Jansen sets the tone for Proteas’ potent bowling unit

Marco Jansen bowled eight balls in his first over. That he bowled two wides didn’t bother him, because part of Jansen’s job when South Africa bowl first is to “test” the pitch.

Is it seaming? How much bounce is there? Can he swing it? The surface at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad, definitely seamed. It certainly bounced, and Jansen needed to get his radar on target. 

Having pushed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the leading run-scorer in this year’s T20 World Cup back with shorter deliveries — two of which were called wide — he threw the “tempter” at him — wide of off stump, a fuller length, asking for Gurbaz to drive. 

The Afghanistani opener obliged, the edge was found, the ball flew low to slip where Reeza Hendricks held a good catch. 

“We weren’t sure how the wicket would play, so we were just happy to get one early,” Jansen said afterwards. 

Aiden Markram proclaimed after losing the toss that he would have batted, just like his opposite number Rashid Khan had chosen to do. “It was fortunate that I lost the toss,” the South African captain said later.

Markram still gave Keshav Maharaj the second over to bowl, but when Jansen nipped one through the gate to bowl Gulbadin Naib midway through his next over, the prematch bowling plan was consigned to the waste-dump. 

“I got my third and we saw how the wicket was playing and felt, OK cool, if we bowl well, we stand a chance of getting them out early,” said Jansen. 

They dismissed Bangladesh in 11.5 overs for 56, their lowest total in a T20 International. It was a stunning display. Like they did against the West Indies on Monday, the Proteas — once the game started — read the conditions perfectly and Markram adjusted swiftly. 

By the time the teams went for what is usually the 10-over drinks break, the Proteas seamers had already bowled eight overs. 

“The bowlers have been really good in the whole competition, probably saving the batters on certain occasions,” said Markram. “Conditions have been in their favour. But even saying that you still have to get it right. Tonight was an exceptional performance by the whole bowling unit.”

It’s been a collective effort among the bowlers. Anrich Nortjé with 13 is South Africa's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, but Tabraiz Shamsi has taken 11, Kagiso Rabada 12, Maharaj nine and Jansen six. But Jansen is as valuable as the others, for he sets the tone. 

In five of the Proteas’ eight matches, he has bowled three overs inside the power play. That is partly a consequence of the kind of pitches South Africa has played on, but also Jansen’s consistency.

The latter was an area of his game that he struggled with during last year’s ODI World Cup in India, where particularly in the match against the host nation in Kolkata, he lost all control. 

“I'm sure everyone was physically tested, especially at the back end of that tournament. The heat, humidity, it was one of those days where it was not your day, you have those,” said Jansen.

He was taken apart by Indian skipper Rohit Sharma that day, and was not at his best in subsequent matches. 

But much like his teammates took lessons from the semifinal defeat in that tournament, against Australia, so Jansen also learnt how to manage his body better. “It is similar here (in the Caribbean) with the humidity and heat, so I am being careful with what I eat, when I eat and what I drink. I made a conscious effort to drink a lot of water, especially on off days and travel days - on game day I try to switch my fatigue off and not think about it.”

A more technical chat about bowling with Australia’s left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc, one of the best limited overs bowlers of the last decade, also proved helpful. “I asked him questions about how he swings the ball, what he focuses on and it helped me a lot. We are similar but different, he gets a lot of pace off the wicket, whereas I get a little more bounce,” said Jansen 

“I took what I could from that. He’s a very nice guy and he was more than willing to chat about what his processes are, how he thinks and how he sees the game.”

Jansen hopes to match Starc in helping his country win a World Cup on Saturday. 

“We will go out and play our best game. In terms of that chokers label, we changed that in this World Cup. The games we played, not a lot of teams would have got those kinds of wins.”