and in some of the major domestic T20 leagues including the Caribbean Premier League.

“He has shown what he can do in the T20 leagues against international batsmen. I am quite excited about the state of our spin bowling and the variety we have. We are sending two wrist spinners to the Caribbean plus left-arm and right-arm finger spin options. Spin bowling is becoming an increasingly important part of both limited overs formats and we are only just over a year away from the ICC Champions Trophy Tournament in England.

“In the short term our immediate focus must be to get back among the top ranked Test nations and for this reason we are resting Dale Steyn for this tour. He is vital to our ambitions in the longest format and he is going to have a heavy workload in the months ahead with home and away series against New Zealand, a home series against Sri Lanka and an away Test series in Australia which is where we need to perform,” explained Zondi. “He is certainly not out of the ODI picture and could well feature in the home series against Australia later this year.”

Wayne Parnell returns to the Proteas ODI squad for the first time since last year’s ICC World Cup in Australasia. “Wayne has the ability to become a quality all-rounder for us and, like Tabraiz, he is being rewarded for outstanding domestic form,” concluded Zondi.

Faf du Plessis has been included in the squad despite the current injury to his finger, and is expected to return to action for the Proteas’ second match of the triangular series. Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee explained:

“Faf sustained a broken left ring finger during the IPL two weeks ago and had fixation surgery to repair the bone tip this Tuesday in Cape Town. The surgery was a success and we are expecting a period of between four to five weeks for a full recovery. At this stage we are targeting for him to return to action for our second ODI against Australia on June 7.”

Proteas ODI squad: AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Kyle Abbott (Warriors), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Farhaan Behardien (The Unlimited Titans), Quinton de Kock (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (The Unlimited Titans), Imran Tahir (Sunfoil Dolphins), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Chris Morris (The Unlimited Titans), Wayne Parnell (Cape Cobras), Aaron Phangiso (bizhub Highveld Lions), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rilee Rossouw (VKB Knights), Tabraiz Shamsi (The Unlimited Titans).

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PLAYERS VOICE THEIR CONCERNS OVER DAY-NIGHT TEST MATCH

AB de Villiers, South Africa’s Test captain, has voiced concerns over the day-night match in Adelaide and has suggested that a few Australia players may also be reluctant to go ahead with the game.

The third Test of the series between Australia and South Africa has been allotted to Adelaide between November 24 and 28, according to the 2016-17 summer fixtures released by Cricket Australia, but there is no confirmation yet on whether this will be a day-night game. With the possibility of a No. 1 Test ranking at stake in the match, de Villiers said that that a day-night game could be “fundamental change” to the itinerary.

“At the moment, we are not too keen on playing in the proposed day-night Test match due to a few concerns that have come from a number of sources involved in the maiden Test played last year,” he told Independent Media. “We had a meeting with Steven Smith and some of the Australian players when they toured here earlier this year, and the consensus from our talks were that there are just too many unknowns. Players from both teams were reluctant to go ahead with it.

“South Africa and Australia have a great cricketing rivalry, and this is a series that we value. We could well be playing for an opportunity to regain the No.1 Test ranking, so playing a day-night match is a fundamental change to the itinerary.

The first ever day-night Test, between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide last year, was dominated by quick bowlers and ended in three days with a three-wicket win for the hosts. De Villiers raised doubts about the durability of the pink-ball used in the format, and said that alterations to the pitch, to reduce wear and tear on the ball, were also a significant factor.

“The pink ball has had some issues with how it responds to 80 overs of Test cricket and that is one of the key issues that we feel plays a big role in the success of the day-night Test,” De Villiers said. “The pitch also had to be ‘doctored’ to minimise the abrasive wear and tear to the pink ball, which seems to happen quicker than the red ball, and this is also an area we feel is a big factor in the run of play.”

De Villiers did not believe that a practice match could help his side adjust to the pink ball: “I don’t think it (warm-up game) will. I don’t think it’s something that you acclimatize to in one match and the intensity of an international cricket match also brings in other factors which are hard to replicate in a warm-up match.”

South Africa fast-bowler Dale Steyn, meanwhile, said he is keen to play a day-night Test in his career. “I don’t want to go through my whole career without playing a day-night game,” Steyn told cricket.com.au in Rajkot where he is playing the IPL . “How cool are they? I thought it looked awesome when New Zealand and Australia played one. It looked entertaining, there was a big crowd. The ball is pink – it’s something different. You want to test your skills with that whole thing and it’s very exciting.”

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THE ALL-ROUNDER

Vernon Philander is one of a growing list of Proteas players who’ve enhanced their long-term career prospects without compromising their on-field careers.


In 2014 the 30-year-old Proteas opening bowler and lower order batsman completed a course in project management through GetSmarter, choosing this course because of off-the-field activities he had become involved in…


“I was involved in a couple of projects but at times I was struggling with the planning and management of them, that’s why I signed up for the course,” Philander explains. “I wasn’t always that organised so sometimes running the projects concurrently was a bit of chaos, but the course gave me some good tools in discipline and management.”


The projects Philander refers to are those run through his Vernon Philander Foundation, established in late 2013 to give back to his community.


