South Africa ODI Tour of Australia 2014 (2015 World Cup Prep)

So. We lost. Am I upset about it? Not really. As far as I am concerned the purpose of this tour was to get the team used to the Australian (and New Zealand) conditions before the World Cup in February next year. Granted losing is never an enjoyable experience but the hope is that some lessons were learnt in the process. Or maybe losing this series was part of an elaborate plan to build the Australian's confidence before the World Cup only for them to crash out of the competition and South Africa emerge triumphant! I know, I know...but a girl can dream.

AB de Villiers, I think it is fair to say at this point that the talent that this man possesses is indescribable - 80, 48, 52, 91 - need I say more? Quinton de Kock did struggle a bit but made two good scores this series and he seems to be growing in confidence in his keeping. David Miller finally showed up! Okay he didn't perform amazingly in every innings but there have been a few question marks lingering around his name for a few games now. We all know what he is capable of but he has had difficulty in the international set up.  Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander regularly picked up wickets and were reasonably economical. Imran Tahir didn't have any outstanding performances but was economical and valuable member of the bowling unit.  It wasn't the greatest outing for some of the senior players in the South African squad though. Despite scoring a hundred in the third game, Hashim Amla's tour didn't live up to the standards that we are used. Faf du Plessis did not have a happy time Down Under only having one score over thirty in five games, although he had a promising New Zealand tour. Morne Morkel had a stand out performance in the second game but proved to be expensive in his other performances. 

I would comfortably say that - barring any injuries - these guys have their names down in pen on the WC squad list. (JP Duminy is included in this group but did not participate in this series due to injury)

Now for the pencil...

This tour was an opportunity for a few players to cement their places in the squad in terms of World Cup selection. Ryan McLaren was probably the biggest let down.  South Africa are desperately looking for an all-rounder to lengthen the tail and at one point McLaren was looking like it but unfortunately his recent performances probably haven't improved the selectors' confidence in him. The hope is he can comeback in the home series against the West Indies. Wayne Parnell, another one who was being looked at for the all-rounder spot, bowling-wise: fine, perfectly acceptable...put him in the squad ahead of Steyn or Philander - I don't think so. Batting-wise: Parnell, "Please can I be an all-rounder? I really, really want to be an all-rounder!" Cricket gods, "No."  Robin Peterson came as a replacement for an injured Aaron Phangiso and put in two good bowling performances in the last two games. You could include him in the "wannabe all-rounder" group but he was in this squad mainly as a backup spinner. We will have to wait and see if his performances were good enough to edge out Phangiso in the WC squad.  Kyle Abbott definitely gives SA a better option at the death and he impressed with his opening spell in the fourth game. I do wish that he had been given more opportunities in this series and I would like to see him go to the World Cup.  Farhaan Behardien didn't impress with the bat until the last match but his bowling contribution was a nice surprise. Rilee Rossouw put in two decent performances in two games that should see him included as a backup batsmen.

The upcoming series against the West Indies will be the last platform for guys to prove that they should be on that plane to Australasia in February. Hopefully they find a balance of playing a competitive squad and a little experimentation regarding the batting and bowling units.

*Remember this is just my opinion and everyone has a different one. I encourage healthy debate and discussion about the game in the comments section*

Any statistics are taken from espncricinfo.com

South Africa in Sri Lanka 2014 - 3rd ODI

Who couldn't be happier right now? Me that's who!

Massive congratulations to the Proteas on a historic victory in Sri Lanka. As usual my nerves were completely shot after the game but it is always so worth it. With almost everyone occupied by the soccer and rugby I did make a point to some of my friends about how awesome the cricket was because I felt it was important to acknowledge the achievement. And if they found it annoying, well... I really don't care. 

Our batting...

Wow! Seriously classy centuries from De Kock and De Villiers and they were such a joy to watch. I'm really happy for De Kock as this just helps him grow in confidence and solidify his position in the ODI squad. As for AB, what can I say? Do we really expect anything less when he walks to the crease? Well done captain! And even though he didn't get his half-century (48) I also have to mention Amla for his contribution to the start of the innings. It seems that Hashim and Quinton are building a strong relationship as an opening pair and their playing styles seem to compliment each other very well.

Our bowling...

This is where my nerves started to go. Not the best start to the innings. I would've thought that with a score of 339 we would be able to defend that nicely but the Sri Lankan's came out swinging. I think I'm correct in saying that their run rate was above 10 in the beginning when they only required just over 6.  Parnell made the break through (can somebody explain his hairstyle to me please, thanks) but even from there it was still touch and go. It was the sixth wicket that seemed to decide the game because 23 runs later they were all out. McLaren put in another great performance taking three wickets and Imran Tahir also stood out with extremely economic figures  (10 overs, 29 runs, 1 wicket).

