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
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