“Where I come from many children can’t see that there are opportunities beyond what their brothers, sisters, uncles, and so on are involved in,” he says. “The intention is to give these children a better outlook on life and the tools to cope with it – not everything has to be about gangsterism and drugs. The starting point is Ravensmead, where I grew up, and we work closely with an organisation called Second Chance. One of the guys involved in that project was caught up in drugs while the other has been a world champion dancer. They have shown that you can make something out of nothing, and the way they tell their stories really gets across to the children.”


The inspiration behind Philander’s foundation came through his interaction with Gill Taylor, education and training manager at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. Taylor is also the national manager of the Macsteel Maestros, both of which the SACA Player Plus programme are partnered with.
“She opened up my mind to the fact that you don’t have to be stuck in where you come from,’ Philander adds. ‘Sometimes we get wrapped up in our bubble thinking we’re stuck in the life we’re in, but we can all make a name for ourselves in our lives.”


One of Philander’s big goals is to expand the reach of his foundation, which is why he felt the need to upskill himself. Through discussions with his SACA PDM, Ruan Schlebusch, they identified the UCT Project Management Foundations course as the perfect one for him. However, his schedule with the national team posed challenges when it came to handing in assignments and writing exams.


“The one moment that stands out was when we were playing against Sri Lanka [in July 2014],” Philander remembers. “The internet connection was quite bad so I was struggling to get something in on time. I have to commend GetSmarter, because they were very understanding of my situation and it’s great that we can write exams anywhere in the world. If I had to do a course where I had to go to class, I would have struggled to fit it in.”


Philander is also thankful for SACA’s support during the 10-week course.


“Ruan was brilliant at checking in that I was still enjoying the course and finding it helpful. The SACA Player Plus programme is excellent motivation for us players to take a little time away from cricket to help set ourselves up for the outside world.”


Buoyed by this experience, Philander plans to tackle another course in the near future.
“I’m looking to do a course in property development, which is also an interest of mine through someone I know,” he says. “By the time I’m finished with the cricket side of things I’ll be able to focus on growing that side too.”


Ordinarily Philander would currently be at the tail end of a cricket season, but instead he has spent the past four months recovering from an ankle injury sustained during a warm-up before the second Test against India last November. He admits it’s been frustrating, but it’s also freed up time to explore even more opportunities beyond the game.


“I’ve become involved in a company called PDV Marketing that does artificial grass – it’s helped me broaden my avenues,’ he adds. ‘The business is growing quite rapidly and it’s helped to take my mind off cricket during a tough time when I haven’t been able to what I love. As can be imagined, it would be tough for anybody to not be able to work for four months.”


When not with physios doing rehab or spending time at his foundation, Philander has also been a regular at Parow Golf Club (where he plays off a 7 handicap) and spending time with his nearest and dearest.


“I always find time for golf,” says Philander animatedly. ‘It’s important to find time to do the things you enjoy – life is so busy that you can sometimes forget about yourself. So every now and again I clear a day or so to get on the course. It helps to clear my mind, as does spending time with my girlfriend. We try hard to enhance each other’s lives by pushing each other to be better. We really enjoy hiking and trail running together, and now that I’m mobile again it’s great to be able to do these things with her.”
Ultimately, Philander believes that if you align all the aspects in your life with the things you’re interested in, you’ll be all the better for it.


“You have to learn to be smart about the choices you make in life. If you do so they will no doubt enhance you as a person. My motto is: Don’t waste time in your life.”

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BROADENED HORIZONS

In the midst of her busiest international season to date, Proteas Women’s player Trisha Chetty is still finding time for off-the-field objectives – without her form suffering.

Proteas Women’s Team batter and wicketkeeper Trisha Chetty is riding the crest of a wave at the moment. Not only is she part of the national squad currently in India for the ICC Women’s World T20, but her recent form suggests she will be key to the objectives of the team both there and in the future. On top of that, Chetty has also made time for dual career opportunities, by studying online.

“I signed up for the Introduction to Exercise Science course offered by the ,” says Chetty. “It wasn’t a long course – the maximum time you have to complete it is six months, but you can finish it in less.”
Identifying a course suited to her interests and schedule proved easy, with Chetty’s SACA Personal Development Manager Kirsten van Heerden there to guide her through the process of making an informed choice applying for a bursary and supporting her through the duration of the course.

“When I decided to take my studies further, Kirsten was more than helpful to me – from registration straight to the final exam. Sport is what I love and I have an interest in coaching, so it didn’t take us long to identify a suitable course.”

Chetty found, as most professional cricketers have, that the online route fitted perfectly into her schedule.

“Every aspect of the course is online, from assessments to the actual final exam. Online was more convenient for me because we travel and are away from home a lot of the time.”

She does, however, admit to a bit of final exam angst, as the allocated time to finish the course came and went rather quickly. Yet she really enjoyed being able to study whenever and wherever she was. The opportunity to have your studies funded has been a positive spin-off, with the women’s game taking big steps in recent years – including contracted players being registered as SACA members. The majority of the national Women’s squad are now fully contracted players, which apart from the financial benefits has also lead to full SACA Player Plus access – which Chetty is thankful for.

