Kallis and Smith set to be fit, so only poser is the bowling attack
DUNEDIN: Proteas limitedovers captain AB de Villiers is confident he will not have to lead South Africa into battle when the first Test against New Zealand gets underway on Wednesday at Dunedin’s University Oval.
De Villiers, who also doubles at South Africa’s Test vice-captain, gave assurances after the Proteas completed a clean sweep in the one-day series that regular Test captain Graeme Smith will be fit to fulfil his leadership duties against the Black Caps. Smith missed the final two one-day internationals of the three-match ODI series with a sore forearm after being struck at training.
“Graeme will be ready for the Tests, I’m 100 percent sure of that. His arm is still sore. We waited till this morning (Saturday) and it wasn’t feeling so good, so we decided that him being captain for the Tests, and with this series already won, he would be better off resting for the Tests,” De Villiers said.
Smith’s availability would be a great asset to South Africa in terms of his vast leadership experience. The opener is the longest-serving skipper on the global Test circuit at present, and his knowledge of the unique local conditions will be immense for the visitors, con- sidering he is one of only four current squad members to have played Test cricket in New Zealand previously. The only concern, though, would be that Smith has had precious little gametime of late. He played the first ODI in Wellington, but had not seen any other competitive action since the final ODI of the home summer against Sri Lanka on January 22.
Another absentee in the final ODI at Eden Park Jacques Kallis. The veteran all-rounder suffered a back ailment on Friday evening, causing all sorts of reshuffling in the Proteas dressing room. In the absence of both Smith and Kallis, and also Justin Ontong, who suf- fered a late ankle injury prior to the match, opportunities were afforded to both Wayne Parnell and Albie Morkel at the top of the Proteas batting order. Both acquitted themselves reasonably well, with Parnell opening the batting and Morkel used at No 3.
However, there will be no such makeshift remedies needed now that Kallis is expected to be fully recuperated. “Jacques should be fine for the Test. He’s just getting a bit older. The mattress he slept on probably wasn’t to his liking and gave him a stiff back. I, like Jacques, suffer from back spasms, so I know that the mattress can play a big role. Sometimes I can hardly get up,” De Villiers said.
With both stalwarts seemingly available, according to De Villiers, it leaves the Proteas with a settled Test unit. The only selection quandary the Proteas brainstrust will ponder over the next few days is whether to play an all-out pace attack that includes impressive rookie speedster Marchant de Lange or stick with the specialist spinner Imran Tahir.
As for the ODI team, question marks remain over who is best suited to be opener Hashim Amla’s long-term partner, while Faf du Plessis has been a revelation on this tour. A whirlwind 66 at No 6 in the opening game was followed by a quickfire 39 in the second, illustrating the Titans star’s ability to be successful at this level. Add in his brilliant fielding performances, especially in the final ODI at Eden Park, and it is clear Du Plessis is in for the long haul with the Proteas.
JP Duminy has also shown a marked improvement recently. It may not have been emphasised through a big score yet, but Duminy is much more assured and, more importantly, calm at the crease, which was required when the Proteas were reeling at 35/3 in the first ODI in Wellington. The lefthander’s classy touch abandoned him at the Westpac Stadium, but he still managed to carve out an invaluable 46 off 74 balls.
In terms of how the series eventually played out, the 90run partnership between Duminy and De Villiers brought a halt to any momentum the Black Caps had, which the hosts were never allowed to regain.