After copping a barrage of criticism when the Proteas’ World Cup squad was first selected, Shukri Conrad has been extremely pleased with how the players chosen for India have performed in the SA20, particularly Dewald Brevis.
The 22-year-old was always going to be under the microscope after the Pretoria Capitals signed him for R16.4m at the tournament’s auction in September.
It’s the highest figure ever paid in the SA20.
After a slow start, with a best score of 36 in the first nine matches of the competition, Brevis came in for criticism from Herschelle Gibbs, who questioned his game management and temperament.
But in the Capitals’ last two matches, Brevis has burst into life, scoring a crucial half-century after his team crashed to 7/5 against the Joburg Super Kings, which he followed with a match-winning 75 not out off 38 balls against the Sunrisers to secure a place in the competition’s final.
“It’s wonderful to see Brevis delivering performances that match his price tag,” Conrad chirped.
“I watched the ‘7/5 game’—and sometimes the situation of the game forces you into doing your business in a certain way, and in so doing, you start learning about how the game works and how you need to adapt.”
Brevis came to the crease in the fourth over of that fixture at the Wanderers, and by the time the power play had ended, the Capitals had lost two more wickets.
He was forced to absorb pressure and bat for time, eventually spending more than an hour in the middle, sharing a 103-run partnership with Sherfane Rutherford.
The Capitals reached 143/6 and ended up winning by 21 runs.
“There’s a lot been said about Dewald and how he’s gone about it. We can’t use the excuse that he’s still only 22.
“But what we forget sometimes is that he’s got a 100 against Australia in T20 cricket, so there’s a hell of a lot of things he’s doing right,” said Conrad.
“The nature of T20 is that it’s high intensity and about making an impact, and that is what Dewald always sets out to do.
“The last couple of games for the Capitals have been great for him in that the game has taught him a few things. He’s been able to adapt.
“The biggest lesson is what he’s able to do once he’s given himself a chance. And ‘giving himself a chance’ might change from one game to another — it might take two or three overs to get set one day, and on another it is two or three deliveries.”
Conrad spoke to the Capitals captain, Keshav Maharaj, on Wednesday about Brevis’ progress this season.
“Kesh also mentioned the impact that Sourav Ganguly (Capitals head coach) has had on Dewald; that’s wonderful to know.”
Meanwhile, Conrad said Ottniel Baartman’s omission from the World Cup was a result of poor timing, with the squad picked before the SA20.
“If the T20 World Cup squad was selected after the SA20, then I think longer conversations would have been had, but when we selected, we always felt that Kwena Maphaka was ahead of Ottniel, and I’m very, very comfortable with that selection.”
Baartman is the leading wicket-taker in the SA20 with 19, and in all the main bowling categories he’s outperformed Maphaka, who picked up only four wickets for Durban Super Giants.
Baartman’s average is 13.68 to Maphaka’s 50.75, his economy rate is 9.06, Maphaka’s is 10.68, and he’s taken a wicket on average every nine balls, compared to Maphaka’s 28.
“Ottniel’s done wonderfully well for the Paarl Royals, but we forget that Kwena was part of the national side in Australia and England.
“Against Australia he turned in match-winning performances; he bowls quickly, he’s got a good attitude and he has pace.”
Maphaka was the top wicket taker in a three-match series in Australia, and in Manchester against England, when SA conceded 304, and the majority of the bowlers had economy rates between 15 and 17 per over, Mokoena went for 41 in his four overs.
“We need to be consistent and look after players we believe have a bright future for us,” said Conrad.
He also cited the importance of having more pace in India. “Against certain opposition, we need pace, which is what Kwena, like Anrich Nortje, brings.”
The Proteas will play a three-match T20 series against the West Indies next week and travel to India on February 1 for the World Cup.
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