Proteas must have no fear in one-dayers

When the touring English team rolled into town late last year, they were considered to be an average test side, ranked around where their Proteas counterparts were.

Now that they’ve won the four-test series 3-1, one wonders if South African fans, already despondent because their team could not lay a glove on the tourists by the conclusion of the tests, should be worried about playing England in the ODI series, a format at which they are world champions.

While the Proteas fumbled their way through their worst World Cup performance in history last year, England overcame their nerves of being hosts to scrape over the line against New Zealand to win their first world title.

But Titans assistant coach Geoffrey Toyana doesn’t believe that the Proteas should be fearful approaching the three-match ODI series, which begins in Cape Town on Tuesday. It concludes in Johannesburg with the iconic Pink ODI on Sunday.

“The big plus for us is that we’re playing at home,” Toyana explained.

“Yes, the test series didn’t go well. We won the first test and then we thought we’d beat them easily. But they came back and put us on the back foot.

“We’re up against it as we speak, but it’s a young side we’ve picked and we’re playing with guys who are in form. I believe those guys are going to bring us that freshness we need. It won’t be easy, but I think a player like Quinton de Kock is going to be big for us, especially now that he is captain. With 50-over cricket, it only takes one or two guys who are having a good day for the team to come through.”

De Kock’s elevation to the captaincy for the series, after scoring the most runs in vain in the tests, is intriguing. The theory is that he plays best when he is allowed to play his natural game, unencumbered by the cares of the captaincy.

“A guy like Quinny brings calm to the side. He’s captained before – I remember him doing so at Under-19 level when I was involved there. The leadership responsibility brings out the best in him. I don’t think it’ll hinder him because he’s a chilled guy as well, and the players will play for him,” Toyana said.

Lions captain Temba Bavuma’s recall to the ODI squad is an about-turn of sorts for the selectors, who seemed to have boxed him in as a red-ball cricketer.

“He’s only played two games in the format, but he’s done reasonably well, scoring a century on debut. He’s shown what he’s made of in the Mzansi Super League,” said Toyana.

“I know people don’t think he’s a white-ball cricketer, but, over the past 18 months, he’s proved that he can play those formats. It’s tough for him to come back and not score runs in that last test after all that was said. But he’s quite strong mentally and all he has to do is clear the noise and play.”

While he wouldn’t get drawn on his reading of former captain Faf du Plessis’ omission from the squad, Toyana said it would be good for pace bowler Kagiso Rabada – who is also not in the team – to get a break after two years of nonstop playing. His absence gives Lutho Sipamla and Sisanda Magala a chance to show what they can do at this level.

Magala apparently failed to meet the conditioning coaches’ metrics, after he, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi and Jon-Jon Smuts were singled out for a two-week conditioning camp.

Magala will, however, stay with the Proteas team while he continues to work on his conditioning.

Looking at the other potential new caps – Sipamla, spinner Bjorn Fortuin, top order batsman Janneman Malan and wicketkeeper-batsman Kyle Verreynne – Toyana said Sipamla and Malan had shown glimpses of what they were capable of in their T20 outings for the Proteas before.

“A guy like Bjorn has done well for the Lions over the past three years,” said Toyana. “He’s one of those spinners who can open the bowling and at the death.

“He’s a really good cricketer and he can bat at number eight or nine, and he’s a decent fielder as well. I think they should have picked him earlier.

“Verreynne was with us for the Mzansi Super League at Paarl Rocks. He’s a really good batsman who showed he can play at this level, and he got 200 in one game against the Titans in the Sunfoil series.

“And if Quinny ever decides to give up the gloves in test cricket, a guy like Verreynne wouldn’t let himself down,” Toyana said.

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