Port Elizabeth – In need of a proper sporting challenge, AB de Villiers took some of his mates off the beaten track this week, in the build-up to today’s fourth one-day international against the West Indies.
The Proteas skipper, along with the bowling coaches, Allan Donald and Claude Henderson, as well as Kyle Abbott, David Miller and Morné Morkel, took the trek to St Francis Links, a good hour out of Port Elizabeth.
There, the touring pros found that it can take less than 31 balls to register a hundred, especially when the westerly blows in and wreaks all manner of havoc on the Jack Nicklaus-designed natural links.
“It was brutal. At least a four-club wind out there,” puffed Abbott, who thought he knew what a stiff breeze was after playing most of his sporadic golf on the KwaZulu-Natal coast.
Much like the World Cup will be, the hidden gem in St Francis Bay is a world away from anything that he and his teammates have encountered recently. For one thing, it was a sustained examination of their skills.
Certainly, De Villiers was made to graft far harder than he has over the first three matches of this series. Lapses in concentration on wind-swept wonders are punished with a drop shot, or much, much worse, which is far more than South Africa have had to endure on the cricket field.
Again, they will turn up this morning at St George’s Park in the hope of a scrap of sorts. With time running out, they are in need of some competitive cricket. Across the pond, and several time zones, two of their keenest rivals, plus the erratic English, are playing out a hard-fought tri-nations series, where every over is a test for bat and ball.
Meanwhile, the Proteas have been filling their boots to the point that they have sent some of their chief assassins, such as Dale Steyn and Hashim Amla, home for a long weekend. Morkel and De Villiers will follow suit for the last game probably.
Imran Tahir, South Africa’s jack in the box, is in such wicket-taking form that he may turn down an offer to get a rest, but the Proteas are also keen to give left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso his first run in the series, and indeed his first taste of ODI action since the Zimbabwe tour, where he made his mark in national colours.
Quinton de Kock, bouncing around the field again yesterday, is also eager to get the runs, but he will have to wait as Morné van Wyk gets a run today, so De Villiers can be left to plot freely without the gloves on.
When you are cantering away with a series, you can start tweaking here and there, trying to give everyone a chance to impress. Today, homeboy Wayne Parnell and Abbott will both be keen to show off their death-bowling credentials – that is, if the Windies’ batting effort manages to fulfil its full quota of overs.
The likes of JP Duminy, David Miller and Farhaan Behardien will also be itching for a knock. Miller and Behardien will tell you that fielding is fun, but once you become a specialist at it for an extended period, it soon loses its appeal.
They are batsmen first, and inner-ring patrol officers a distant second. They will hope that the determined look on the West Indian faces during their sole practice session ahead of this match yesterday was an indication of a looming challenge.
The tourists, stung by criticism of their laid-back attitude over the last few weeks, will be looking to respond.
Of course, they still possess a clutch of match-winners in their squad, but whether they can put in a stern, 100-over shift is debatable at the moment.
Besides, De Villiers and company are still not in the mood for much charity.
Told that the West Indies had a decent record on visits to these parts, De Villiers was as charitable as a fairway bunker at St Francis.
“I can’t remember what happened in the past games here, but if they have won a few games before, then good for them,” he said dismissively. “We are playing good cricket, and we are here to win.”