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Zimbabwe were outplayed in a short time span in the first ODI, and need to fight for a longer period in the second if they are to keep the series alive

The Preview by Firdose Moonda18-Aug-2014Match factsTuesday, August 19, 2014
Start time 0930 local (0730 GMT)Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe captain, needs to stamp his mark on the game•AFPBig PictureThe hypothesis is, the shorter the format the smaller the gulf between teams, but it has not applied in Zimbabwe’s case. They had the spirit to spar with South Africa’s seamers in the one-off Test, when their bowlers were disciplined and their batsmen determined, but were blown away in the first ODI, when they lacked bite and basics. The realisation they lost that game in the space of 23 overs is what will hurt the hosts most.Zimbabwe conceded 120 in the last 11 overs, which allowed South Africa to exceed the par score of around 280, and then crumbled to 35 for 3 in the first 12 overs of the chase. That period apart, Zimbabwe managed to drag South Africa’s run-rate back after Quinton de Kock’s striking start, and then Hamilton Masakadza and Sean Williams showed what could be achieved with a little application.The next step for the hosts will be to try and increase the length of the good period and shrink those 23 overs in which they got almost everything wrong. That will require effort from every member of the side, particularly Elton Chigumbura, who will have to be more assertive as captain.South Africa captain AB de Villiers’ tour could also do with livening up but he has none of the worries of his counterpart. His top order did one half of the job in the first ODI and his bowling attack the other. Though some areas – like spin bowling – needed tightening, the chief thought on de Villiers’ mind will be that the series can be sealed and South Africa could have earned a trophy before Tuesday ends.Form guide (last five completed games, most recent first)
Zimbabwe LLLWW
South Africa WWLWWIn the spotlightBrendan Taylor will no longer be keeping wicket because the coach Stephen Mangongo would like a “specialist” in the job. Because Taylor is no longer the ODI captain, he has been completely unburdened to concentrate on his batting. He got himself out in the first match against South Africa and also had an inconsistent run against Afghanistan, when he made one half-century and three middling scores. Taylor will be Zimbabwe’s key batsman at the World Cup and there is no better time for him to find form than against a team like South Africa.The strength of South Africa’s top order did not allow David Miller an opportunity to play a part in the first match. Miller had similar issues in Sri Lanka and is facing the reality that the better the top four get the less time he may have at the crease. He will have to make an impact in short and sharp bursts while finishing an innings. If Miller gets it right, South Africa could mount totals far too large for Zimbabwe to scale.Team newsThe questions regarding Zimbabwe’s line-up start at the top. Vusi Sibanda was dropped during the series against Afghanistan and if Sikandar Raza is fully recovered from his broken thumb, he may open with Richmond Mutumbami. In the pace department, Shingi Masakadza may sit out after being both expensive and wicketless. Brian Vitori would be the automatic choice if his ankle niggle has healed.Zimbabwe (likely) 1 Vusi Sibanda/Sikandar Raza, 2 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Brendan Taylor, 5 Sean Williams, 6 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 7 Luke Jongwe 8 Neville Madziva, 9 John Nyumbu, 10 Prosper Utseya, 11 Brian VitoriAB de Villiers indicated he would prefer to use an unchanged XI to win the series and save experimentation for the final ODI.South Africa: (likely) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 JP Duminy, 5 AB de Villiers (capt), 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Aaron Phangiso, 11 Imran TahirPitch an conditionsThe Bulawayo surface was sluggish for the first ODI and spinners were able to slow the run rate for large swathes of it. Though the second game will be played on a different pitch, a similar pattern can be expected, with scoring laboured but far from impossible against substantial turn. The weather is expected to be warmer, with clear skies and a high of 24 degrees.Stats and trivia Of the batsmen Hashim Amla has had at least 15 partnerships with, his second-highest average is with Quinton de Kock. Amla and de Kock have put on 963 runs – with four century and three fifty partnerships – in 15 innings at 64.20, an average that is only behind his 81.77 with de Villiers. The stats are overwhelmingly in favour of bowling first at Queens Sports Club. Teams have bowled 35 times after winning the toss and won 22 of those games, while sides that chose to bat have won nine out of 24 games.Quotes”This is a 300 wicket. If we can restrict South Africa to less than 300, we would have done a good job.”
“300 was above par. There were thoughts of 250 at one time and even Hashim said he didn’t think we would get to 300. If the wicket looks similar, we will bat first again.”