Overall it was a really solid performance from the Proteas, they didn't seem to get discouraged by the good start the Sri Lankans made and it was an all round team performance. Batsmen playing their part and the bowlers doing their's. 

There is one thing that is sticking out in my mind though and it's very much a sore point. Jacques Kallis is really battling at the moment. I'm not saying he needs to be off the team and all these things but this is just such a hard situation. He didn't bat/bowl in the warm up game, he didn't manage to get above single figures in all three games and AB said at the beginning of the series that Kallis can bowl it's just a matter of how many overs. Well he didn't bowl anything either. In any of the games. Even when Steyn got injured in the second ODI and we were a bowler down, Kallis did not make an appearance. Although I'm not to worried about his bowling commitments anymore because I think South Africa have developed a strong bowling department. I understand his desire to see another World Cup (2015) and I understand the caliber of player that Kallis is but I'm going to find it hard to be happy that he is batting at number three when his recent record is lacking. It's so difficult. I hope he plays some more domestic games this season seeing as he doesn't have Test match commitments anymore. More time at the crease should improve his form but who knows. Nothing would make my heart happier then seeing the Kallis we all know and love continue to grow the legend that he has become.

And now we look forward to the test matches...

South Africa in Sri Lanka - 09 July 2014

Well what is there to say? I don't actually want to acknowledge yesterday except for the two outstanding performances from Ryan McLaren and Hashim Amla. Very proud that Ryan stood up to the plate when SA were a bowler down after Dale bruised his bowling hand. Hashim was his usual classy self with adding yet another ODI century to his tally. 

The rest of them....

Look the bowlers actually didn't do badly at all, their run rates were fine and everything was on par regarding their performances. The batsmen however - shocking! I'm not going to mention each one by name because frankly, what's the point? But there are certain men in that team that are needing a score sometime soon otherwise people will start asking serious questions about why they are in the team at all. 

Anyway, I don't want to dwell on the negative and I hope that they got some sense knocked into them and they show up on Saturday ready to show Sri Lanka what our batting line up is really made of and not bank on Amla being top scorer again.

South Africa in Sri Lanka - 1st ODI, 6 July 2014

Well it was a good start to the tour for the Proteas winning by 75 runs and pretty much the whole team contributed to the win. For South Africa to post a score of 305 in the subcontinent is actually quite impressive although I did feel some pain for Sri Lanka as they were disadvantaged in that the playing conditions did not allow for the lights to be switched on when the light started fading. The third ODI is also a day game so whichever team bats first will more than likely win as I think those conditions do play a big factor. I mean I would be flipping scared of Dale Steyn or Morne Morkel bowling at me on a bright sunny day let alone when the sun is below the horizon. (It has now been announced that the floodlights will be on standby for the 3rd ODI)

What really stood out to me during the game was the partnership between Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers and not only because it was a big partnership (151 runs) but it really settled any doubts (and they were really teeny tiny little doubts) about Amla and De Villiers as South African captains. With Amla recently being appointed as Test captain there was a school of thought that AB was upset about being passed over for the role which is fair enough because I have a feeling it would be something that has been a goal of his but AB is definitely a true sportsman and wouldn't let personal issues influence his performance in the team. While I was watching these two incredibly talented cricketers put on an awesome partnership, I thought about what that requires. Having two gifted batsmen at the crease does not guarantee a big partnership, that requires communication, mutual trust and respect as well as experience. It then occurred to me that if these men can do this on the field - and they have done it on multiple occasions - then why should it be any different off the field? Both players are some of the most humble and down to earth guys out there and I personally find it hard to believe that the partnership they share on the field does not reflect their relationship off the field.

I look forward to this new era in South African cricket. I never really paid attention to people's negative opinions of Graeme Smith because I don't think the Proteas could ever have succeeded the way they did for so long without his leadership. I will miss his presence on the field. There will be ups and downs as there always is with this game but our team is bursting with talent and I'm certain we have a bright future ahead. #PROTEAFIRE

SA vs England, World T20 2014

We are in the Semi-finals!!!

Another tight game but some amazing performances helped see South Africa through to the next stage of the competition. Unfortunately I did not get to watch the game as I attended a Sharks Rugby match (which was really good too!) but I followed as much of the game as I could on my cellphone. Flip! I thought watching matches on TV was stressful but when your cellphone keeps losing signal and every TV around is showing a rugby match is way worse!  Anyway, that's where highlights come in handy :)

