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SA 'won' the drawn series against EnglandSouth Africa is the world champion in rugby, number one on the world rankings in the oval ball game; and in cricket, we now possess a fast-bowling attack which, according to some notable British scribes, could walk into a world team if one were selected tomorrow. In the meantime, the debate on the review system, which delivered some controversy during the series, rages on.
The South African cricket team crushed England by an innings and 74 runs at the Wanderers on Sunday to square the Test series.
Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, was certainly upbeat about the convincing display of his team, but he confessed that the series draw left him with a hollow feeling.
South Africa has been 0-1 down in four of the past six Test series at home. Somewhere, something is wrong.
Too many sponsorship commitments and a tendency to wrap senior players in cotton wool by not allowing them to play first-class cricket before a Test series, might have contributed to South Africa’s slow start in home Tests since 2006.
Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and to expect a different result each time. Perhaps South Africa needs to change its approach before a home Test series, otherwise the results will be the same.
But back to the bowling attack: At least three former England players – Vic Marks, Derek Pringle and Nasser Hussain – waxed lyrical about South African fast bowlers, Dale Steyn and Morné Morkel.
Marks wrote in "The Guardian": “On a pitch that had real life in it – if only there were more like this, Test cricket would be even more interesting – Morkel and Steyn highlighted a gulf between the sides, which is certainly not reflected in the result of the series.
“Now 1-1 feels like a bit of a steal, while a 1-0 victory to England, notionally possible if the thunderstorms had been a bit more co-operative, would have been larceny on the grandest scale.”
Marks noted that in his 'comeback' series, Morkel had been a threat throughout.
“But on a pitch that supplies steep bounce, he can be (especially) lethal and intimidating even in an age where helmets and padding for just about every body part are the norm.
“If you possess Morkel’s attributes, there is no point in attempting to be too clever or cunning – aiming for the top of off stump and the odd bouncer is all that is required if the action is running smoothly.
“(West Indians) Curtly Ambrose and Joel Garner are his bowling predecessors. In another era, no one ever mastered them for long. In this one, no one will master Morkel either if he continues to know where the ball is going," said Marks.
“Steyn can bowl fast and he likes to bowl full to allow the opportunity for swing. And he has a nasty, skiddy bouncer for good measure.
“On this form in the last two Tests, Morkel and Steyn would surely stroll into a World XI,” he added.
Pringle also harked back to the era of the West Indian great fast bowlers in his piece for the "Daily Telegraph".
“Morkel gave England’s batsmen a small taste of what it used to be like to face the West Indian quicks during their 1980s heyday.”
The pitch, he said, was “quicker and more spiteful than others in the series” and Steyn and Morkel, backed by the “slippery pace of Wayne Parnell”, were remorseless on it.
“Apart from Durban, where England played the perfect Test to beat them, South Africa were the better side.”
Paul Newman of "The Daily Mail" suggested: “Add the promise of Parnell, and South Africa have a pace attack which could dominate the world game for years.”
He described Sunday’s play (in which South Africa demoralised England to win by an innings) as “the most clinical of kills at the Bullring” and that this Test was “men against boys from the moment Andrew Strauss was dismissed by the first ball of the match”. (Additional source: Rob Houwing, Sport24)
Hussain wrote in his article on the "Sky Sports" website: “I must give credit to Morné Morkel and Dale Steyn because they bowled brilliantly throughout the game. They are a very good combination in those conditions and showed how Test cricket should be played: tough and uncompromising.
"Their aggression seemed to surprise a few of the England players – they haven't seen quality like that for a little while and it caught them out," he added.
Review system
“The controversy surrounding the decision review system should not overshadow the impact Morkel and Steyn had on the game – but I fear it will,” wrote Hussain further.
He added, "the International Cricket Council may say we are still in a trial period with this technology," but he has commentated on six or seven games now where it has been used and as far as he is concerned, the trial period is over.
"This is the system we have, and by and large, he thinks it is fine, but to his mind you need to use all of the technology available, all of the time, which means the ICC must dig into their pockets and pay for Hotspot, snicko – in short, the works.
"However, the best technology doesn't equate to much if you don't have people who know how to use it; the most powerful computer in the world is rendered useless if you don't know where the 'on' button is," wrote Hussain.
"In the last few days, we've seen that Daryl Harper was either not getting the right information through to him, in which case somebody in the technology department needs a kick up the backside, or Harper himself is not good enough to be in the third umpire's seat.