“Thanks to Momentum we have 14 contracted women players. This financial help enables us to focus more on improving our game. The SACA Player Plus Programme helps us plan better for our future after cricket, so now we can relax and focus on our game.” As a result, Chetty hasn’t only called on Van Heerden, who is based in her hometown of Durban, for dual career objectives. Van Heerden, a former Olympic swimmer, is also a qualified sports and performance psychologist so has proved a good sounding board to the 27-year-old whose dual role in the national team necessitates being focused at all times.

“I feel pressure lifted off my shoulders knowing I have something to fall back on after cricket. As a result, it’s helping me concentrate more on my game and I’m able to play freely.”

Chetty did just that in the series leading into the tournament in India, showing some of her best form since making her debut in the green and gold in 2007. She scored a fluent 66 in the successful run chase against England in the second ODI before a plucky 46 in the First T20I in Paarl – which was lost despite her efforts.

Though the West Indies Women ultimately won the ODI series that followed, Chetty put together scores of 47, 51, and 55 in the three matches – the last being a match-winning knock. All the while, she has remained her usual tidy self behind the stumps.

With her course done and dusted, Chetty is left to focus completely on her game at the moment, but she intends to broaden her horizons even more once the World T20 is over.

“I definitely want to do more courses through the Player Plus programme when I get back from the World Cup in India.”

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LAW AND (KEEPING) ORDER

Stephen Cook displayed a calm head and sound judgement in making a century on Test debut, exactly the attributes that has helped him beyond the boundary ropes.

If you thought Stephen Cook looked unflappable while meticulously compiling a century on Test debut against England, consider that the 33-year-old has an LLB degree, captains the Highveld Lions, sits on the SACA Executive Committee and is a family man.

“From an early age my parents instilled in me the importance of academics and being well-rounded,” Cook recalls. “Even as my sporting career started to blossom I was always encouraged to apply my mind to my studies. What helped was that I’ve always been a fairly disciplined person and also my mom and dad are both teachers by profession and helped me a lot too.”

So how did the opening batsman settle on law as a field of study?

“It is an interesting story. After school I was going to enrol at RAU, which is now UJ, to study sports management but then I got included in the national academy [that 2002 intake included Hashim Amla, Ryan McLaren, Rory Kleinveldt, Johan Botha and Alviro Petersen] so I ended up not studying. That was probably the biggest blessing for me as it gave me an extra year to mature and find out what I was really interested in so in 2003 I enrolled to do a BCom Law. I wasn’t 100 percent sure if law was exactly what I wanted to do, so I hedged my bets and did economics and law as my two majors. I finished that degree in three years, then took 2006 off from my studies to go and play club cricket in England for Reading CC. When I returned I decided to do an LLB, which took me a further three years, so I had a double degree at the end of it.”

As it happened, Cook broke the South African first-class record by scoring 390 at the tail-end of his final year in 2009, but studying wasn’t all plain sailing…

“It was hard work at times, I won’t lie. What started as a three year degree ended up as a six year endeavour and over that time the game became more and more professional and the time constraints became even tighter.”

Cook further highlights how the changes in the local game altered his schedule.

“I was fortunate that I started my career before the franchise era. We’d have practices at three in the afternoon, which left me with most of my day to focus on studying, but towards the end guys were clocking in at 9am for gym sessions. Once it changed, I had to be incredibly disciplined with my work. However I also had fellow students willing to help me when I missed lectures.”

Despite other sacrifices, Cook sums up that period as ‘good times’…

“I can remember many an evening where the boys were going out to celebrate but I was holed up in my hotel room studying for an exam or a test the next day. There were also a few moments where I felt I was missing out, but in the end it was all worth it. Studying law offered up some interesting cases so when we were sitting in the change rooms there was always a hive of activity around my case law books with the guys asking a lot of ‘what would happen if…’ questions. The guys embraced it and the coaches always understood that studying was an important part of my life and gave me that flexibility to miss a practice or leave early. There a lot of people to thank, without whom it would have been nearly impossible to complete such a tough degree.”

With his recent elevation to the national team, Cook’s focus right now is on cementing his place with the Proteas, but that doesn’t mean his legal training is going to waste.

“In recent years I’ve been on the SACA Executive Committee, which allows me to use my legal background. I see my role as a player representative and I like to think that because I have lots of experience, and am quite mature and level headed I’m a good problem solver and balance everyone’s interests. One of the main causes I’ve been championing has been setting up a players’ committee so that there’s more involvement from us in terms of scheduling, umpiring and disciplinary procedures… all the side issues that people don’t see every day but play a big role in players’ lives. Other things include making sure all the franchise players are on the same page in terms of playing regulations.”

In addition to all these duties there’s his eight-year marriage to Laura, their toddler Elianna, and captaining the Highveld Lions to consider.

“Mary-Jane Goebel, our PDM [Personal Development Manager] at the Lions, has been excellent during the last few years while I’ve been captain, letting me know about summits and alternative ideas and forwarding articles. She makes guys realise that there’s more to life than just cricket, which is particularly important for the younger guys.

“Being a dad also brings a great perspective to life. If I think about it, the times that I’ve played my best cricket have been when I’ve had other things going on in my life. For instance if I got a duck, I couldn’t dwell on it if I had to go write an exam, likewise now when my daughter smiles at me or shouts ‘dada!’ a low score is quickly pushed to the back of my mind. Sometimes I think players get too happy when they do well and too sad when they don’t, so anything that moderates your mind-set can only be good for you. I’m a big advocate in that.”

