Cricket writer Zaahier Adams highlights five factors the Proteas must focus on to close out a historic 5-0 whitewash over Australia at Newlands on Wednesday.
Proteas’ new state of mind
For too long South Africa were the “boring boys” of international cricket. Whether it was with bat or ball, and certainly in strategy and selection, the opposition routinely knew what was coming. The straitjacket has definitely been abandoned, with a new group of young players bringing a fresh and fearless energy. Importantly, the selectors are on the same wavelength and have not been afraid to back players who add X-factor.
Chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi has benefited from this new mindset and has revelled in the environment. He is unlikely to play on Wednesday after suffering a quad strain on Sunday at St George’s Park, but that should not alter the intensity with which the Proteas are playing their cricket. Even with the pressure of possibly going on to be the first team to beat Australia 5-0 in ODIs, Faf du Plessis’s men should still come out with bristling intent.
Keep the heat on the Aussie top three
The series scoreline may suggest the world champions have been woeful, but no team boasting the talents of David Warner, Aaron Finch and Steve Smith in their top three can be taken lightly. They have fired a couple of shots in this series with Warner, Smith and Finch among the runs in the third ODI in Durban, but they have not been able to score consistently to put the Proteas bowlers under any pressure.
South Africa’s new-ball attack should take the plaudits for landing some heavy blows early on. Even more impressive is that they have been able to rotate their attack, with Kyle Abbott taking over the strike-bowler mantle with gusto in Port Elizabeth. Although the pitch and overhead conditions on Wednesday should see Kagiso Rabada or Dale Steyn coming back into the starting XI, it is expected that Abbott will get another crack and he will no doubt want to entrench his status as the first-choice back-up seamer.
Amla to come good
It’s been an indifferent series for “The Mighty Hash”. He was forced to sit out the opening match with flu and despite recovering, was left out for Rilee Rossouw at the Wanderers even though he averages 86 in ODIs at the Bullring.
Returning to the side after something of a national outcry, Amla flayed a 30-ball 45 at Kingsmead before getting a rare “goodie” from an Aussie paceman in this series when Chris Tremain got one to seam back at St George’s Park.
Amla very rarely goes through an entire ODI series without registering a century and will no doubt look to put on a batting exhibition for his adopted home crowd.
Maintain focus
Prior their arrival, Australian captain Smith said “we’ve got some pretty quiet characters...” and wanted his team to have “a bit more presence and the old Australian way of puffing your chest out and making your presence felt for the quieter guys”.
Matthew Wade has taken his captain’s request literally, with the wicketkeeper from Victoria verging on the case of verbal diarrhoea during this series.
But unlike Aussie teams of the past, who usually puffed out their chests because they were regularly on the winning side, it has been mildly irritating watching Wade mouth off despite his team suffering a pasting.
He overstepped the mark in PE when he brushed into Shamsi while batting, leading to both players being fined 25% of their match fee after “pleasantries” were exchanged.
Du Plessis has promised to keep a lid on his team’s sledging, but that doesn’t mean they will stand back should there be any provocation from Wade and Co.
“As captain, it’s important that we play at a certain intensity, and that doesn’t mean verbally - it’s more your body language and the way you carry yourself on the field. If there’s a battle, we will stand up as a team. But it’s more a focused and channelled aggression, more of a body language perspective,” Du Plessis said.
Lead from the front, Faf
Standing out throughout the series has been how well the Proteas have been led by Du Plessis. The hosts have not skipped a beat in the field. Du Plessis has marshalled his bowling unit impressively, while his fielding positions have been spot on.
This was evident at St George’s Park when Du Plessis assessed the slow pitch conditions quickly and inserted a short mid-on and mid-off to prevent the Aussie batsmen from playing down the ground with any freedom.
He has also made significant contributions with the bat, notably his century at the Wanderers and a patient half-century on Sunday that comfortably took his side over the line. The skipper has modestly refuted that the team’s success is due to his leadership, saying: “No, it’s not my captaincy!” But there’s no doubt there’s been a refreshing calmness in the Proteas dressing-room of late. Keep going, Faf!
Teams:
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (captain), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Dave Miller, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukawyo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), Dave Warner, George Bailey, Scott Boland, Aaron Finch, Sean Hastings, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, Joe Mennie, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, Daniel Worral, Adam Zampa
Cape Times