If you want to be a contender for the Championship title then becoming unbeatable at home is a good place to start. Middlesex will hoipe to underline that against Lancashire on the final day

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's13-May-2014
ScorecardEoin Morgan completed his first Championship hundred for five years•Getty ImagesIf you want to be a contender for the Championship title then becoming unbeatable at home is a good place to start. Middlesex have begun the season in such a vein and have a good chance to make it three wins from three at Lord’s with an excellent forecast for the final day. Then they will just need to figure out how to not implode on the road.Their advance on the third day was frustrated by heavy showers, but they made good use of what was available to them by scoring 184 runs in 55 overs before declaring with a lead of 193. They had hoped for a decent-length session at Lancashire’s top order, but rain trimmed it to a 10-over burst as the ground was bathed in even sunshine.It was enough time, however, for them to remove Luis Reece, the left hander who has struggled this season, when he was caught on the back foot against Tim Murtagh. Steven Finn was promoted to the new-ball in this innings and looked in better rhythm during his five-over spell which included an edge off Paul Horton which may have carried low to third slip but which was not held.Quite how many players Middlesex provide for England this summer is still up in the air, but Eoin Morgan, key to the limited-overs set-up, reached a significant milestone, with his first Championship hundred since 2009 – although since then he has only played 20 matches – before becoming the second batsman caught down the leg side in the innings.It was a definite nudge to the England selectors if not quite a forceful push. His technique (barring the occasional flirt outside off) did appear tighter than has previously been the case.Lancashire’s bowling during a truncated morning session was probing, as it was with the first new ball before they faded yesterday. Glen Chapple had a touch more zip about him and Hogg continued his excellent return to the Championship line-up.They deserved the rewards which came their way after lunch. Hogg removed Neil Dexter, who was bowled trying to pull to end a stand of 126, and had Joe Denly caught behind as he pushed forward. That made it four single-figure scores for Denly this season.Middlesex were threatening to fall away with a lead of under a hundred, but a robust partnership of 124 in 33 overs between John Simpson and Ollie Rayner soon reasserted their authority. Rayner is one the spinners-who-bat to attract attention from the England selectors and he was on the Lions tour to Sri Lanka earlier this season, but he remains some way down the pecking order for further elevation.He has just two wickets so far this season – albeit in conditions that have not favoured his art form – but lower-order runs is that vital second string until a spinner becomes more of a matchwinner later in the summer.Still, while Middlesex will expect their seamers to do most of the work to bowl Lancashire out a second time, if the forecast is as warm and sunny as it promises to be he could yet have more work on the final day.

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza rued the dismissal of half-centurion Anamul Haque off the final ball of the match when his side needed three runs to win over the No.1-ranked T20 team