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STEPHEN COOK JOINS PROTEAS TEST SQUAD

Cricket South Africa (CSA) today added Stephen Cook to the Castle Lager Proteas squad for the final Sunfoil Test match against England, starting at SuperSport Park on Friday.

The bizhub Highveld Lions opening batsman currently tops the Sunfoil Series batting averages with 415 runs at an average of 83 including two centuries. If he does gain selection for the final XI he will part of the first ever father and son combination to represent the Proteas in a Test match.

His father, Jimmy, played in three Test matches against India and Sri Lanka between 1992 and 1993.

“Stephen has been in excellent form this season,” commented CSA Selection Convener, Linda Zondi, and gives us another option at the top of the order.”

Castle Lager Proteas Test squad: AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Kyle Abbott (Sunfoil Dolphins), Hashim Amla (Cape Cobras), Temba Bavuma (bizhub Highveld Lions), Stephen Cook (bizhub Highveld Lions), Quinton de Kock (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (the Unlimited Titans), Dean Elgar (The Unlimited Titans), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Chris Morris (The Unlimited Titans), Dane Piedt (Cape Cobras), Kagiso Rabada (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rilee Rossouw (VKB Knights), Dale Steyn (Cape Cobras), Stiaan van Zyl (Cape Cobras), Hardus Viljoen (bizhub Highveldl Lions).

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REAPING THE BENEFITS

Proteas Women all-rounder Sune Luus discovered that SACA Player Plus access played a big part in 2015 being one of the best years of her life

Thanks to her leg-spinning and game-closing batting, Sune Luus has been playing for the Proteas Women since she was a 16-year-old in high school. Her fortune is that in the intervening four years, she’s witnessed women’s cricket gain prominence, sponsors, fans and access to opportunities – the SACA Player Plus programme being one – like never before.

It helped her out of a quandary when she finished school in 2014…

“After matriculating I was basically in two minds. I was thinking of studying to be a teacher but I was worried that with all the touring and trying to go to class I’d struggle. Then we had a team gathering at the HPC in Pretoria with SACA where it was mentioned I could do a diploma geared towards elite athletes at University of Pretoria. It’s a year course but you can do it over two years which covers first year Sport Science and first year Education,” Luus says.

She immediately put up her hand, and found the subsequent process very easy.

“Applying for a bursary was really easy,” she recalls. “Our PDM Ruan Schlebusch gave me the application form, I filled it in, and he said he would take care of the rest… which he did. He was really helpful, there were no hassles.”

On top of that Luus, who turned 20 on January 5, found her first year in university rewarding, having spent very little time actually at Die Hoerskool Menlopark in her Matric year.

“I think I spent about three months at school in Matric because of how busy we were [thanks to tours to Qatar, Bangladesh and England] so last year was just so amazing being able to walk around campus, meet new people and have long training sessions in the afternoon. Initially, going to university was quite a scary idea, especially when I saw I’d have to wake up early for some 7:30 classes but it was a great journey… one of the best year’ of my life.”

Luus’ time-management will be tested this year though. After only one tour in 2015, the Proteas host England, West Indies, Bangladesh and New Zealand with the World Twenty20 in India in the middle.

“I do quite well on my own, but everybody needs support. My two loving parents are very supportive as is my brother who’s doing an honours in agriculture and knows what I’ll go through. Also, I grew up in a hardworking home, and apart from them my cricket teammates and coaches support me as well while my friends are always sending me SMS’ encouraging me.”

What about the university, will they be accommodating?

“Definitely, the course is geared towards elite athletes so lecturers help us a lot by sending our work via email and then we can send it back. I will also take my work with me wherever I travel.”

Having gone for the two-year option, and all things being well, Luus will end this year with a Higher Certificate in Sports Science [HCert (Sports Science)] with the option of choosing a more focussed degree in the Faculty of Humanities or Education. However, considering Momentum’s sponsorship of Cricket South Africa in 2013 allowed the women’s team to become contracted players, Luus could surely have just focused on cricket for now?

“We don’t get the same kind of money the Proteas men get so we can’t just play cricket, we have to get something behind our names. Also, we have to remember that if we get a long-term injury the contract won’t completely take care of you and somewhere along the line you’re going to have to stop whether you want to have children or age catches up. That said, it’s been awesome getting a contract and does make a difference. For example, after school my dad cut off my phone bill so I’ve been paying that and having money in the bank to pay for other expenses has been really helpful. Getting the bursary from SACA really helped too, because I might not be studying if it wasn’t for them.”

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“My experience with the Player Plus programme has really been a good one” – JP Duminy

Key Proteas player. SACA President. Husband. Father. JP Duminy has many elements to his life that he needs to balance. Having identified the need for personal development and plan for life after cricket, he recently added ‘student’ to that list too…

At only 31 and a key player in all three formats for the Proteas, JP Duminy could conceivably delay post-cricket thoughts for a few years still. Instead he has decided to lay the foundation for life after cricket during his playing career, to ensure a smooth transition.

“I guess I’m in a stage of my life now where I’m sort of looking at post cricket as well, and that is where the Player Plus programme has come into play and obviously SACA has been a huge influence in that,” says the current SACA President.

