Just win the darn thing

09 February 2016 - 02:19 By Telford Vice

"It takes a win," was Hashim Amla's unusually direct answer when he was asked yesterday what it would take to put South Africa back on track in their one-day series against England. The visitors have been the better team and deserve their 2-0 lead. Another victory at Centurion today and they will add to the Test series they won last month.That would see South Africa's already sorry summer lurch to a new low: England are a win away from being the first team in 14 years to leave the country with trophies in two formats on one tour.Standing in their way is a South African side who can feel the wall behind their backs."It's a massive motivating factor - we've got three finals in a row," Amla said. "Hopefully we play the best cricket we can play."Centurion is easily South Africa's happiest hunting ground as a Test team. But it is the only major venue where they have lost more day-night, one-day internationals than they have won. Six victories and seven defeats is the record under lights at Centurion.That's as close as it can be but it contrasts starkly with how they fare at the Wanderers, where they have won 11 and lost four, as well as at Newlands (18-4), Kingsmead (13-7) and St George's Park (10-2).And the here and now of having to live with an England batting order that is more an iron bar than chain - it has no weak links - won't make the task of bucking the Centurion trend any easier."They bat very deep, which allows them to attack throughout the game - even if they lose a wicket or two," Amla conceded."We've had seven batsmen for a long time and it's been very important for them to take the responsibility and score the runs and not leave it for No8, 9, 10 and 11," Amla said."We hope to get back to that.but with the [flat] wickets you come across in one-day cricket you can't really sacrifice the quality of bowling."Indeed. But you also can't put up with the world's most explosive batsman lagging at No6 among the runscorers in the series. That's where AB de Villiers is after two innings. South Africa are a worryingly weaker side when he doesn't fire and they will need him to do so today.Like Amla said, it will take a win to keep South Africa alive. But what it will take to achieve that win is a question the home side have twice failed to answer.Hash backs maccaNeil McKenzie will return to SA's dressing room as their batting coach on the back of the endorsement of one of his most respected charges."He was an excellent batsman with a great cricketing brain," Hashim Amla said yesterday."If he's the guy who's joining us, that would be fantastic."Yesterday McKenzie confirmed from the United Arab Emirates - where he is playing for the Virgo Super Kings in the Masters Champions League - that he would "accept the position" with Cricket SA. ..

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