Mohammad Isam in Chittagong12-Feb-2014

Bangladesh needed three to win off the last ball and although Anamul Haque, on 58 off 44, would regret top-edging the hip-high full toss, Bangladesh were ultimately done in by two earlier dismissals. Captain Mashrafe Mortaza said that Shakib Al Hasan and Nasir Hossain fell at crucial times which limited their ability to challenge the the target of 169.Shakib had added 43 runs for the third wicket with Anamul, before he tried to belt Nuwan Kulasekara in the 14th over and was bowled off a slower ball. Bangladesh needed a very gettable 62 runs off 40 balls before he got out. Nasir, Bangladesh’s designated finisher, swung hard against Lasith Malinga and holed out at long-on. At the time, Bangladesh still had 20 balls to get the requisite 37 runs, but that is the price Nasir or Shakib pays for their risk-taking.”Shakib and Nasir’s dismissals made a lot of difference because we could not accelerate from that point,” Mashrafe said. “It was probably the right time to pick up the pace.”We are very disappointed to lose such a game to the No. 1-ranked team in the world. Everyone is upset, but we will take good points out of this game. Nasir’s dismissal was just bad timing for us. It showed how things can go the other way.”But since Bangladesh were just one hit away from beating Sri Lanka, Anamul’s execution off that last ball would always be debated. Mashrafe has said it was down to luck, as almost everything was going the home team’s way in the final over.”We were equal with Sri Lanka and that one ball in the end made the difference. Anamul was hitting it well by that time, as we had seen the previous two balls when he hit two very good shots over cover. The last ball was unfortunate, the timing wasn’t there. It could have taken a top edge and gone behind the keeper but he hit it with the face of the bat.”The platform was ready for us. The batsman was set and the bowler was under pressure. I think luck betrayed us in the end. But credit to [Anamul Haque] Bijoy for bouncing back so well after missing out on the Test matches. He took the side very close to victory.”Thisara Perera was given that last over and leaked 14 runs off the first five balls, but Sri Lanka’s top-scorer Kusal Perera, who believed the visitors’ score was a little light, said the team had backed Thisara to deliver.”It is a team game, and we can’t forget the fast bowler in the last ball,” he said. “He bowled two balls, [and got hit for] two boundaries. We had to ask him something before the last ball. That’s how the game goes.”We were always thinking about winning the match. We don’t want to think about the losing side. We were 10 to 15 runs short. But it was a defendable target.”Bangladesh’s fielding kept them in the game when Kusal was smashing it everywhere during his 44-ball 64. Anamul took a superbly balanced catch at deep midwicket while Nasir took a blinder diving to his right around the same position at the other end of the ground. Mashrafe has said that it was important to field well to turn their fortunes in the shortest format. Bangladesh have now lost 23 of 32 matches played since 2006.”We were always a good fielding side, and today we had some really good ones out there,” he said. “We took some great catches, and those have more of an effect in Twenty20s than Tests or ODIs. We dropped a few catches in the Test series, so it was a good way to bounce back.”I would still say we played well. Sunny bowled well, and Mithun probably had to play that shot. It was a good mix for us but to win T20 games, there has to be two bowlers and three batsmen doing the job, or three bowlers and two batsmen.”

أعلن الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم برئاسة جمال علام، نظام جديد لدوري القسم الثاني وطرق التأهل إلى الدوري الممتاز، وذلك في الموسم الجديد.

وكان اتحاد الكرة قرر تطبيق دوري المحترفين من مجموعة واحدة وسيكون هو المؤهل إلى الدوري الممتاز، وذلك بداية من الموسم المقبل.

وعقد 37 نادياً جمعية عمومية غير عادية لـ اتحاد الكرة، يوم الثلاثاء الماضي، وقررت إلغاء دوري المحترفين. طالع التفاصيل من هنا

وأكد اتحاد الكرة يوم الخميس الماضي، بعد اجتماع الجمعية العمومية، أنه سيتراجع عن تطبيق دوري المجموعة الواحدة في القسم الثاني في الموسم المقبل، بسبب عدم إيجاد راعي لدوري المحترفين. طالع التفاصيل من هنا

وعقد اليوم الإثنين، اتحاد الكرة اجتماعًا مع عدد من ممثلي أندية الدرجة الثانية عرض عليهم خلاله التصور الجديدة لدوري القسم الثاني ونظام التأهل للدوري الممتاز.

وجاءت أبرز النقاط في الاجتماع، أن دوري قسم ثاني تم تقسيمه إلي دوري قسم ثاني (أ)، يضم 20 فريقًا يتأهل منه فريقين للدوري الممتاز.

ودوري قسم ثاني (ب)، يضم 3 مجموعات يصعد منهم فريق واحد بشكل مباشر إلى الدوري الممتاز. وجاء النظام الجديد لدوري القسم الثاني في الموسم المقبل علي النحو التالي:

The county career of Phil Jaques, the former Australia batsman, appears to have come to an end after Yorkshire decided to not renew his contract.

