South Africa true World Champions at last

Congratulations, South Africa! Three long decades after being welcomed back into the international sporting fold, the World Test Championship ha as it did for New Zealand a few years ago, provided the opportunity to break their duck in major ICC global trophies. Temba Bavuma’s joy at holding the WTC prize aloft was reflected in cricket fans not only in South Africa but in many other nations, too. 

The Apartheid era has unfortunately tainted the way I regard that country but the reborn ‘Rainbow Nation’, for all it faults, deserves some success on the cricket field. The reputation as ‘chokers’ has also weighed heavy on the shoulders of every team since 1999, as unfair as it is cruel. Nonetheless, only one previous cup final appearance in eighteen ODI and T20 tournaments is scant reward for their undoubted talent. Even England have won more semi-finals in that time. 

I think of all those great sides, both in white and red ball who tried and failed to take that extra step or two to claim the silverware. The WTC came too late for the likes of Allan Donald, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, AB De Villiers, Morne Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Jonty Rhodes, Daryll Cullinan, Lance Klusener et al. 

Many of those names competed in that infamous tied semi-final at Edgbaston almost exactly 26 years ago. So horribly close… But look at Australia’s players they faced that day: Gilchrist, both Waughs, Ponting, Lehmann, Warne, McGrath, Moody, Bevan,…. Some of the best one-day cricketers of a generation were in that line-up. yet Pollock and Donald took nine wickets to restrict the Aussies to 213.  In response, Shane Warne took 4-29 and it was only big hitting by the maligned Klusener which kept them in the hunt until the disastrous run-outs at the end. 

Who would have thought that a side featuring names like Mulder, Stubbs, Bedingham, Jansen and Ngidi would be the one to end all those years of hurt? It’s not as if South Africa play many Test matches. Money talks loudest, of course. England, Australia and India regularly play three- or five-game series which make enough cash to justify halting the conveyor belt of meaningless but fan-friendly T20 thrashes. Nobody else has the luxury of playing so much proper cricket, but the format of qualifying for the final over a two-year cycle gives others a chance. 

The all-powerful India didn’t make it, while England’s Bazball-blinkered set-up hasn’t lived up to the local media hype. SA had a dodgy start, losing 2-0 to New Zealand and the two-day Cape Town drubbing by India, leaving them needing to win their final six Tests to stand chance. This they achieved, whitewashing both Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Bavuma has nine wins in his first ten as captain, and he earned his place as an excellent batsman. Indeed, his 144-run partnership with centurion Aiden Markram in the second innings at Lord’s was decisive at calming the nerves after two and a half days of tumbling wickets. 

David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne have caught my eye in the county game in recent years and they were at the wicket as the latter’s driven single off Starc carried them over the line. Not forgetting their world-class paceman Kagiso Rabada who had match figures of 9-110 to maintain an excellent record over the past two years. Just past his thirtieth birthday, he is bowling better than ever. 

It is a pity South Africa cannot immediately build upon this Test success. However, visits to Zimbabwe (1 Test) and India (only two) will launch their attempt to retain the WTC in 2027. Australia still lead the ICC Test rankings, with England and India not far behind. There’s still a fair way to go but, surviving relentless Aussie sledging at Lord’s suggests South Africa have little to fear. The Aussie fast bowlers are getting on a bit and England cannot rely on Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Harry Brook for ever. Kohli and Rohit have gone, so Test cricket is entering a new phase. Give South Africa a chance to be at its forefront.

The Ginger Ninjas smash records in Cape Town

After England cruised to victory on a bowler-friendly pitch at Durban, could we really have anticipated such a run-fest at Newlands? 1,415 runs flowed, yet only 19 wickets fell across the whole five days. Reputations were forged or restored and new records were as relentless as the hot sunshine.

I’ve never been a fan of Ben Stokes. All that bristling aggression, often misplaced, doesn’t endear him to me. Thumping furniture, or anything else, should never be mistaken for ‘passion’. Nevertheless, not even I can be anything but awe-struck by his incredible innings of 258 in only 198 balls. As he said, when you feel in the zone, you may as well adopt the ‘see ball, hit ball’ approach. And, by golly, did he hit the ball. So many Test records fell by the wayside, not only national but global:-

• The highest innings by a number six
• The fastest 250 by anyone, even Sehwag or Gayle
• The most sixes by any Englishman (11)
• The fastest 150 and 200 by an English batsman

Pity poor Jonny Bairstow. He made a brilliant, unbeaten 150, his debut Test century, and nobody else will remember it. Fortunately the statistics won’t lie: he and Stokes now share the world best sixth wicket total of 399, and the second highest of any England partnership in history. Not only that, I have to delight in such an achievement by a pair of fellow redheads, the ‘ginger ninjas’!

Yet England didn’t win the match. Indeed, on the final afternoon, there was even a possibility that they could lose it. That South Africa came that close owes a huge amount to captain Hashim Amla. He’s been in such terrible form lately, so his patient double-hundred was simply perfect. De Villiers, Du Plessis, Morris (on his debut) and Temba Bavuma provided sterling support. The latter also smashed another welcome barrier, becoming the first black South African batsman to reach three figures. So much for quotas; he looked the real deal against fine bowlers like Anderson, Finn and Broad.

AB apart, the home team’s batting has been frail of late. However, it was their attack which looked more toothless this week, in the absence of Steyn, Philander and Abbott. Bring at least two of these three back from injury, and the series could yet be drawn, or even won. I doubt it, though. With Bairstow and Stokes on a high, and only Alex Hales looking out of place, it will take a lot to beat England once, let alone twice.

Will Amla’s resignation make a difference? Probably not, with the experience of AB stepping up for the remaining fixtures. Nevertheless, if the number three scores 201 and feels he can do better without the burden of captaincy, what sort of performance can SA expect from him at Jo’burg? If he dyes his hair ginger, too, Lara’s record must be in danger…..