Johannesburg — The Proteas were given a hint of the kind of aggression they can expect from England next week, as the second string Lions side got stuck into the South African bowlers on day two of the tour match in Canterbury on Wednesday.
A scoring rate of 5.07 an over in 55 overs, 41 fours and three sixes, with one batter scoring at a strike rate of 100 and another at 83.78 shows that the Lions players certainly followed the instruction of the England senior team’s head coach, Brendon McCullum, to replicate the style of play, which has earned the moniker ‘Bazball’.
“They play a positive brand of cricket, but personally I didn't feel we bowled well and did not assess conditions as quickly as we could,” said Marco Jansen, who bowled 11 overs without success.
“I felt out of rhythm with my bowling. The slope messed with my run up and rhythm but I found a way to adapt and to put the ball where I needed to.”
After South Africa were dismissed for 433, with half-centuries from Khaya Zondo (86), Rassie van der Dussen (75), Kyle Verreynne (62) and Jansen (54*), the Lions reached 279/3 at stumps, with their top scorer Dan Lawrence, making 97 at a run-a-ball.
Openers Keaton Jennings (27) and Dom Sibley (48) put on 50 at just under five an over, while Harry Brook, a 23 year old right hander, made 64 — his first scoring shot was a six off Keshav Maharaj. The left arm spinner conceded 90 runs in 13 overs, an indication perhaps of what awaits him from the senior England side next week.
Duanne Olivier, who may have come across Brook in his time at Yorkshire, was the Proteas’ most successful bowler, picking up 2/39 in 10 overs.
“The played positively, a few shots they played were good shots, and this pitch is flat.”
Jansen admitted he preferred the conditions, being less favourable for the bowlers. “It’s a good warm up game especially because the pitch is flat. That means bowlers must think about plans and fields and personally I think that is good for the bowlers. Batting wise you can spend time in the middle and build confidence.”
Despite his experience of English conditions, Olivier is not expected to start the first Test at Lord’s next week. None of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi or Anrich Nortje is playing in Canterbury. Rabada is still working on building the necessary bowling loads ahead of the first Test. Ngidi and Nortje played important roles in the T20 successes against England and Ireland, so are understandably being given time to freshen up.
The only likely starter at Lord’s, who is featuring in Canterbury, is Jansen. While the 22 year old’s primary job is to bowl, he had a bit of fun with the bat hitting three fours and five sixes in his innings. That will certainly have pleased the selectors, who must weigh up how to best balance the starting side for the first Test. Earlier this week Dean Elgar mentioned that South Africa had various options at its disposal, with one of those being, the selection of four seamers and one spinner. That does create a lengthy tail of course, so runs from Jansen, Rabada and Maharaj — who would in all likelihood be picked ahead of Simon Harmer as the sole spinner — will be crucial.
“It was nice to get time in the middle with the bat. I saw the ball nicely, after the first few balls I felt I got into a good rhythm and then tried to spend as much time in the middle and to use that to my advantage.
I am trying to put my hand up to show the coaches management that I am able to do the job (with the bat) if selected to do that,”Jansen added.
The match continues on Thursday.
IOL Sport