As it is, Duminy, being an elegant batsman who can also hit the ball big; a wicket-threatening off-spinner and agile fielder will have opportunities to extend his career post-Proteas if this was the route he wished to take. However, having that option hasn’t stopped him identifying what he wants to pursue in life when he does pack up his kit bag for the last time.

“My passion lies in dealing with people. I’m involved in one or two charities which is something I’d like to pursue further and I’ve also done a sports psychology course – working with sports psychologists has always intrigued me considering the sport I play. So I definitely want to help young cricketers come through from a mental side and it’s definitely something I will look into.”

Duminy didn’t identify these interests entirely on his own…

“I met up with my Personal Development Manager, Ruan Schlebusch, and we went through an array of questions in a questionnaire that identifies what your ambitions are or where your interests lie. That’s where I found that psychology might be something I want to go into… and me playing sport fits in well with me considering sports psychology. Hopefully I can make a great career out of it.”

Duminy took advantage of a SACA Player Plus bursary in 2014 by completing a course in Small Business Management through GetSmarter; the online nature of the course providing the necessary flexibility to fit into his schedule.

“We always have internet access wherever we’re touring so it was easy to access the information, the notes, the study material… I was privileged to be able to do something like that. Also, the great thing about it is that it’s not exam-based. It’s module-based so you have a week to do your module before handing it in – so it’s not studying per se but lots of research work. You don’t have to freak out about exams, which we don’t always get time to fit in in any case.”

Having last made a concerted effort to study in 2001, while completing Matric at Plumstead High School, Duminy is grateful for the support he has received while tackling dual career objectives so many years later.

“We have a huge amount of support from SACA and obviously our PDMs. They obviously identified how crucial it is for guys to be involved in a dual career – so not only looking after cricket but looking after life after cricket too. We’re privileged to have them as a support structure to put that in place for us.”

In the same vein, he is showing that if a national cricketer who spends up to eight months touring can manage to successfully engage in dual career activities, then all professional South African cricketers could be doing the same.

“I would definitely advise fellow cricketers to get involved in the Player Plus programme. My biggest regret is perhaps that I didn’t have these opportunities earlier in my career or be vigilant enough to study straight after school – it’s important for guys who are restricted in their career to have something else to fall back on. Also, I think it benefits you not only off the field but on the field as well. Maybe that’s where we as cricketers get it wrong as we put too much emphasis on cricket on its own and too much pressure on ourselves because we have to perform; but if we have something that takes our mind away from the game, it’s beneficial for us. I believe it’s important for young cricketers especially to get involved in the Player Plus programme – it’s been set up for us, it will benefit us and is being managed around our schedules which is obviously very important. My experience of the Player Plus programme has really been a good one.”

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“WORK EXPERIENCE IS KEY” – SHEZI

While a desire to return to the national fold is fuelling his sporting objectives, Cape Cobras bowler Mthokozisi Shezi is mindful of chasing personal development goals too

A cricketer’s off-season is usually spent resting their weary body, catching up with friends and family and setting goals for the season to come. That, or packing in experience by playing club or county cricket in the UK.

However, earlier this year, Cape Cobras left-arm seamer Mthokozisi Shezi gained experience of a different kind during a work placement at Momentum – sponsors of the domestic one-day cup.

“SACA approached me about it which I was very happy about and I was glad to accept. I wanted to learn how the corporate world works and see if I’m interested in that side of things,” Shezi says.

SACA Player Plus put Shezi in contact with Rory Gruss, an accredited financial advisor with programme partners Momentum, who put him at ease about what to expect.

“I’d been speaking to Rory so knew I was going to do three days [conveniently at the Momentum offices right next door to PPC Newlands] but I was still very nervous. My girlfriend dressed me up, as she said I needed to look formal.”

Initially, looking the part was all he had going for him.

“I remember on the Monday, the guys I spent time with had two cases to solve and watching three people sit together trying to do so was impressive but I must admit for the first 30 minutes I didn’t know what was going on because they were speaking in ‘work code’. That’s also when I realised how important it is to have real work experience and not just a diploma or a degree.”

As it is, the Pietermaritzburg-born 28-year-old already has the former and is currently working towards the latter.

“When I was still playing for the Dolphins, I completed a three-year diploma in sports management at Varsity College in Durban [after applying for and receiving a SACA Player Plus bursary]. When I finished that I said to myself let me do something corporate. After realising how much I like people and them being taken care of, my research led me to human resources – I’m studying that through Mancosa.”

Back to the work experience, what had Shezi learnt by the end of his three days?

“I was there to absorb… mostly by learning through listening but I also asked basic questions related to savings and shares for example. However, I’m really happy to know my finances are safe, because I’ve seen first hand how much they care. As a result, I’ve upped my investment because I now know where, how and when is being used.”

Buoyed by this year’s work experience, Shezi is already looking for an opportunity to do the same at the end of this season.

“I’m in the second year of my three-year HR degree. I’ll try for honours too, but I will be consulting Brad Player, my SACA Personal Development Manager, because next pre-season I want to do work experience in the HR field too. Instead of going to England I want to invest in doing work experience – I want to learn as much as possible and know that I can confidently walk into a job one day.”

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PROTEAS COLLAPSE PUTS INDIA AHEAD

India bowled the Castle Lager Proteas out virtually in one session to take a huge advantage into the second half of the final Freedom Series Test match at Delhi on Friday.

