Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Gerald Coetzee of Proteas celebrates with teammates at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, March 11 2023. Picture: SYDNEY SESHIBEDI/GALLO IMAGES
There are almost different standards demanded for batters and bowlers wanting to earn a starting place in the Proteas team at the moment.
For batters, any modicum of consistency at domestic level will get you a place, 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 how SA’s fast bowling production line is in good order. The requirements 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 [Rabada] and Marco [Jansen], 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 the 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 which, despite all the team’s problems in the past 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.”
Bavuma mentioned 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.”
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,” Conrad 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 said the possibility of an SA A tour to the Caribbean in June was in the offing, but Cricket SA has yet to finalise those details.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Bowling remains Proteas’ most potent weapon
There are almost different standards demanded for batters and bowlers wanting to earn a starting place in the Proteas team at the moment.
For batters, any modicum of consistency at domestic level will get you a place, 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 how SA’s fast bowling production line is in good order. The requirements 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 [Rabada] and Marco [Jansen], 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 the 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 which, despite all the team’s problems in the past 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.”
Bavuma mentioned 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.”
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,” Conrad 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 said the possibility of an SA A tour to the Caribbean in June was in the offing, but Cricket SA has yet to finalise those details.
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.
Most Read
Related Articles
Proteas still on top despite West Indies fightback
Windies fight back but Proteas in control
Ahmedabad finale could be decided by whoever pitch favours
Rickelton named for Wanderers as ‘player Proteas can build team around’
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.