"One way or another, it's not the system, it's the way people are using the system that is the problem", he added.
We agree with Hussain, a former England captain, on the fact that the ICC should pay for the technology and that the comprehensive use of it, as well as standardising it globally, is the way to go.
Yet, England’s sordidness and complete short-sightedness after Graeme Smith was not given out by third umpire Daryl Harper, with his score on 15 after he had nicked the ball to the keeper, was disgraceful.
Because the bowler who was affected by Harper’s mistake, Ryan Sidebottom, said at a press conference afterwards that he would rather have an "everything or nothing" approach. He would prefer the implementation of comprehensive technology or no technology at all.
Now that smacks of ignorance. The introduction of technology and the referral system has increased the number of correct decisions in tests from 92% to 97%.
When bad mistakes were made in the past, they tainted the image of the game. Can you recall when the umpire missed a blatant inside edge when Courtney Walsh trapped Jacques Kallis leg before wicket to claim his 500th Test wicket? That would not have happened easily in the current era.
What has happened, is that the referral system has erased most of the bad errors.
Now South Africa is off to India, four points behind the team ranked number one in the world in Tests, and with an opportunity to overtake the hosts as numero uno.
The Proteas have a good chance of achieving this, provided their two faltering top-order batsmen, Ashwell Prince and JP Duminy, put the record straight. Prince averaged 13.85 in the past series against England, while Duminy’s average in the last four Tests was 16.28.
The latter has scored 286 runs in his last eight Tests, which is an alarming implosion.
It is no good talking about persisting with him when he has scored 0, 0, 36 and 7 in his last four innings.
There may be a possibility that Prince will be moved to the middle order and Alviro Petersen promoted to the opening spot, but the selectors will persist with the talented JP. For now, that is.
1). The winning margin in Durban by the Poms was bigger than that in JHBG. Not by much but bigger all the same.
2). We were playing at home.
3). For the couple of minutes that the reveiw system buzzed around Graeme Smith even the half was in real danger. If Smith had ggone for 15 that was without doubt the end of the SA challenge. He knew it and that is why he stood and appealed.
4). The lack of respect we paid the Poms when they arrived. A sound hiding in the ODI's and a lucky half in the tests does not smack of a succesful summer. Too laid back over confident and full of hot air cost us in the long run.
There are without question deep problems within this side:
1). Graeme Smith and Mickey Arthur do at best make a disfunctional relationship.
2). The ongoing insistence by who ever is responsible for selection in selecting squads that do not offer any real alternatives especially as per the batting line up.Squads seem to be selected with the purpose of protecting players as opposed to requiring players to copmpete for places. Nobody in there right mind can try to justify the continued inclusion of JP Duminy for cricket reasons. There are others but he sticks out like a sore thumb and looks less and less like a test batsman and now needs to take wickets to justify his selection.
3). The ongoing " jobs for life" selection policy.Hence Ashwell Prince's selection as an opener. He was selected on the basis that he was in the side when he was injured in Australia and we needed to accommodate him because the culture within the side dictated that he shopuld be re selected on the basis that he was originally in the side. He is not an opener, never has been and never will be.
4). The general beleif that if Graeme bats well the side plays well. Other senior players such as De Villiers need to stand up and be counted. Not only when the going is good but when things are tough as well.
5). A weak mental temprament has produced a fragile batting line up which consistenttky fails under pressure.
6). A team selection which is too predictable to rigid and seems to owe people the right to be in this side. This I aim at Mickey Arthur.Why did Arthur wait so long before giving Parnell a chance and how long before Duminy is going to rested or dropped. This team is simply not good enough to carry baggage like Duminy at no 6. There are serious rechnical faults in his game and we started the series aware that he was susceptable to the short ball and Graeme Onions has now showed us he is at sea against spin as well. One really starts to see the books being balanced and the politicians once again on the selection committee. If this is so then mediocraty is all we will ever achieve.
7). The obsession with no 1 ranking which many will argue especially after this series we do not deserve and can not maintain . As opposed to dealing with the business at hand on a day to day match by match basis.
8). A serious tendency to blow hot air and beleive our own good press and a natural tendency toawrds arrogance by Captain and Coach.
No doubt much to do and with India up next our frailties will be revealed even further.I watch with interest.