The Proteas had gone into tea on 38/1 with Temba Bavuma looking comfortable in his new role of opening batsman and there was no indication of what was to follow. But by the close of play the Proteas were all out for 121 with the opening stand of 36 between Bavuma and Elgar being easily the best of the innings. In all they lost 9/83 in the session.

India had taken their overnight 231/7 to a very handy 334 all out with Ajinkya Rahane (127 off 215 balls, 11 fours and 4 sixes) scoring his fifth Test century and his first on home soil. He was well supported by Ravi Ashwin (56 off 140 balls, 6 fours and a six) in a partnership of 98 for the eighth wicket.

It represented a huge turnaround from the position at tea on the first day when India were struggling at 139/6. What happened in the evening session thereafter was probably the turning point of the match.

There can be no excuses for the South African batting effort with the possible exception of AB de Villiers (42 off 78 balls, 5 fours), who was caught on the boundary as he ran out of partners.

All four Indian frontline bowlers dovetailed superbly together. Although Ravendra Jadeja took the individual honours with his fourth five-wicket haul (5/30 in 12 overs, all bowled in the final session), the Proteas struggled as much against reverse swing as they did against the spinners who did not get any particular advantage out of the pitch apart from the odd delivery that kept low.

Significantly, the best performances in this match have largely come from the new players brought into the team. Dane Piedt took 4 wickets on the first day and Kyle Abbott cleaned up the tail this morning to finish with an impressive 5/40 in 24.5 overs.

Bavuma may have made only 22 but he looked to the manner born. His judgment outside the off-stump was excellent as was his balance and footwork. There are advantages to being small in the game of cricket and Bavuma has adjusted his game plan well to the needs of the situation. There is every reason to retain him in this position for the start of the Test series against England.

India have been sharper than the Proteas everywhere that has counted and the first innings deficit of 213 has effectively put the Proteas out of the game.

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TITANS FACE TESTING WEEK IN BATTLE AT THE TOP

With four straight wins under their belt The Unlimited Titans may be the form team in the RAM SLAM T20, but they know that they face their toughest challenges in the competition this week, starting with Wednesday’s visit to the Sunfoil Dolphins. Losing to the Dolphins in their opening game, the Titans have gone on an impressive winning streak to sit level with their opponent at the top of the standings.

But this week sees them visit the Dolphins and then travel to Cape Town to take on the third-placed Cape Cobras on Friday, making it a crucial few days in the race for top spot and an automatic place in the final.

The Titans have retained the same squad that conquered the Warriors over the weekend, with coach, Rob Walter, enjoying the depth that he has found in his ranks.

“We’ve changed our team pretty much every game for varying reasons – from family loss to injury to game plans – so what’s nice is that the guys who have come in and got an opportunity to play have stood up and done something for us,” said Walter.

“So we’re happy with everyone’s form, and we want to be able to field a team that is specific to our opposition or the conditions, and know that whoever we bring in is in form and is ready to play. We obviously have good momentum, but I see Wednesday and Friday as being our biggest challenges.”

After winning their first four games, the Dolphins were finally felled on Sunday when Wayne Parnell engineered a five-wicket win for the Cobras.

“It’s just the nature of the game,” reflected Morne van Wyk. “It’s such a short format that you have to be on the ball all of the time, and it’s hard to claw yourself back if you aren’t.”

The Dolphins do, however, need to figure out their best combinations now that Kevin Pietersen has departed, Prenelan Subrayen has been banned from bowling and Kyle Abbott has flown to India to play for the Proteas.

After scoring 77 off just 46 balls for KZN Inland in the CSA Provincial T20 Challenge this weekend, Vaughn van Jaarsveld has returned to the Dolphins squad along with Sibonelo Makhanya.

While SuperSport Park’s quicker surface did not require a spinning ally for Keshav Maharaj on Sunday, replacing Subrayen, who took 4 for 22 the last time these teams met, may be a priority for Sahara Stadium Kingsmead’s conditions on Wednesday.

“It will be tough to replace him because he’s a star performer who’s done really well for us, but you need your squad to perform in a competition and it’s an opportunity for someone else to contribute and showcase their skills,” said Van Wyk.

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Dale Steyn Chosen as Wisden’s Leading Cricketer of 2013

Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn was chosen as Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World for 2013, a year in which he took 51 Test wickets in only nine games at an average of just 17.

Wisden described Steyn as “Fast, penetrative and parsimonious, it was some combination.”

The Five Cricketers of the Year, an honour dating back to 1889, were India’s Shikhar Dhawan, Australia duo Chris Rogers and Ryan Harris, England batsman Joe Root and England women’s captain Charlotte Edwards.

The Cricketer of the Year, the personal choice of the Wisden editor and an award that generally reflects performances in the previous English season, can, by tradition, only be won once in a player’s career.

Congratulate Dale on this prestigious  achievement.

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STEYN WINS IT AT THE DEATH

Dale Steyn bowled one of the great final overs in the history of T20 International cricket to earn the Blue Label Telecoms Proteas their first victory of the ICC World Twenty20 by a nail-biting two runs over New Zealand at Chittagong on Monday.