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Oct-2013

The county career of Phil Jaques, the former Australia batsman, appears to have come to an end after Yorkshire decided to not renew his contract.Jaques’s deal at Headingley expired at the end of the season, following Yorkshire’s draw at The Oval, and he will now take up a coaching role back in Australia with club side Sutherland in Sydney. But he may return to play for Yorkshire for part of a season should an opportunity arise.Jaques, 34, had eight fruitful seasons in county cricket for Northamptonshire, Worcestershire and in two stints at Yorkshire, for whom he was most productive with over 4,000 first-class runs at 51.12.His father was a Yorkshireman and Jaques embraced the family connection, scoring over 1,000 runs for the White Rose in 2004 and 2005. He returned to Headingley in 2012 playing as a British passport holder and made 792 runs at 44.00 to help Yorkshire win Division Two of the County Championship and scored 770 runs at 36.66 this season as they finished runners up in Division One.At the time, his decision to play for Yorkshire with a British passport was a big commitment, changing his status to overseas in Australia. But the tweak made to the eligibility of domestic players by Cricket Australia, the “Robson rule”, means Jaques could now return to Australia as a home-qualified player.”He’s been a great asset to the club during the two spells that he had with us,” Yorkshire director of cricket Martyn Moxon said. “He’s been invaluable not only on the field but off it as well with our younger players; that was one of the reasons we brought him back to help with our young batsmen in particular.”Phil talked about batting and passed on his experience, and the lads picked up bits here and there from him. He talked to us about what he saw technically and whether things needed to change, and I think he fed off us as well with regards to his future career.”Jaques will maintain a link with Yorkshire, with second XI batsman Jack Leaning joining up with Jaques’ club side in Sydney in November. Leaning made his first-class debut this summer and played four matches in the Yorkshire Bank 40.”Phil’s been instrumental in getting that sorted,” Moxon added. “It’s nice to have that connection in Sydney for our young players to get some experience playing over there. I don’t think Phil’s completely given up on the thought of playing, but he doesn’t want to come back to England for a full season. If he does come back it would be for part of a season. Obviously that depends if an opportunity ever arises.”He’s looking to get more into coaching himself. He started last winter back in Australia doing his club side and in the Big Bash. That was a great challenge and experience for him. He learnt a bit from us and he gave our young batsmen some help as well. His nickname is The Pro – and he is. He’s the ultimate professional.”

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has defended the ongoing absence of a former bowler as a specialist spin coach in the Australian setup despite the fact that Ashton Agar and Nathan Lyon are still learning their trade. Australia travel to Manchester on Monday and what they see from the Old Trafford pitch will go a long way to determine whether both Lyon and Agar play, on a surface on which England may well use Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar in tandem.But the Australian pair collectively managed only 2 for 165 in their tour match against Sussex, although both Agar and Lyon also had catches put down that would have increased their wickets tally. Lyon was too predictable early in the match and was taken to by Rory Hamilton-Brown, but he improved his drift and dip later in the game, while Agar found a few edges against the right-handed batsmen but did little to suggest any major improvements had been made.Agar, 19, was playing only his 13th first-class match since making his debut in January and Lyon, 25, is still learning after just over two years on the first-class scene. But despite the large number of off-field staff employed by Cricket Australia on tours, there has been no specialist spin coach outside of Steve Rixon, the fielding mentor, who also doubles as a spin coach and talks the bowlers through things like how to bowl to certain fields.However, while the Australians played in Hove, Rixon was in London working with the batsmen Shane Watson and Chris Rogers, leaving Agar and Lyon in the hands of Lehmann and bowling coach Ali de Winter, a former seamer. Lehmann said coaching spin at Test level was as much about working on plans as anything technical.”We obviously call on Warnie a bit,” Lehmann said. “We’d be mad not to use Shane Warne and talk spin bowling to him. It’s not so much technical with him, it’s more about the mental side of it, the fields you want for certain players. We use everyone. We don’t want too many views. We want to keep it channelled for a young kid. He [Agar] is only 19 but he goes well.”Steve Rixon is our specialist spin coach and fielding coach so he does that. Working with him on how to get blokes out is pretty much my domain as head coach. I know how you’re going to get all the England players out. That’s an easy one. We’ve just got to execute our plans for it, and I think we’ve done that pretty well over a period of time.”Ashton probably not so much last Test match but I’m really confident with our plans. We’d be mad to pick him [Agar] if we didn’t think he was technically up to it. He’s 19, I’d hope he has plenty of room for improvement, the same as Nathan, they’re both young kids, although Nathan’s played a lot more. They’ve both got room for improvement.”Lyon was overlooked for the first two Tests as Australia went with Agar instead and while Agar made headlines for his 98 in the first Test at Trent Bridge, his bowling has been less noteworthy. He has created more chances than his two wickets at 124.00 would indicate, but has been nowhere near as threatening as Lyon has for large chunks of his Test career, which has brought him 76 victims at 33.18.”Would we have this discussion if he’d ended up with three or four at Notts?” Lehmann said of Agar. “Maybe not. But that wasn’t meant to be. Things go your way and some things don’t. I was impressed with the way he bowled at Notts. I thought he bowled quite well. He had a problem with his hip in the second Test and struggled through that. But he knows he didn’t bowl well enough, not the standard we’re after so he needs to get it right pretty quickly, we know that.”You would like more wickets [against Sussex]. I would have hoped to bowl them out under 300 so that was probably the only thing. But having said that it didn’t spin too much. Monty got a couple of wickets but didn’t get any [in the second innings] so it’s not a great track for spin, whereas Old Trafford, I think, it will spin. We need him to perform.”While a dual spin attack is a possibility if the pitch suits it, Australia also have questions over the make-up of their batting order after being bowled out cheaply in both innings at Lord’s. David Warner will rejoin the squad after scoring 193 for Australia A against South Africa A in Pretoria, an innings of greater note than any played by the Australian batsmen in Sussex, although Lehmann said that would not guarantee him a place in the side.”He got 193 and played well, did exactly what we wanted him to do,” Lehmann said. “We want blokes to make hundreds and he’s ticked that box. Again, we’ll have to look at the wicket and what we come up with in the top six. He could bat anywhere from one to six.”Lehmann also defended the decision to leave Rogers and Watson in London to work in the nets rather than playing in Hove, and said he was more keen for the other members of the squad to have a hit in match conditions. Phillip Hughes and Ed Cowan made half-centuries in the first innings against Sussex without going on to triple figures, and Lehmann said it was disappointing that they had not taken the opportunity.”I would have liked them both to make big hundreds,” he said. “When you get in that scenario you should be making big hundreds but they know that, we spoke about that. But they played well and got through some tough times.”Australia will train at Old Trafford on Tuesday and Wednesday, ahead of the third Test, which they must win to keep the series alive.

