SA Twenty20 squad announced
Brad Morgan
13 August 2007
South Africa's cricket selectors have named a 15-man squad to contest the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship, which kicks off at The Wanderers on 11 September. It features plenty of all-rounders, the experience of a number of veterans, and one notable omission.
The most eye-catching feature of the squad is the name that doesn't appear in the line-up. Jacques Kallis, South Africa's all-time leading run scorer in both tests and one-day internationals, as well as the Proteas' leading run scorer at the World Cup in the West Indies, was left out.
Despite scoring more runs than any other South African batsman and averaging over 23 runs more than the second best performer in the Caribbean, Herschelle Gibbs, it would seem that Kallis has been punished for a perception that he is unable to bat at a fast tempo.
Run rate
Interestingly, he was fifth best in terms of run rate at the World Cup behind, in order, Mark
Boucher, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, and Gibbs.
While Kallis claimed only five wickets in the West Indies, his bowling economy rate, was fourth best in the team. Shaun Pollock, predictably, led that category. Ironically, the next three bowlers on the list, Andre Nel, Andrew Hall, and Kallis all missed out on selection for the Twenty20 World Championship.
The new convener of the selection panel, Joubert Strydom, said Kallis' omission had nothing to do with his ability to perform in the 20 overs per side game. Rather, he claimed, it was decided to give Kallis more rest, with a busy 18 months coming up for the Proteas. Maybe so, but the schedule doesn,t seem any busier than it has been in the past.
Bowling at the death
The decision to leave Andrew Hall out of the 15-man squad seems a little strange too. During the World Cup he bowled at the death for the Proteas, when the pressure was at its greatest, on pitches that, at times, offered
little to the bowlers. Hall responded brilliantly, finishing second to Pollock in terms of economy, but at the top of the table with Charl Langeveldt for the most dismissals, with 14.
With his all-round ability and his renowned never-say-die attitude, one would have imagined that Hall would have been the ideal kind of player for the Twenty20 World Championship.
There are high hopes for Vernon Philander, a 22-year-old all-rounder from the Cape Cobras, who, when given opportunities to play for the Proteas in Ireland and in the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia, turned in some exciting performances with both bat and ball.
Depth
Adding further depth to the all-round abilities of the squad is Shaun Pollock, a consistently effective and challenging bowler, whose stroke-making ability as a batsman somehow remains somewhat under-rated.
Big-hitting Justin Kemp, who had a disappointing World Cup, is also in the mix, along with Johan
van der Wath, who bowled superbly during the Standard Bank Pro20 Series for the Free State Eagles. A member of the team that edged Australia when South Africa chased down the Aussies' 434 for 4 to win an unforgettable one-day international at The Wanderers, he is also a powerful striker of the ball.
Albie Morkel, another player with the ability to change the outcome of a match with either bat or ball, lends further depth to the options available to the selectors.
Interesting selection
Gulam Bodi is an interesting selection. As an opening batsman for the Titans he has shown the ability to get after the bowling from the first ball of an innings, but he also offers another alternative, that of a left-arm spinner.
Thandi Tshabalala has been included as a specialist off-spinner, while, if needed, captain Graeme Smith, whose attacking play at the top of the batting order will surely play a huge part in the success or lack thereof in the
South African team's results, is another player who can bowl off-spin.
Mornè Morkel, the younger brother of Albie Morkel, is a bowler capable of hitting the deck hard. A tall man, his height can make matters difficult for batsman.
Makhaya Ntini, SA's leading strike bowler, will along with Pollock, dictate to a large degree how South Africa performs in the field. The opening bowling pair is experienced, but their support is pretty raw in terms of international experience.
Experienced batsmen
Backing up Smith as an important cog in the South African batting line-up is the free-flowing Herschelle Gibbs, along with the indomitable Mark Boucher and AB de Villiers, a shot-maker capable of tearing the best attacks to shreds with what appears to be minimal effort.
Further batting support comes from Loots Bosman, who has proved to be a devastating ball-striker in Twenty20 competition, as well as from Jean-Paul Duminy, a stylish
left-handed batsman.
Examining the potential of the squad, it is an exciting-looking line-up. However, there are many players who have yet to prove themselves at international level. How well the players adjust to the step up from domestic to international competition will determine how far the team goes.
Home advantage
South Africa has the advantage of playing at home in familiar conditions. The players will understand how to bowl on the pitches – something that they didn't seem to be comfortable with at times during the World Cup in the West Indies – and also how to bat on them, including having a feel for how the tracks will play differently when matches are played at night.
The all-action 20 overs per side game has proved itself to be a staggering success in South Africa, no doubt boosted by an improbably high number of matches in the past season's domestic competition being decided right at the death.
In a competition that
consisted of 18 matches, many were decided in the final over. Included among them were two games whose results were determined only after the last ball had been bowled, two games decided with only one delivery remaining, and one in which a team claimed victory by one run on the Duckworth-Lewis method.
Support
Thus, the first world championship will surely be well supported by the South African public.
If the Proteas rise to the occasion, and perform well, despite questions about their lack of experience, the tournament should truly capture the attention and the imagination of the entire country.
A strong showing is needed after what many would consider a below-par performance by South Africa at the World Cup in the West Indies.
SA SQUAD
Graeme Smith (capt), Gulam Bodi, Loots Bosman, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Justin Kemp, Albie Morkel, Mornè Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Vernon Philander,
Shaun Pollock, Thandi Tshabalala, and Johan van der Wath.
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