Walter pleased with progress from Proteas but still plenty to ponder

Proteas' next white-ball assignment will be a four-match T20 International series against India in November

08 October 2024 - 11:56
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Tristan Stubbs finished as the leading run-scorer for the Proteas in the ODI series against Ireland.
Tristan Stubbs finished as the leading run-scorer for the Proteas in the ODI series against Ireland.
Image: Daniel Prentice/Gallo Images

Coach Rob Walter says he can’t afford to get “too emotionally attached” to results and stressed the importance of player growth for a Proteas team missing a host of household names for recent assignments against Ireland and Afghanistan. 

The Proteas travelled home to South Africa from the UAE on Tuesday after finishing a tour that encompassed eight matches — six ODIs and two T20 Internationals — with four wins and four losses. 

They finished the tour with a 69-run defeat to Ireland, continuing a pattern that emerged in all the matches in Abu Dhabi, where the team batting first won, with the side which batted second struggling against the moving ball under lights. 

“Everyone likes to win — we are all competitive, ultimately it’s why we play. From the coaching space [I try] not to get too emotionally attached to the result, it's about what progress we see from the players,” said Walter. 

Losses to Ireland in both T20s and the ODIs and a series defeat against Afghanistan have left many observers wondering about the state of the sport in the country and the quality of the players produced domestically. 

Walter and ODI skipper Temba Bavuma have explained how the lack of domestic match time has left players ill-equipped to make the step up to international level. Nevertheless the Proteas have been forced to adopt the policy of handing out opportunities to new players because they need to keep some of the stars fresh for Test assignments, while others have been allowed to explore options in T20 Leagues. 

“Having these opportunities is what we are after, we want more of them. We want to keep giving a certain group of players opportunities to grow their experience, to understand what their game looks like in different conditions,” said Walter.

There were ticks for Tristan Stubbs, who finished the series against the Irish as the leading run-scorer after scoring his maiden international century in the second ODI. Ryan Rickelton made two half-centuries, including a 91 in the first ODI, where his 152-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Stubbs was instrumental in South Africa reaching a winning total. 

“The guys who got the runs have staked a claim for potentially more opportunities,” said Walter.

That could include next year’s Champions Trophy, the major ICC event on the 2025 calendar. Rickelton is neck-and-neck in his race with Tony de Zorzi for a top-order spot, while Stubbs needs to be considered, perhaps at No 4, with Aiden Markram moving up one position from the place he occupied at last year’s ODI World Cup. 

Among the bowlers, Ottneil Baartman, Lungi Ngidi and Lizaad Williams bowled well, though there was significant assistance for the seamers under lights in Abu Dhabi, which to their credit the trio used well. Ngidi’s performance was especially encouraging and consistency must be his priority in the next few months. 

Whether Baartman and Williams did enough to merit Champions Trophy selection will make lively conversation when Walter weighs his options for that squad. In Pakistan conditions, which will be similar to Abu Dhabi, their skiddy pace is unsettling for opposing batters. Williams finished as the leading wicket-taker with 11 and even bowling in the tougher day-time portion of the third match he was still able to pick up 4/56. 

The Proteas' next white-ball assignment will be a four-match T20 International series against India in November. Thereafter they play Pakistan in three ODIs in December, which will be the last series before the Champions Trophy in February. 


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