A dominant partnership between Chris Nash and captain Ed Joyce guided Sussex to their first win in this year’s Yorkshire Bank 40

10-May-2013
ScorecardA dominant partnership between Chris Nash and captain Ed Joyce guided Sussex to their first win in this year’s Yorkshire Bank 40 in a rain-affected contest against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Sussex recovered from a troubled start to post 215 for 7 from their 40 overs with Nash amassing 95 off 106 balls and Joyce an even-paced 90 off 91 deliveries as they piled on 173 runs for the fourth wicket.Trent Copeland took career-best figures in one-day cricket of 5 for 32, but the home side never looked like keeping up with the run-rate as they collapsed to 122 for 9 from 26.3 overs, with Sussex winning by 61 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method.Sussex won the toss and chose to bat but they lost Luke Wells in the third over when he edged David Willey to Andrew Hall at first slip. Copeland then struck when England’s Matt Prior was caught behind for 3 and Sussex were then reduced to 12 for 3 in the sixth over when Copeland’s delivery crashed into Rory Hamilton-Brown’s off stump.But the fourth-wicket pair of Nash and Joyce recovered the Sussex innings with Joyce reaching 50 off 61 balls and Nash following suit from 68 deliveries. A 30-over partnership was finally broken when Joyce pulled Steven Crook to Copeland at short fine leg.Sussex wicketkeeper Ben Brown was then trapped lbw by Copeland before Nash’s brilliant innings came to an end when he chipped the same bowler to Hall at midwicket. Copeland completed his second five-wicket haul in one-day cricket when Chris Jordan played on in the final over.Initially chasing 216, Northamptonshire lost Stephen Peters in the fifth over when he was pinned lbw by Jordan to depart on 20. The captain Alex Wakely then threw his wicket away when he tamely nudged James Anyon to Hamilton-Brown at backward point. Kyle Coetzer also went cheaply when he launched Anyon to Michael Rippon at mid-on before David Sales perished on 24 when he clubbed Chris Liddle to Prior at deep square leg.After a 40-minute rain delay, Northamptonshire lost Matthew Spriegel when he was well caught at mid-off by Nash off Michael Yardy and Duckett followed by edging Liddle. Liddle’s yorker clattered into Willey’s off stump with Jordan then bowling Hall and Crook, who put up some resistance in making 25, before more heavy rain put the hosts out of their misery.