 

 

When Steyn started his final over, he faced the unenviable task of having only five runs to defend to secure victory, six to allow the game to go to a super over while New Zealand needed seven for victory.

 

As it turned out, Steyn conceded only four runs, took two wickets and made a run out off the last ball to complete a stunning victory by two runs. The world’s best bowler finished with figures of 4/17 plus the run out which he manufactured himself. He does have better figures of 4/9 against the West Indies in three overs but that effort pales into insignificance in the context of what happened today.

 

Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis, who took outstanding catches in that final over, also deserve credit for their contributions.

 

This is one occasion on which nobody can accuse the Proteas of not holding their nerve.

 

The match, in fact, was New Zealand’s to lose when they needed 55 off 40 balls with eight wickets intact and Ross Taylor just having hit Morne Morkel out of the attack with three successive sixes.

 

AB de Villiers then took a brilliant catch in the outfield off Steyn to remove Kane Williamson after a stand of 51 for the third wicket off only 31 balls.

 

New Zealand still had the match well in hand when they needed 29 runs off three overs, 21 off two overs and seven off the last over.

 

Taylor finished unbeaten on 62 (37 balls, 4 fours and 3 sixes) but crucially only faced one ball in the last over when his various partners lost the plot.

 

It was a tale of two heroes for the Proteas as Man-of-the-Match, JP Duminy, also produced one of his best ever efforts, making an unbeaten 86 off 43 balls (3 sixes and 10 fours) for a strike rate of 200 percent. He scored 39 of those runs in the last four overs when the Proteas slogged 57 runs to give themselves a total that proved to be just defendable.

 

Imran Tahir also played a key role in the middle of the innings with two wickets to give him five in the tournament to date.

 

The Proteas may only be in third place on run rate behind Sri Lanka and New Zealand but they have played both these teams and the latter two still have to play one another. If the Proteas beat the Netherlands on Thursday and England on Saturday, they will have every chance of finishing in the top two and qualifying for the semi-final.

 

Defeat today would have left their fate dependant on the results of other teams and that emphasizes the greatness of Steyn’s performance today.

 

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Miller and De Kock awarded National Contracts

THE Board of Directors of Cricket South Africa (CSA) approved the names of the 17 players proposed by the selection panel for national contracts for the 2014-2015 year. New contracts have been awarded to Quinton de Kock of the bizhub Highveld Lions and David Miller of the Sunfoil Dolphins.

 

The number of contracted players has been reduced from 22 to 17 in terms of the agreement reached between CSA and the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) for the period May 2014 to 2018.

 

“I am delighted that we recently signed a new Heads of Agreement with SACA,” commented CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat. “As expected, negotiating player terms that include earnings will always be challenging, but I was really pleased with the positive and mature way in which the negotiations were conducted.

 

“In addition to the 17 nationally contracted players CSA will also offer 12 top-up contracts for aspiring Franchise players who could be regarded as potential Proteas in the future. This group will only be selected once the Franchises have completed the contracting of their players.”

 

The Board also approved a request from the Chief Executive to consider multi-year contracts.

 

“I am pleased to announce a new development with eight of our top players being awarded two-year contracts as we try to reward and secure our major players. They deserve it!”, commented Mr. Lorgat.

 

The Board of CSA also announced a final one-year contract for Jacques Kallis to recognise his immense contribution to South African cricket over a long period of time and to secure his availability for the ODI squad. This contract does not form part of the 17-man national list as it is a special contract with specific terms.

 

“We are well aware of the incredible stature of Jacques and his personal desire to play in next year’s ICC World Cup. We want to help him as best as we can,” added Mr Lorgat.

 

CSA contracted players: Hashim Amla (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Quinton de Kock (bizhub Highveld Lions), AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Faf du Plessis (The Unlimited Titans), Imran Tahir (bizhub Highveld Lions), Rory Kleinveldt (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Ryan McLaren (Chevrolet Knights), David Miller (Sunfoil Dolphins), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Wayne Parnell (Chevrolet Warriors), Alviro Petersen (bizhub Highveld Lions), Robin Peterson (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Vernon Philander (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Graeme Smith (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Dale Steyn (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (bizhub Highveld Lions)

 

The Board meeting also considered a number of other topics at its scheduled meeting. Mr Lorgat reported on the successful ending and the highly positive outcomes achieved during the RAM SLAM T20 Challenge.

 

“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Ram Hand-to-Hand Couriers for their creativity and support which resulted in them winning the Best New Sponsorship award at last week’s Sports Industry Awards 2014.

 

“Spectator attendance was up by 43 percent and we had a sold-out crowd for the Final.

 

“The domestic TV audience for the Final match exceeded 400 000 and the total domestic audience over the 21 televised matches was 1.7million. For the first time we had global TV coverage and I believe this must be the reason why Beuran Hendricks – the record wicket-taker for the tournament – landed a lucrative IPL contract.”

 

The Board was also provided with updated financial reports for the current financial year which ends on 30 April. The Board thanked management for its efforts to reduce the impact of the curtailed India tour by sourcing new revenues and curbing costs.

 

“Although we will still achieve a surplus for the year, we are estimating this to be around R54m short against what we had budgeted for the year.” said Mr. Lorgat.

 

The Board also noted completion of the new High Performance Centre in Pretoria, within budget.

