There are almost different standards demanded for batters and bowlers wanting to earn a starting position in the Proteas team at the moment.
For batters any modicum of consistency at domestic level will get you placed, but if you’re a bowler it’s very different. The fact that Lungi Ngidi sat out the two Tests against the West Indies demonstrated South Africa’s fast bowling production line is in good order. The requirement to start a Test match for the Proteas as a bowler is that you have to be elite.
Gerald Coetzee took nine wickets in the two Tests, impressing teammates and the coaching staff with his aggression, skill and heart.
“At Centurion he bowled behind KG, Anna and Marco, so it was probably an ‘easier’ role,” said head coach Shukri Conrad.
“The way he took on the mantle of being the leading quick with KG [at Wanderers] was impressive. Then you chat to him after the game and he was really disappointed with his performance. He felt he was better than that. If that is how a young man is going to react then we are onto something good there.”
Coetzee had taken some tap from Joshua da Silva and Jason Holder, with the West Indies pair choosing to have some fun at a point when the match was all but lost for their team. Coetzee didn’t appreciate it but kept charging in, eventually dismissing both and finishing with 3/37 in eight overs.
“A guy like Gerald adds an extra dimension, he brings pace and aggression”, said Proteas captain Temba Bavuma.
He said he was excited at the prospect of leading a bowling unit that, despite all the team’s problems in the last few years, was always world class. “With the batting there have been concerns, but with our bowling, when those guys click we always have a chance in the game.”
He made mention of Ngidi, who wasn’t picked for the series but was with the squad at the Wanderers, training with them with an eye on the one-day series that starts on Thursday.
“He has done very well at this level. For me at least, as long as I am still captain, Lungi doesn’t move out of the conversation, he still has a massive role to play in the Test team and the other formats.”
“It’s important to remember that we don’t have Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers in this unit and we have to find different ways of skinning this cat.
— Shukri Conrad, Proteas head coach
Greater patience is required with the batting, though as Conrad explained, the series saw some goals achieved. “We have two centurions in this series, we passed 300 twice, which we haven’t done recently and that against a skilled bowling unit like the West Indies.
“It’s important to remember that we don’t have Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers in this unit and we have to find different ways of skinning this cat. The growth is there, once we settle. As players, to expect them to go out and do things a certain way with them not being sure what is coming next, they always felt the spotlight was on them and they were under the microscope,” said Conrad.
He said he hoped that through some “novel” thinking young players such as Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickelton could be given an opportunity to bat often and refine their skills.
Bavuma aid the possibility of an SA tour to the Caribbean in June was in the offing, but Cricket SA has yet to finalise those details.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.