I’m hoping we get it tactically right against the Sri Lankans when the Test series starts next week. Thinking back, it’s just not good enough that we managed to draw a Test series with an Australian team that was well below their best.
This is a new Sri Lankan team, and some of their stars are no longer there, while our team looks settled and experienced. That’s an advantage for us, but the biggest advantage is that we will be playing at home, and the conditions should favour us.
I have been asked what it is that makes South African pitches favourable to our type of bowling. I believe it’s all about the wickets and how they are prepared, but it goes beyond that. We have, over the years, been able to produce the sort of bowlers who can thrive on those wickets and that has led to an attitude in the team which makes us hard to beat in those conditions.
The type of clay we have available for our pitches makes it possible for a wicket to last pretty well for at least four days of a Test match. So, if it has been prepared properly the quick bowlers are going to get good pace and bounce off the pitch and if they bowl the right line and length they will get the ball to deviate off the seam and to move around.
When that happens, no batsman, even when he has been in for a while and has a handy total on the board, can be completely confident. There’s always the chance of an unplayable ball that’s going to get him. That’s what I loved most about the game and bowling on South African wickets.
Across in Sri Lanka the wickets tend to crumble and crack earlier in the match. They are softer and the ball comes off slower and doesn’t bounce as much. So the conditions favour the spinners and their teams are selected accordingly. Over here we can go for an all seam attack, and that’s what we should do. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have the ability, and mindset, to get the most out of our pitches and we now have the perfect backup bowler in Vernon Philander.
He may not be as quick as the two openers, and have as much variation, but he bowls a consistent line and length which frustrates the batsmen and keeps them under pressure. That creates chances for the others. It’s the edge we have going in to the series, let’s hope we stick to that plan and use our chances.
The Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week begins in Cape Town next week and it’s going to be a great experience for the players involved. I played in two weeks – in 1994 and 1995, and I remember them as a happy time, when we could play cricket every day for a week, with very little else to think about. For most of the players it’s an opportunity to meet like minded players from other provinces and make friends that they will come across again, on the cricket fields or in life.
For the few who are good enough to go on to play at higher levels, this is their chance to show what they are made of. There are going to be people there who are on the lookout for talent, and the top players need to show they can perform at a level above their school teams. I made the SA Colts team in 1994 and the SA Schools team in 1995, and that led to me being picked for the Under-19 National Team. Those were my first steps towards playing for South Africa.
The value of the Coca-Cola Week is that it allows young players to get themselves noticed. It’s more difficult in other countries where you have to join the senior ranks after school and hope you do well enough to stand out among players who are older and more experienced than you are.
Go out and enjoy it.
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