انتهى عقد الظهير الأيسر رافاييل جيريرو، لاعب بوروسيا دورتموند الألماني، وأصبح لاعبًا حرًا، وبإمكانه الانتقال إلى أي ناد مجانا.

وأعلن دورتموند رحيل جيريرو صاحب الـ29 عامًا بعد نهاية الموسم الحالي، بعد أن قضى في النادي 7 سنوات منذ انضمامه في صيف 2016 قادمًا من لوريان الفرنسي بقيمة 12 مليون يورو.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سكاي: بايرن ميونخ مستعد لدفع 100 مليون يورو من أجل صفقة بالدوري الإنجليزي

وبحسب الصحفي فابريزيو رومانو نقلا عن شبكة سكاي سبورتس ألمانيا، فإن جيريرو يدرس الخيارات المتاحة أمامه من بين ثلاثة أندية في سباق التعاقد معه حتى الآن، نيس الفرنسي، وأتلتيكو مدريد الإسباني وبايرن ميونخ.

وأكدت التقارير الألمانية، أن بايرن ميونخ لن يفعل بند شراء البرتغالي الآخر جواو كانسيلو، والذي كان يُقدر بـ70 مليون يورو، وأن اللاعب سيعود إلى مانشستر سيتي بعد نهاية إعارته، لذلك يبحث عن ظهير أيسر آخر.

كانت شبكة “سكاي سبورتس” أكدت أيضًا طلب المدافع الفرنسي، بنيامين بافار، مدافع بايرن ميونخ، الرحيل عن العملاق البافاري، في الصيف المقبل، حيث يريد تجربة جديدة، ويعتبر برشلونة من أبرز المهتمين بضم اللاعب بالإضافة إلى فرق إنجليزية وإيطالية.

أصر برونو فرنانديز على عدم لوم زميله ديفيد دي خيا على هزيمة مانشستر يونايتد أمام وست هام، بعد الخطأ الذي ارتكبه حارس المرمى الإسباني.

خطأ دي خيا كلف مانشستر يونايتد هزيمة بهدف دون رد، مساء الأحد، في منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”. هدف فوز وست هام على مانشستر يونايتد

ارتكب دي خيا أربعة أخطاء أدت إلى تسجيل هدف في جميع المسابقات هذا الموسم،  وكان خطأه على ملعب لندن كافياً ليتلقى مانشستر يونايتد الهزيمة الثانية في غضون أربعة أيام، بعد هزيمته أمام برايتون.

طالع ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي بعد هزيمة مانشستر يونايتد أمام وست هام

وقال فرنانديز في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “manchester evening news”: “لسنا قادرين على تسجيل هدف، نصنع العديد من الفرص لكن ليس بالقدر الكافي، استقبلنا هدفًا بسوء الحظ وخسرنا المباراة”.

وأضاف بشأن خطأ دي خيا: “لا بد لي من رؤية الهدف مرة أخرى لكننا لسنا بحاجة إلى التركيز على ذلك [خطأ دي خيا]”.

وتابع برونو فرنانديز: “دي خيا كان ينقذنا مرات عديدة، لذا لا يجب أن نحمله اللوم في النتيجة، ربما يكون هذا أحد أسوأ المواسم لدينا في تسجيل الأهداف، لدينا أشخاص قادرون على تسجيل الأهداف لكننا لا نستغل فرصنا”.

وأكد البرتغالي: “علينا أن نركز على أنفسنا، كل شيء في أيدينا، نعرف ما نحتاجه حتى نهاية الموسم، إنه صعب علينا، علينا استعادة طاقتنا”.

