Brad Morgan
21 November 2007
South Africa secured a two-nil test series whitewash of New Zealand at the weekend, after overwhelming the Black Caps in both tests, with a complete and merciless approach.
While the New Zealanders' batting was inept, the Proteas' batsmen knuckled down and dominated the visitors' bowling, and South Africa's bowlers, led by Dale Steyn, ensured a steady procession of wickets when the Kiwis were at the crease.
It was clear from the start of the series that the South African side was playing with confidence; their approach was positive with the bat and very aggressive with the ball.
Fiery attack
The Black Caps struggled to come to terms with the Proteas' fiery attack and that led to numerous catches behind the wicket where SA fielded brilliantly.
In fact, there was clearly a wide gap between the two teams in all three disciplines of the game: batting, bowling, and fielding.
A check on the runs scored and dismissals in the series illustrates the gap: South Africa scored 1 031 runs and lost 23 wickets, meaning the average partnership was almost 45 runs. New Zealand's figures were modest at best. They tallied only 614 runs and were bowled out in all four innings, although three times a batsman was unable to bat because of injury.
Even if one doesn't count those three instances as wickets that fell, it still leaves the Kiwis with an average partnership of a little less than 17 runs. Performances like that will inevitably lead to defeat and, with South Africa's return almost three times that of New Zealand, it resulted in massive losses.
Unrelenting pressure
New Zealand's poor batting was brought about by a fiery South African pace attack that never let up, putting the Black Caps under unrelenting pressure, often forcing the batsmen onto the back foot by peppering them with short balls before delivering the sucker punch with fuller
deliveries.
It was an approach that worked exceptionally well for South Africa. The SA speedsters were so successful that left-arm spinner Paul Harris was called on to bowl only nine overs in the series.
In Pakistan, Harris had bowled 51 overs more than the next busiest bowler. He finished with the most wickets, best average, and best economy rate in the series, but he wasn't needed against the New Zealanders.
The series also saw two of the young guns excel and play pivotal roles in South Africa's success.
Sensational Steyn
Dale Steyn enjoyed a series that he'll be hard-pressed to match during the remainder of his career, even though he is only 24-years-old and surely will play many more tests.
He picked up the man of the match awards in both tests and was thus an obvious choice for the man of the series award. Simply put, he was far too good for the Kiwi batsmen to handle.
In the first test, Steyn picked up 5 for 34 and 5 for 59 to claim with his first 10-wicket haul in tests of 10 for 94. In the second test, he bettered that great performance, capturing 4 for 42 and 6 for 49 to finish with figures of 10 for 91.
That gave him 20 wickets at the astounding average of 9.20, which was the best average for a bowler who took 20 wickets in a series since 1970.
Strike rate
His strike rate reflected his dominance as he picked up a wicket every 16.8 balls, in other words, a wicket, on average, in less than three overs.
Only once in test history has that strike rate been bettered by a bowler who claimed 20 wickets and that happened way back in 1895-96!
The intelligence and control that Steyn exhibited - while bowling at a fearsome pace - was something to behold. He softened the batsmen up with well-directed short deliveries and then had them at sixes and sevens when he sent down full deliveries.
Away swing
For a
man bowling at such pace, he generated a lot of away swing, which led to numerous men being caught behind.
His control of the Yorker was also exemplary and it helped him knock over the lower order with ease, this giving South Africa a cutting edge that has been missing at times in the recent past.
With Steyn leading the attack, the New Zealanders managed only one fifty in the series, scored by Stephen Fleming, whose total of 154 runs made him the only Black Cap to exceed 100 runs in the series.
Amla excels
The other young gun that truly made his mark was number-three batsman Hashim Amla. He began the series with 12 as the Proteas scored an unimpressive 226 in the first innings of the series but, after that, he produced two big innings that oozed class.
In the second innings, he hit a career-best 176 not out as he and Jacques Kallis shared a huge stand of 330, which was the highest partnership for any wicket in the 35-test history between South Africa and New Zealand.
Then, at SuperSport Park in the second test, Amla compiled a second century in succession, making 103 and once again batting superbly with Kallis as the pair put on 220.
The KwaZulu-Natal star, who impressed with his concentration and control, finished the series with 291 runs to his name in only three innings, at the outstanding average of 145.50.
Kallis continues sensational form
Kallis, meanwhile, continued the sensational form he had shown in Pakistan where he scored 421 runs at an average of 210.5, with three centuries and a fifty.
After struggling in the first innings of the first test – he was dropped twice before he was dismissed for 29 – he proceeded to take the game to the bowlers in a manner that many critics reckoned he was incapable of doing.
In the second innings at the Wanderers, Kallis struck a masterful 186, looking in total command on a pitch that demanded total focus and commitment.
He followed that up with a stroke-filled 131 in the second test to end the series as the highest run scorer, with 346 to his name at an average of 115.33.
Record setter
During the test he became only the eighth player in history to pass 9 000 runs in test cricket. It also made Kallis the only man in history to score 9 000 runs in both tests and one-day internationals, and take 200 wickets in both forms of the game.
He also took his tally of test match hundreds to 29, joining the legendary Sir Donald Bradman on that mark.
Only five players have scored more tons than South Africa's all-time leading run scorer and three of them have retired, so the chances of Kallis moving up that list are very strong, especially if his form remains near the level he is playing at.
Rankings
He currently (21 November) occupies second place in the test batting rankings with a career
high 935 points, which puts him in a tie with Australian opener Matthew Hayden, in ninth place, for the highest rating ever achieved. It leaves Kallis only one point behind Ricky Ponting at the top of the pile.
Ashwell Prince, in 13th place, is the next highest South African batsman in the rankings, followed by Graeme Smith (19th), Herschelle Gibbs (29), Hashim Amla (31), AB de Villiers (39), and Mark Boucher (41).
The Proteas feature far more prominently in the bowling rankings, which reflects the success the team's bowlers have enjoyed recently.
Makhaya Ntini is ranked second to Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralidaran, while Steyn's brilliance has seen him rocket to third.
SA's record test wicket taker Shaun Pollock, who was relegated to 12th man for the New Zealand series, occupies eighth spot. Based on the excellent form of South Africa's bowlers, the veteran might have played his last test for the Proteas.
Kallis, the top-ranked all-rounder in the game, is 21st, followed by Andre Nel (25), and Paul Harris (34).
Moving up
South Africa has also climbed two places in the test rankings, moving above India and Sri Lanka. England, in second, are only two points clear of the Proteas.
The chances of South Africa improving their current points' total of 111 appear good, with the West Indies, second from bottom of the standings, next up, in South Africa.
Before the Caribbean islanders begin their tour in mid-December, however, Graeme Smith and company will try to maintain their crushing superiority over New Zealand in a Twenty20 international, which will be followed by three one-day internationals.
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