AB impressed with Proteas' youngsters

Both Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius (right) have impressed in the first two ODI matches of the Proteas' tour of New Zealand. Photo: John Davidson/www.photosport.nz

Both Andile Phehlukwayo and Dwaine Pretorius (right) have impressed in the first two ODI matches of the Proteas' tour of New Zealand. Photo: John Davidson/www.photosport.nz

Published Feb 22, 2017

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CAPE TOWN – There were several reasons for South African captain AB de Villiers to be disappointed with the Proteas first international visit to Christchurch’s Hagley Oval.

For starters it ended a run of 12 consecutive one-day victories and with it the chance for the Proteas’ class of 2016-17 to stand alone behind Australia (21 wins) as the team to have enjoyed the hottest streak in ODI cricket.

Secondly, with new millon-rand man Kagiso Rabada consigned to drinks duty due to a sore knee, that well-known Achilles heel of South African cricket reared its ugly head again during the “death overs” with the Proteas conceding 51 runs in the last five overs of New Zealand’s innings.

And the final nail in the coffin was, of course, the senior batsmen’s decision to take the day off through “soft dismissals” that left just too much for the all-rounders to do on this occasion.

But De Villiers is an optimist by nature and refused to let the spirits drop after the Proteas’ first ODI defeat since last July. He didn’t need to look very far either with Dwaine Pretorius putting in the sort of performance that should make the selectors think long and hard about taking him along to the ICC Champions Trophy in England later this year.

In fact, all the all-rounders bar Wayne Parnell, who in fact had a solid outing with the new ball at Hagley Park, have taken major strides in all three internationals played thus far on tour. Chris Morris was sensational with the ball in opening T20I at Eden Park and first ODI at Hamilton before fading later on, while Andile Phehlukwayo put in a “Kluzener-esque” performance with the bat at Seddon Park.

Having only arrived in New Zealand this week after the long flight from South Africa (he missed the first week of the tour due to the birth of his first child), it was now Pretorius’ chance to shine. The Highveld Lions all-rounder showed no signs of jet lag in his first outing on tour. He performed admirably with the ball, claiming 2/40 despite Ross Taylor’s ton pushing the Black Caps to 289/6, and then proceeded to produce a pyrotechnics show with willow in hand.

With South Africa reeling at 214/8, the 27-year-old took full advantage of Trent Boult dropping him on the boundary when on just 15 to race to a 27-ball maiden ODI fifty. The temperament and skill selection shown was hugely impressive in such a high-pressure situation.

“The youngsters have showed a lot of promise,” De Villiers said. “It is great to see them play with confidence, with a bit of freedom. I think it tells a story about our culture in the team. The guys are really freed up. They can just watch the ball and express themselves.

“They are all fully backed by the older guys and the management. They come in and feel confident and free. I was pretty impressed with some of the younger guys today. I thought Dwaine also bowled really well for us. I think the depth looks really good and the future looks bright.”

The next stop on the Proteas’ tour of New Zealand is a visit to the capital city of Wellington for the third ODI on Friday. Play will return to day-night affairs and there’s no doubt that the team management and analysts will pour over the video footage to see exactly where things unravelled at Hagley Oval.

Secretly though De Villiers might just be found sitting in a corner smiling to himself armed with the knowledge that his Proteas ODI outfit are finally involved in a proper contest after a one-sided home series against the struggling Sri Lankans earlier in the summer.

It can only be beneficial to a group of youngsters, who might have come out on the wrong end on Wednesday, but are growing in stature with every performance.

Independent Media

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