Proteas fightback a huge boost ahead of World Cup

By any standard a recovery from 0-2 down in a series against Australia — even an Australian team missing half  its starters — is not something for any Proteas supporter to sniff at.

A few days before they head to India for the World Cup, Temba Bavuma’s side gave itself a much needed confidence boost with a 122-run win at the Wanderers on Sunday that secured the series 3-2. 

There may be a few injury concerns and question marks about the fast bowling, but in at least one crucial area Marco Jansen provided cause for optimism at the Bullring. He produced a proper all-round match-winning effort, delivering career-best performances with both bat and ball. 

Much depends on the 23-year-old affectionately known among his teammates as “Plank”. SA’s top-six batting is strong and all the batters have contributed at some stage in this series. However, there are understandably some worries should they find themselves in trouble that SA could come up well short of a proper total.

That scenario presented itself in the first match of the series in Bloemfontein when the Proteas slumped to 100/5 midway through their innings. On that occasion, Jansen shared a 57-run partnership with Bavuma that, while ultimately insufficient, provided evidence of his ability to at least hang around. 

In the third match in Potchefstroom he scored 32 off 17 balls as part of a 67-run partnership with Aiden Markram that allowed the Proteas to post a total well beyond Australia’s reach. On Sunday there was more proof of how he’s able to use his long levers to accelerate the innings’ scoring rate in the latter overs.

Jansen bashed his way to 47 off just 23 balls, with four fours and three sixes, as SA again finished their innings in thrilling fashion. It may not have been 17 runs an over, as was the case on Friday in Centurion, but the home team still scored 113 runs in the last 10 overs, with Jansen and Andile Phehlukwayo, again playing in place of Sisanda Magala, prominent.

The latter, after taking 10 balls to reach eight, smashed 31 off the next nine balls he faced as SA posted 315/9. 

Markram’s 93, another well constructed innings on a tricky pitch which offered the seamers plenty of assistance, and David Miller’s 63 were highest scores for the Proteas. 

Jansen then turned the match decisively the home team’s way with the ball. After a dreadful opening over by Gerald Coetzee, Bavuma wasted little time in handing the ball to Jansen, a decision which bore fruit immediately.

David Warner scooped the second ball of Jansen’s over to Markram, who did well to hold onto the catch as he dived forward at point. Four balls later Josh Inglis bottom-edged the ball onto his stumps. 

Those two wickets changed the momentum of the innings. Though Australian captain Mitchell Marsh continued to try to swing for the fences, Jansen got the ball moving and even though Marsh connected a couple of times, sending sixes into the open eastern stand, Jansen’s decision to employ a short-ball strategy was rewarded. 

First Marsh, after scoring 71 off 66 balls, steered a bouncer angling across him to Lungi Ngidi on the third man boundary, and then Marnus Labuschagne top-edged a pull to Phehlukwayo after he had scored 44. 

In Jansen’s next over, another short ball ended Alex Carey’s stay at the crease, thanks to an excellent diving catch by Quinton de Kock, playing in his last ODI on SA soil. 

Jansen eventually finished with 5/39 and in the process confirmed that any talk about SA not having a seam bowling all-rounder for the World Cup could cease.  

The Proteas head to India for the World Cup on Saturday, but it is still not clear if Magala’s knee and Anrich Nortjé’s back will recover in time for them to join the travelling party.