Johannesburg - An average of 33, with no Test hundreds to his name is not going to make England’s bowlers quake in their boots and Rassie van der Dussen knows that.
Van der Dussen heads to England on Friday, for what for him and four other Proteas players who have been picked for all three formats, will be a two month tour that encompasses five T20 Internationals, three ODIs and a Test match series, that has many salivating.
The prospect of South Africa’s deep and varied bowling attack taking on this new version of England - that has won its last four Tests in thrilling fashion - in three Tests certainly titillates the taste buds.
However Van der Dussen knows that for Kagiso Rabada and Co. to build and keep Ben Stokes’ side under pressure, he and the batting unit have to post decent totals. While happy with how he is hitting the ball ahead of boarding the flight to Heathrow, Van der Dussen is aware his Test numbers need improvement.
“I’ve played 15 Tests and I don’t have a hundred,” he said this week. “I don't think you can consider yourself a good Test batter if you don’t score hundreds. That is something that, obviously, I need to convert. (Useful) contributions don’t really cut it any more, I need to put in match winning performances. When you start (your career) you can feel your way into it but I’m at a stage now where I need to perform.”
Van der Dussen’s highest Test score is 98, which came in his fourth match, against England when they toured South Africa in 2019/20. He’s made five other half-centuries, but his next best score is 75* that came in the second innings of the second Test against West Indies last year.
He’s made useful contributions - his two second innings 40s against India last season stand out, as they came in tricky conditions for batting and helped seal an unexpected series win.
The limited number of Tests available to the Proteas doesn’t help batters to settle and in fact can increase the pressure, knowing opportunities are so few.
“We don’t play a lot of Test cricket - the last two series I played (against India and New Zealand), batting conditions were really tough. There is the sense (with each innings) that ‘I need to make this count,’ but on the flip side, there is also the sense that a good fifty is also valuable in a (certain) context. That India series here by all accounts was (played in) some of the toughest batting conditions ever and then you perceive (your innings’s) differently. As a batting unit, as a batter, you don’t have the weight of runs you’d like, but you won the series and that is how you have to look at it.”
Van der Dussen goes into the England tour following what he describes as a frustrating few months in which he failed to crack a regular starting spot for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, and then a T20 series in India, that fizzled out after a grand start.
“It’s been strange, I’ve been playing cricket but not playing matches,” he said. “ In the IPL it was a bit frustrating not getting game time and not getting the backing there. In the India series I started off scratchy, played a good innings and then in the others, got out cheaply, which was frustrating because you want time in the middle - but in saying that T20 is not the format where you will get time in the middle.”
Following a two week break, he was back at training Tuesday under the watchful eye of Proteas batting consultant, Justin Sammons - someone who’s input Van der Dussen has valued since the pair first worked together at the Lions.
“I am feeling good and batting well. We’ve got two warm-up games next week and they will be key for me in terms of getting time in the middle and hopefully getting some momentum and then having a successful tour.”
South Africa faces an England Lions team in those two matches, ahead of the first of three ODIs, which takes place in Chester-le-Street on July 19. They then play five T20 Internationals - three against England and two against Ireland. The first Test against England starts at Lord’s on August 17.