 

“We are really excited and we are naturally looking forward to the opening of this world class facility next month.” concluded Mr. Lorgat.

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Hendricks called up upto Proteas T20 squad

CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA (CSA)  named Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras left-arm seamer, Beuran Hendricks, as a new cap in the Proteas Blue Label Telecoms squad for the KFC T20 International Series against Australia as well as the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh next month.

 

It has been a stellar month for the 23-year-old who set a record for the most wickets during the RAM SLAM T20 Challenge and has earned a contract for the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the tournament’s defending champions, the Mumbai Indians, as a result of this form.

 

The other notable addition is that of The Unlimited Titans all-rounder, Albie Morkel, who returns to the T20 squad, having played the last of his 42 T20 International matches against India in Sri Lanka during the 2012 edition of the ICC World Twenty20. He is also a veteran of 58 ODI’s, the last of which was also in 2012 in New Zealand.

 

Proteas Blue Label Telecoms squad: Faf du Plessis (The Unlimited Titans, capt), Hashim Amla (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Farhaan Behardien (The Unlimited Titans), Quinton de Kock (bizhub Highveld Lions), AB de Villiers (The Unlimited Titans), JP Duminy (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Beuran Hendricks (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Imran Tahir (bizhub Highveld Lions), David Miller (Sunfoil Dolphins), Albie Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Morne Morkel (The Unlimited Titans), Wayne Parnell (Chevrolet Warriors), Aaron Phangiso (bizhub Highveld Lions), Dale Steyn (Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (bizhub Highveld Lions).

 

“Both Beuran and Albie fully deserve their selection following outstanding campaigns in the RAM SLAM T20,” commented CSA selection convener, Andrew Hudson. “As always, there are unlucky players but we feel we have chosen the right combination for the conditions we are likely to encounter on the sub-continent.

 

“Beuran’s claims could not be ignored and the experience that Albie will bring on board is important for a high profile tournament of this nature. The bulk of these players (11 out of 15) were part of our squad that won their T20 series in Sri Lanka last year under similar conditions.

 

“The Australian series will provide extremely competitive international cricket and will give our squad just the preparation they need for what we hope will be a successful campaign.”

 

Team Sponsor, Blue Label Telecoms, also sent their best wishes to the team.

 

“This is a very exciting and well led squad with significant strike power, and one which enjoys our full support and confidence for the ICC World Twenty20. We wish Faf and his team well and look forward to them returning as champions,” said Rob Fleming, Chief Marketing Officer, Blue Label Telecoms.

 

KFC T20 Internationals:

 

09 March 2014 – Axxess St Georges

12 March 2014 – Sahara Stadium Kingsmead

14 March 2014 – SuperSport Park

 

The team leaves for Bangladesh on 15 March.

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Amla drives South Africa after shaky start

On a track that is expected to be full of runs, and against arguably the mightiest batting line-up in the world, it was imperative that Pakistan’s bowlers made early breakthroughs. They did, three times in the morning session, but with the track easing out Hashim Amla added to the mountains of runs he has scored in recent years with an unbeaten half-century. Keeping him company at tea was JP Duminy, who made a brisk 36 in his first Test innings in over a year.

The new ball didn’t hoop around dramatically for the left-arm quicks but the returning Mohammad Irfan troubled the batsmen early on. Allied with a persistent offstump line, he got his typical extra bounce which led to a wicket in the third over itself as Alviro Petersen fell to a juggling catch at short leg.

Graeme Smith has had a long absence from top-flight cricket and it showed in his first international innings back. He was left searching for the ball outside off several times, there were a couple of streaky edged boundaries behind the wicket, after the second of which he nicked one through to the keeper.

It required the DRS for him to be given out, and luckily for Pakistan this was one of the most clear-cut decisions for a Hot Spot-less review system – there was a loud sound as the ball passed bat, and the bat was well away from the body. How well this review system will hold up for more complicated bat-pad chances, which are likely to crop up for the spinners as the match progresses, remains to be seen.

Another man returning from time away from cricket, Jacques Kallis, didn’t look as rusty as Smith, but he too didn’t make too many runs, inside-edging an incutter from Junaid to the keeper for 5. It wasn’t the biggest of crowds that showed up in Abu Dhabi, but they certainly found their voice when South Africa were dithering at 43 for 3.

Few sights are as reassuring for South Africa fans as seeing Amla in the middle. Amla also had his early problems, but then settled in, unfurling a cover drive which was the only intentional boundary of the first hour. He had a close run-out chance but otherwise he was getting ominously comfortable, rounding off the session with another of his eye-catching off drives for four.

With AB de Villiers also looking in good touch, Pakistan’s attack didn’t pose much of a threat after lunch. Amla and de Villiers were cruising in the second session when a dozy moment from de Villiers resulted in him losing his wicket. He looked to defend off the front foot and after an lbw appeal, he held the pose for the umpire. The ball rolled over towards slip, and the keeper Adnan Akmal signalled to Younis Khan to return the ball to the stumps. Adnan took the bails off and after many replays it was determined that de Villiers’ backfoot was just outside the crease.

Either side of that dismissal, South Africa were barely troubled and Pakistan would perhaps be reminded of what happened on the first day the previous time these two sides met in a Test in Abu Dhabi.

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