Defeat to West Indies highlights bowling worries for Proteas

While it will have little affect in how South Africa will fare at the T20 World Cup, the 0-3 series defeat against the West Indies will have shown Rob Walter about the enormous gap that exists between his ‘first team’ and those supposedly challenging for spots. 

The Proteas suffered another chastening defeat in the final T20 International, at Sabina Park in Kingston on Sunday night, as the West Indies claimed an eight-wicket victory. Asked to chase 164, the West Indies reached the target in the 14th over. 

“You can’t keep making the same mistakes,” said stand-in skipper Rassie van der Dussen. “Yes we had a long week in terms of layovers in Miami, we saw that in the first match. That’s no excuse for what happened in Game 2 and Game 3. We got taught a lesson in how to play in Caribbean conditions, especially from a bowling front.”

The bowling will be the most worrying outcome for the Proteas particularly the performances from Anrich Nortjé and Gerald Coetzee, who are both in the World Cup squad and who generally failed to come to terms with what’s needed in conditions where varying pace is so vital. 

“We just couldn’t adapt to conditions.”

Nortje failed to pick up a wicket in the six overs he bowled in the series, while conceding 73 runs, while Coetzee only claimed two wickets, and had an economy rate of 9.57 across the seven overs he bowled.

The batting problems were understandable, especially in the middle order, where besides looking like they were a batter short throughout the series, they also missed the experience of David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Tristan Stubbs and skipper Aiden Markram. 

Van der Dussen manfully sought to carry the load, while batting at no.5 and made a good half-century Sunday after his team had slumped to 50/4, but he needed more support. 

Although both failed in the last match, openers Quinton de Kock and more so Reeza Hendricks looked in good touch throughout the series. De Kock who hit himself back into some form on Saturday when scoring 41 off 17 balls, made 19 off 18 in the third match, while Hendricks suffered his first failure of the series scoring just six, but over the three matches in Jamaica he was comfortably SA’s best batter. 

For Ryan Rickelton, who is in the World Cup squad, the series was an eye-opening one; he got himself starts in the last two matches, but failed to build on those platforms, using up deliveries to get adapted to conditions, but then getting out as he tried to accelerate. 

Matthew Breetzke never looked comfortable and while Andile Phehelukwayo, who missed the last match with breathing problems, impressed with the ball in the series opener, neither he nor Wiaan Mulder were able to press their claims as all-rounders. 

Patrick Kruger made his debut on Sunday, and hit one exhilarating six over fine leg off Obed McCoy, which saw Kruger rolling on his back in the process, and will hope for another opportunity after the World Cup. 

A long week of hard work awaits for Coetzee and Nortje, in which Rob Walter will be desperate for the pair to find rhythm and confidence. The rest of the squad will join them in Fort Lauderdale where the Proteas will wrap up their preparation for World Cup ahead of the opening match against Sri Lanka in New York on June 3.