Panic won’t help the Proteas – Domingo
Amla is optimistic SA team can return to their winning ways in four-Test series against Alastair Cooke’s England
THE SOUTH African selectors met last night to pick the side for the first Test against England with Russell Domingo urging the panel against making “irrational decisions.”
Domingo and the South African side returned from India last night following a 3-0 thumping in the Test series which took a lot of the gloss off their initial success in the T20 and One-Day portions of a lengthy trip.
Those successes – which took place more than a month ago were largely forgotten following defeats by 108 runs in the first Test, 124 runs in the third and 334 runs in the last match in Delhi against the rampant Indians.
South Africa struggled against India’s spinners throughout the series and while conditions were extreme – heavily favouring spin particularly in the first and third Tests– the failure of the senior batsmen especially to adjust to the turning tracks was alarming.
South Africa’s captain Hashim Amla, who averaged 16.85 in the four Tests, said the conditions were nothing like what he’d experienced on his previous tours to India in 2008 and 2012. “The wickets started to turn a lot earlier – session two on day one is a little earlier than expected,” he quipped. “In other series’ in India the pitches lasted a little longer and gave the batters a chance to get runs. We know in the sub-continent the game speeds up towards the back end of the match.
“As a senior player it was very difficult, as captain it was difficult too because you want to lead from the front and get runs on the board. We trained on turning wickets to give ourselves the best chance to score. I’m not 100% sure (how we could have played better)…if we had to tour there tomorrow, we’d have to brainstorm some ideas about how to counter those conditions.”
The players have just over two weeks to shake off the effects of the chastening series defeat and for most of the senior players that means time spent away from bats, balls and pads before the four-Test series against Alastair Cook’s side.
The selectors have no such luxury and the squad for the first Test will be named later this week. “There might be one or two changes based on the brief and informal discussions I’ve had with the selectors,” said Domingo.
The areas up for discussion include finding an opening partner for Dean Elgar and with Vernon Philander set to miss the first two Tests owing to the ankle injury he picked up before the second Test in Bangalore, Domingo wants to shore up the lower order batting too. Included in that topic will be a change in wick- et-keeper as well following Dane Vilas’s struggles in India, with Quinton de Kock’s form over the last two months almost certain to see him return to Test side. “If you lose, then automatically people want change because something’s broke. It might just be one or two things that’s not quite there or a couple of players not on top of their game.”
“I’d hate us to panic and make irrational decisions because we have some quality players. India were better than us, that’s the bottom line.”
The trouble for the coach is that it is the senior players who are “not on top of their game,” including the captain, JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis.
“Hopefully the seniors like myself put in proper performances,” said Amla who remains optimistic that based on the fight shown in the final innings in Delhi and the fact that they will be in conditions providing a better balance in the battle between bat and ball, his side will return to winning ways.