A season of surprises

Dangers are lurking away from home if you are ranked among the elite in test cricket. England suffered one of their most disastrous batting collapses in test history by disintegrating against the onslaughts of the spinners Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal. India suffered a similar fate in a season of surprises. Perhaps South Africa’s Proteas should heed the lessons of these defeats and learn quickly as they prepare to leave their home shore.

England had a modest target of 145 and failed to get half way, as they were dismissed for 72 in 36.1 overs.

With this victory, their second in a row, Pakistan have secured an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-test series.

England are the number-1 ranked test team in the world, and were completely outplayed and overwhelmed as their top-order looked all at sea against the spinners.

But they were not the only touring team who suffered at the hands of the hosts. The ageing Indian team were crushed by Australia at the Adelaide Oval, as the hosts secured a 4-0 whitewash.

It was India’s eighth consecutive test defeat away from home.

Pakistan are not universally admired as one of the best cricket teams in the world, but they have rallied behind the new captain, Misbah-ul-Haq.

They have not been afraid to blood new young players, and they have played the game with enormous intensity and an appetite to conquer new heights.

India are a team in decline and there are very few substitutes available for their top-order, who are all in their mid-30s … and counting.

South Africa

South Africa have failed to announce succession plans for the struggling wicketkeeper/batsman Mark Boucher.

Boucher was retained as wicketkeeper, in spite of two very mediocre performances in his final two test appearances, at Kingsmead in Durban and at Newlands in Cape Town, both against Sri Lanka.

The failure to blood a new wicketkeeper like Heino Kuhn might have been the wrong option.

But, South Africa rightly gave Marchant de Lange, who debuted in sensational fashion with his 7 for 81 at Kingsmeat, another opportunity as additional fast bowler to tour New Zealand.

It was a very strange decision to give Robin Peterson a run as second test spinner, as Paul Harris has not been given an opportunity and had the inside lane as second spinner.

What will happen if the leg-spinner Imran Tahir sustains an injury? Peterson has done well enough at domestic level, but does he possess the credentials to become the next test spinner. He is not in the same class as Harris, as a test spinner, so the decision to replace Harro must be questioned.

Nobody has given New Zealand a real chance of upsetting South Africa, but this team have truly excelled in the series against Australia with a Doug Bracewell-inspired comeback to win the test in Tasmania by seven runs recently.

This performance should serve as a timely warning to the South African team to be focused and to put the right structures in place ahead of the New Zealand tour.

South Africa have suffered badly the past three years because of their alarming tendency to become complacent after brief signs of excellence.

A remarkable victory was often followed by a disastrous batting collapse as the Proteas would lose five wickets for 50 runs in one session, resulting in demoralising losses against lesse- ranked teams.

There is a real chance that South Africa might start well against New Zealand, but lose their composure and focus during the rest of the test series.

If senior members of the Indian team were asked before the start of the test series if they envisaged a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Australia, they would have ridiculed such suggestions.

Australia’s top-order and middle-order lacked consistency, and they had trouble the past 15 months to capture 20 wickets in a test match.

But the resurrection of Australian and Pakistan test cricket could not have been swifter and more dramatic.

Therefore South Africa should take note of these recent developments, and they should treat a useful New Zealand team with the utmost respect.

The selectors should be applauded for their decision to rest experienced campaigners like Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis and to reward the swashbuckling Richard Levi and Justin Ontong for their excellent Standard Bank Pro20 form.

South Africa will depart for New Zealand on  10 February and will feature in three international Pro20 matches. Therefore the decision to rest Kallis and Smith makes sense.

Levi has outperformed Smith at Standard Bank Pro20 level, while Ontong has been given an opportunity as he is an excellent finisher and also more than useful in the field as point-specialist.

A new fresh approach to the Pro20-matches could be timely preparation ahead of the International Pro20 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka.

Fanie Heyns