South Africa will leave Australia knowing they have unearthed a new Test batsman and resurrected a forgotten spinner, and they are stronger for it

Firdose Moonda04-Dec-2012

Apart from the No.1 ranking, and the knowledge that they are the first team in nearly two decades to win Test series in Australia twice, South Africa have more to take away from their 1-0 victory.They will take the recognition of Graeme Smith as one the great leaders of his time, the ever-growing appreciation for Jacques Kallis, the quiet quality of Hashim Amla’s contribution and the more brash ones of Dale Steyn. However, the most precious thing they will take is the birth of a new Test player and the rebirth of an old one.Faf du Plessis and Robin Peterson underlined what really gives a team the ability to dominate: a continuum. Both have been members of South Africa’s squads across all formats and when the time came for them to step up in a Test situation, they did.In du Plessis, South Africa have a reader of the game that will serve them better than a kindle does a frequent traveller. In Peterson, they have a blend of experience and exuberance, which helped deepen his understanding of his role and how it can fit the needs of the team.Du Plessis succeeded because he is able to see opportunity and take it. He learnt that in an unlikely place: the IPL. At Chennai Super Kings, he was acquired as bench strength and had to challenge Michael Hussey for a place in the starting XI. When Hussey was unavailable for part of a season, du Plessis saw a small chance and snatched it. “Competition is great for the team,” he said. “I grew a lot from the experience of competing with Hussey and I learnt to make sure that when I get the chance to score runs, I do.”The situation on the fourth day of the Adelaide Test was not what most would call an opening. With a rampant Australian attack on the prowl for six wickets to take an unassailable lead in the series, du Plessis’ best hope, to those on the outside, was to try and survive. Not much more could have been expected from a rookie, especially after he had already done his bit in the first innings, but du Plessis wanted to be more than a sacrificial lamb.”I’ve really pushed the ceiling in four-day cricket over the last two years and I really enjoy trying to score hundreds,” he said. Du Plessis transferred his domestic form to Tests effortlessly and displayed a maturity of someone who had played 78 first-class games before making a debut.After his resistance in Adelaide, du Plessis understood the extent of the psychological dent he had caused in the opposition camp. “For us, just to hang on was important,” he said. “Afterwards, the whole team had the sense that the Australians threw everything at us and we still managed to hang on. We knew that to turn around, mentally and physically, after that would be tough for them.”It’s those two aspects of Test cricket that du Plessis enjoys most. The game is played in the mind as much as it is on the field. “After five days, you feel like you have run the Comrades Marathon. I love it.”Peterson also regards Test cricket as the “purest” form of the game, although he did not think he would ever play it again. After appearing four times for South Africa, his only mark on the format was being hit for 28 runs in an over by Brian Lara. Now, he can joke about that. “It always comes up but really, it was just the way I bowl. I kept tossing it up and I felt I was in with a chance. There’s no disgrace in being tonked by Brian Lara.”Peterson’s style of bowling was never considered good enough for South Africa over a sustained period, and he is now the perfect advertisement for recycling. With the amount of time he spent on the fringes, he could easily have been forgotten. Peterson had only played 40 ODIs in nine years before the 2011 World Cup, when he was finally given more than just a smattering of matches.With a little bit of backing, Petersen finished as the leading wicket-taker for South Africa at the World Cup and that, along with his stint at Derbyshire, helped his confidence. “With county cricket, you learned to play cricket week in and week out and having to get yourself up mentally to perform all the time.” Dismissing players like Mark Ramprakash and Younis Khan helped Peterson realise he could do it without changing his fundamentals.It took a little longer than that for South African cricket to warm to him. Peterson said he felt like he needed to be someone he wasn’t, but that changed after the World Cup. “I’m being myself more now. The skill level never changed but it’s more about being comfortable with who you are as a person. It comes with maturity and growing up.”Peterson’s development is a microcosm for what has happened with the whole South African side. Ricky Ponting noted it when he said they were “not scared” to pull the rug so far from under Australia’s feet that it caused them to fall over. That may sound like an obvious thing for a sporting unit to do but it is not. Sometimes they hold back from annihilating an opponent as completely as they can.South Africa are slowly shedding that tendency. Peterson has been part of the squad for long enough to have witnessed it firsthand. “We’re a lot smarter and lot more prepared to take risks, which we wouldn’t have been in the past,” he said. “It comes with maturity as people. If you look around, Hashim is playing the best he has ever played, Graeme has also gone to a new level, and guys like Faf are coming in and performing under pressure.”It’s the last of those examples that matters most. A good team can be built on a few exceptional players but great teams have to be built on generations. South Africa’s may be beginning.