Johannesburg - The chance to score some psychological points, but more importantly to familiarise themselves with conditions ahead of the World Cup, are the priorities for Dale Steyn and the South African One-Day team when they head Down Under next week.
South Africa will play eight One-Day Internationals in Australasia - three against New Zealand and five against Australia over the course of five weeks as they seek further refinement of their ODI plans and to build on a record of 16 victories in their last 22 matches.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to go down there and check it out, get familiar with those conditions again. We have had success in Australia with the white ball and the last time we were in New Zealand (2012), we were successful, too. It’s a nice reminder at a good time to go there and put in some good performances again,” Steyn, fresh off a three-week break, said on Monday.
South Africa recently beat the Australians in a triangular one-day series in Zimbabwe and, in their last one-day engagement in Australia five years ago, won a five-match series 4-1 - Steyn taking eight wickets in four of those matches. For Steyn the tour means an opportunity to resume hostilities against a side he relishes playing against, though - as a recent spat with Michael Clarke highlights - they do aggravate.
“New Zealand is a dark horse team every time a tournament comes around. They are one of those teams that come out of nowhere and perform. Australia is a good side all the time. They are in your face all the time, it’s pretty annoying, really.”
Despite South Africa’s horrendous record in ICC tournaments, the feeling in the lengthy build-up to next year’s World Cup is that conditions in Australasia will suit AB de Villiers’s side.
Last week, former captain Graeme Smith highlighted that aspect as adding to the optimism around the South African side.
“For the first time in a really long time conditions will be something we’re really happy about in Australia and New Zealand,” said Smith. “Eighty-to-90 percent of competitions take place in the sub-continent or in conditions similar to that, which suits those teams.”
However, the world’s best fast bowler is refusing to count any chickens just yet, explaining that quick pitches can just as equally work against him.
“Australia has those big fields, which is quite nice, the two bouncers per over rule really comes into play there, whereas in India with the smaller fields, that’s not the case. The difference with India though is run rates are lower because the pitches are so slow and as a fast bowler you hit a hard length then it’s tough to get away, whereas in Australia and New Zealand the pitches are a lot truer, so the ball can really fly,” said Steyn. “So as a quick bowler you’re looking for overhead conditions or some grass in the pitch because if not, you’re looking at scores of 300-plus all the time. The batters will be licking their lips.”
An important change for Steyn and the South African side is the adoption of a more attacking attitude with the ball, which they’re keen to experiment with Down Under. In spite of criticism aimed at the bowling unit’s struggles in the “death overs”, Steyn points out that “death bowling” in modern one-day cricket is one of the sport’s most difficult tasks.
“It’s most certainly not as simple as bowling six yorkers in a row,” he remarked. “You can bowl the perfect yorker and a guy can hit you for four or six anywhere, with the fielding positions and the way guys are getting themselves into positions to play laps and cuts.
“As a bowling unit, we all understand that bowling in those periods is difficult and mentally you have to make the right call.
“If you go for six, you go for six, there’s nothing you can do about it. I’ve seen bad balls take wickets and good balls go for six. There really is nothing you can do about it.”
The diversity available to batsmen has forced bowlers and fielding teams to becoming even more attacking - at least that is South Africa’s approach.
“AB is a very attacking ODI captain. In Sri Lanka a couple of times there’d be a 100-run partnership and we’d still be carrying a slip because you know if you take a wicket you can break momentum and turn the game around. Bowling in one-day cricket these days is really tough, but if you can find the edge and get someone out, if you’re smart with the field placings and break momentum, you stand a chance of restricting run rates, but if you sit back you’re probably going to travel.”
South Africa play their first ODI against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui on October 21.
The Star