Our batting - YES PLEASE! This is what we are capable of! Will all you Amla-doubters out there please keep your mouths closed from now on. This immediate reaction of calling for a guy to be dropped when he has a couple of bad games really needs to stop.  Amla showed he can comfortably put the ball away and seriously contribute in this format as an opener. Although, it is pretty obvious but hands down the best performance of the night has to go to South Africa's version of Superman - AB de Villiers. In the last blog I mentioned how South Africa need to be grateful for the talent that is Dale Steyn but the other trump card on our team is De Villiers. The expression on England captain, Stuart Broad's face as AB was knocking his bowlers around as he pleased was absolutely priceless! AB stood in as captain with Du Plessis sitting out because of a one-match ban due to slow over rates. De Kock and Miller uncharacteristically played holding roles for Amla and De Villiers respectively and it was good to see they have the capacity to fulfill that role. South Africa posted the highest total of the tournament so far and hopefully the batsmen can keep this momentum going. I really hope that the selectors keep De Villiers at 3 - the earlier he comes in to bat is definitely beneficial for South Africa. Du Plessis will return after his ban so it is likely that they will stick with the normal order.

I think the bowling attacks of both teams had a rough time in the conditions but obviously the stand out performance of Parnell really got South Africa in the winning seat. Parnell was in the side for Tsotsobe and gee did he prove his worth! I think there is little doubt that he will be selected for the semi-final. Parnell and Tahir took care of most of the top order not allowing any of the English batsmen to build on the starts they had made. Albie Morkel was unlucky in the first over getting a wicket on a ball that was wrongly called a no-ball. Injury depending, it is likely that Hendriks will be replaced by Morne Morkel for the next game. I'm glad he was given another chance after he performed well against the Netherlands but in this stage of the competition we need to have all our on-form and experienced players in the eleven.  The bowling was backed up by some outstanding fielding from Miller and De Villiers. The energy in our outfield was electric!

With a few games left to go in the group stages, it seems we will play India in the semi-final which will be a challenge but Twenty20 cricket is a strange creature, very unpredictable.

Teams prediction for the semi-final:

1. Amla

2. De Kock

3. De Villiers

4. Du Plessis

5. Duminy

6. Miller

7. A. Morkel

8. Parnell

9. Steyn

10. M. Morkel

11. Imran Tahir

SA vs Netherlands, World T20 2014

Right, so I think an overview of yesterday's match is a pretty good place to get this blog going.

I'm not going to sit here and crit every player's performance and comment on their technique. I am not in any position to offer opinion on that side of things, I can only write as a passionate supporter.

Now after our defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka - which wasn't entirely surprising - and that last ball madness against New Zealand, yesterday's match was a must win if we stood any chance of getting to the semi-finals. Now let's be honest, it's the Netherlands it really should have been an easy win with a nice boost to our net run rate even though according to Faf that's not what they were concentrating on (yeah right! Amla getting 22 in one over). But in true South African style we had to make it hard for ourselves.

De Kock unfortunately didn't come through in this game but the hope is that he finds some serious form from here on as he definitely has the potential. Luckily Amla seemed to have his head in the game and was slightly out of character with a few big hits. Then Amla got out... from then on it was a pretty sorry sight. It was a defendable score but it was, well, lacking.  Our tail is just too long for this format of the game, especially when our front-line batsmen don't perform. The need for a bowling all-rounder is obvious. Experimenting with the batting order has very rarely worked for South Africa. Tried and tested is generally the best formula ESPECIALLY at a World Cup when we are already on the back foot. Personally I'm quite happy with the batsmen we have in the current line-up so I don't think any of them should be dropped based on this performance but rather stay in their original order. Behardien is the only replacement batsman in the squad and he hasn't put in any outstanding performances that would warrant him a place in the squad. I do think that Parnell needs to slot in at no. 8 as the bowling all-rounder and being a left arm bowler he provides variation.

The bowling...

White-knuckled and the use of quite a few four letter words pretty much sums up how I experienced our bowling innings. Having Albie Morkel and Hendriks opening the bowling was an interesting choice but it seemed to work. Tsotsobe really didn't start well and unfortunately he wasn't able to bring it back Steyn managed to keep his run rate nice and conservative but without bowling the Netherlands out there was no way would have won that match and Steyn got that started for us as well. South Africa really need to appreciate the amazing talent that this man possesses and with out him we would probably be in a really bad place. Tahir again proved that he deserves his spot in this team with his Man of the Match performance. Going back to my earlier thought about Parnell needing to be in the team means that one of the bowlers needs to come out. Adding to that, Morne Morkel will more than likely come back into the squad for the England game. From this thinking, Parnell should come in for Tsotsobe and Hendriks will probably give way to Morkel which is unfortunate because he really did have a good game.

The next game is going to be absolutely vital and the boys really need to step up and show what they are made of. Their last two performances have really been stressful to watch as a fan but in many ways it was great to see the team fight for the win when it really looked like there was no chance of one. The "Ch" word could easily get thrown around if we had been defeated in the last two games but the guys proved that they have the experience and drive to win. On that note - please can the next game be somewhat easier to win because the last two have really shaved a few years off my life!