Defeat to West Indies highlights bowling worries for Proteas

While it will have little effect in how South Africa will fare in the T20 World Cup, the 3-0 series defeat against the West Indies will have shown Rob Walter the enormous gap between his “first team” and those supposedly challenging for spots. 

The Proteas suffered another chastening defeat in the final T20 International at Sabina Park in Kingston on Sunday night as the West Indies claimed an eight-wicket victory. Asked to chase 164, West Indies reached the target in the 14th over. 

“You can’t keep making the same mistakes,” stand-in Proteas skipper Rassie van der Dussen said.

“Yes, we had a long week with layovers in Miami, we saw that in the first match. That’s no excuse for what happened in game two and game three. We got taught a lesson in how to play in Caribbean conditions, especially from a bowling front.”

The bowling will be the most worrying outcome for the Proteas, particularly the performances by Anrich Nortjé and Gerald Coetzee, who are in the World Cup squad and who failed to come to terms with what’s needed in conditions where varying pace is vital. 

“We couldn’t adapt to conditions,” Van der Dussen said.

Nortje failed to pick up a wicket in the six overs he bowled in the series, while conceding 73 runs, while Coetzee claimed only two wickets and had an economy rate of 9.57 in the seven overs he bowled.

The batting problems were understandable, especially in the middle order, where besides looking as if they were a batter short throughout the series, they also missed the experience of David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs and skipper Aiden Markram. 

Van der Dussen manfully sought to carry the load, while batting at No 5 and made a good half-century on Sunday after his team slumped to 50/4, but he needed more support. 

Though both failed in the last match, openers Quinton de Kock and more so Reeza Hendricks looked in good touch throughout the series. De Kock, who hit himself back into form on Saturday when scoring 41 off 17 balls, made 19 off 18 in the third match. Hendricks suffered his first failure of the series, scoring six, but over the three matches in Jamaica he was comfortably South Africa’s best batter. 

For Ryan Rickelton, who is in the World Cup squad, the series was an eye-opening one. He got himself starts in the last two matches but failed to build on those platforms, using up deliveries to get adapted to conditions but then getting out as he tried to accelerate. 

Matthew Breetzke never looked comfortable and while Andile Phehlukwayo, who missed the last match with breathing problems, impressed with the ball in the series opener, neither he nor Wiaan Mulder were able to press their claims as all-rounders. 

Patrick Kruger made his debut on Sunday and hit one exhilarating six over fine leg off Obed McCoy, which saw Kruger rolling on his back, and will hope for another opportunity after the World Cup. 

A long week of hard work awaits for Coetzee and Nortje in which Rob Walter will be desperate for the pair to find rhythm and confidence. The rest of the squad will join them in Fort Lauderdale, where the Proteas will wrap up their preparation for the World Cup before their opening match against Sri Lanka in New York on June 3.