Proteas must solve batting woes

Stuart Hess|Published

Pakistan celebrate the dismissal of Kagiso Rabada at the Wanderers yesterday. Karen Sandison ANA Pictures Pakistan celebrate the dismissal of Kagiso Rabada at the Wanderers yesterday. Karen Sandison ANA Pictures

South Africa 164

Pakistan 168/2

Pakistan won by 8 wickets

There are problems with South Africa’s batting that go well beyond just the personnel.

The debates both within the selection meetings and those taking place in public maybe about who, but there is another question about how the Porteas are going about their one-day batting at the moment. Some of that strategy has been highlighted in the ODI series against Pakistan.

They were too slow in Port Elizabeth and generally have failed to assert themselves. For an hour at Centurion, after the rain delay, Reeza Hendricks and Faf du Plessis played with intent. That element was absent in the fourth ODI against Pakistan at the Wanderers yesterday as it was in PE a week earlier.

What’s caused its absence, is part of the on-going chat in the Proteas changing-room.

Captain Faf du Plessis talks about the batsmen needing to play freely, but acknowledges that that is difficult as they try and impress selectors for a World Cup spot.

Another significant reason is the personnel and especially the search for a viable No 3. Hendricks played well in the second match and has an international career that is dotted with innings where he has looked a capable player. But too often he has struggled to assert himself.

Rassie van der Dussen started this series in the No 3 spot, scoring 93 and 80 not out - the latter helping rescue South Africa from a tricky situation. He has been shifted to No 5 to test out his versatility and yesterday, he got stuck trying keep the innings afloat while more experienced teammates failed.

There is another reason for South Africa’s batting problems in this series - Pakistan. They are a very good one-day unit - one that has now won six out of their last nine one-day matches against the Proteas.

Despite missing their suspended captain Sarfraz Ahmed, they continue to look a well-drilled unit and the skill of their bowlers, both seamers and spinners proved far too good for this fragile Proteas batting unit yesterday.

It was the spinners Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan that entwined the South African innings yesterday, creating pressure on the home team’s two most experienced batsmen; Du Plessis and Hashim Amla. Both notched up half-centuries as part of a 101-run stand for the third wicket, but at the time they were looking to increase the scoring rate, they were struggling to loosen the control created by the slow left-arm spin from Imad and vicious leg-breaks from Shadab.

The latter emerged the winner from an intriguing battle with the South African captain, while Amla was flummoxed by Imad, with both South African batsmen out to attacking shots.

Mohammad Amir bowled a couple of excellent overs at the Corlett Drive End, accounting for David Miller and the pressure he, on the back of the fine work done by the spinners, allowed Usman Shinwari to batter through the South African lower order.

The powerfully built left-arm seamer picked up four wickets in six balls to finish off the South African collapse, which saw the hosts lose their last eight wickets for 45 runs in 15.1 overs.

A significant part of South Africa’s 50-overs strategy is built around the four, attacking bowlers - which for this series is missing Lungi Ngidi. But even with him, defending a mediocre total of 165 would have proved impossible.

Pakistan cruised to victory yesterday- inflicting the first loss on the Proteas in a “Pink ODI”. For all the plans built around a very fine group of seamers, if the Proteas don’t have enough runs to work with they can’t build pressure on opposing batsmen.

South Africa has to resolve its problems with the bat, it’s not just personnel, it’s strategy and execution too, and they are getting none of that right at the moment.