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- Proteas’ 2-0 Test Series victory over Sri Lanka is undeniably welcome for a team that has been under the bomb for some time.
- But there will be reservations that the opposition was not necessarily the harshest and coach Mark Boucher himself admits that there is still a lot to work on.
- Here are his thoughts on five talking points that emerge from the series.
the ProteasThey happily dispelled some of the sadness that had stifled the local game for the past few months by claiming a 2-0 shutout test series over Sri Lanka.
It’s a commendable performance given its own challenges in terms of poor previous form, the ongoing battle to fill the gaps left by a series of retirements, and the consequent questions about depth in that regard.
South Africa probably did not face the harshest opposition, as the visitors suffered a staggering number of injuries, making the home team’s first Test hitting at Centurion seem more potent than it would have been had the Islanders been able to . call a full force attack.
However, as head coach Mark Boucher pointed out, this result could be the start of better days for the team.
These are some of his thoughts on some of the key takeaways from the series.
There are still several areas to work on before an intriguing and possibly difficult tour to Pakistan …
From a technical perspective, our hitters can always keep working. We will go into different conditions later this month. I thought the hitting techniques were pretty solid on tough terrain – if the bowlers got deliveries in the right areas, it was always going to be tough.
When it comes to bowling, we are a young group. It’s about keeping things nice and simple, trying to establish a new DNA that we can impose on bowlers and allow ourselves to get the best out of them in whatever condition we play in. We are by no means a finished product, there is still a lot of hard work to be done and the guys get it.
We will make mistakes along the way, but as long as we continue to learn from them, we are going in the right direction.
Proteas learn the value of partnerships, by hitting and bowling …
That is the key to generating a little pressure on the opposition. There was a very good and defining batting association in the Wanderers. (a record of 184 races between Dean Elgar and Rassie van der Dussen) and some good ones in Centurion. The same goes for bowling.
Hitters realized that going out on the fold meant they had to maintain intensity and maintain a positive mindset because you always felt there was a delivery that probably had their name on it. And if we got into a situation where we created some kind of partnership, we had to bring that advantage home. That’s exactly what happened.
Collapse (in the Wanderers) It wasn’t ideal, but I think the Sri Lankans got the ball rocking and bouncing. If you are a bowler, there is always something for you if you get it in the right place.
Lutho Sipamla vividly illustrates a temperament for test cricket …
It was difficult to judge Lutho on his first day of test cricket – there are so many butterflies and nerves and certain people handle those feelings in different ways. He is very young and has probably never felt like this before, especially since test cricket means a lot to him.
That’s a good sign for me, when a guy is passionate about playing for his country, especially for a Test Match. He is one of the advantages for me. From where he started to where he is now, he has learned a lot in the last two games. It’s one thing to clear the tail, but the areas it hit, always asking questions, decent paced too (illustrated how it kept getting better).
Like his 22-year-old teammate Wiaan Mulder …
We didn’t really see Wiaan’s hitting side, but he’s a very good hitter who could make it into the top six. But he was fantastic for us with the ball, he’s there to make progress and it’s great to have that complete option.
Wiaan is still very young, but the talent is obviously there. And he has a great attitude, he really wants to learn and I hope that now he can stay in the park because I see a great future for him.
Dean Elgar proves he’s the lynchpin of Proteas’s batting order …
If you look at the conditions our hitters have had to deal with over the last period, it has been tough, especially as a starter. So I’m very happy that Dean is in good shape. Technically, it looks great.
He’s also been nice and aggressive, which is something we’ve talked about as a team. There is nothing better than when a senior player takes those words from the team on board and follows them, especially at the top of the order.
He will feel great about where his game is right now and I am very happy with where he is.
– Compiled by Heinz Schenk
