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South Africa opts for rookie T20 team, JP Duminy at the helm

South Africa opts for rookie T20 team, JP Duminy at the helm

South Africa have named a somewhat experimental T20 side for their tour of New Zealand and Australia while the ODI side is pretty much the same one likely to step out for the World Cup next year. BY ANTOINETTE MULLER.

The South African cricket team will head to New Zealand and Australia in late October as preparations for the World Cup continue in earnest. This phrase will get quite boring in the next few months, but you’ll hear it quite often.

South Africa will play three one day internationals (ODIs) against New Zealand in New Zealand and five against Australia in Australia with the first match being played on 21 October. Tucked snuggly in between are also three T20s against Australia. What exactly the purpose is of these matches – other than to generate revenue for broadcasters – nobody really knows, but they could well end up being the most exciting part of the tour.

While the one-day team offered no surprises, the T20 has seen a sweep of changes. A core group of players have rested, which has led to JP Duminy being given the captaincy. Rilee Rossouw, Reeza Hendricks and Kagiso Rabada have been added to the mix while David Wiese also returns.

All three of the rookies have travelled different routes to get here, but the nature of T20 allows more opportunity for young players than the test or ODI format. Rossouw’s one-day debut might have been forgettable, but selectors showing faith in somebody they believe has something special certainly is not a bad thing. Hendricks, who was one of the leading run-scorers in the domestic T20 competition last season, (317 runs at an average of 45.28) has been knocking on the door for a while and has earned some recognition.

And then there is Rabada. The prodigal son blew away the opposition in the under-19 World Cup earlier this year with raw pace reaching up to 140km/h. That kind of talent doesn’t come around often and while the more cynical will say that his inclusion is simply a ruse for “fast tracking black talent”, that’s somewhat obtuse.

Like the youthful Quinton de Kock, who learned the hard way that talent will only get you so far, Rabada is well aware that he needs to practice and practice some more to get better. In an interview with The Cricketer magazine earlier this year, he revealed it’s something he wants to do and with the way his star is rising, it’s surely happening.

What I’ve found as a player, even with my bowling, is that I haven’t practiced that much. I might sound arrogant, but I’m just telling the truth. I haven’t really practiced that much and that’s what you need to get better,” Rabada said.

The young player is also under no illusions about quotas and the ruckus they cause and hopes that his place in the teams he represents will always be based on his talent.

I see there are issues with the quotas. But what my dad says is that he believes in merit and I also believe in merit. I believe that if you are not good enough, then you can’t play. But then again, they want to balance it out and I can see where they are coming from but I think merit is the way to go,” he added.

Rabada has signed on with the Lions and in his most recent outing, scored an unbeaten 48 while also picking up two wickets in the Joburg side’s win over the Titans. There’s a long way to go, but all signs point to an immense fast bowling talent and T20 is the perfect format to expose future stars to the pressures of international cricket.

Seeing what Duminy’s captaincy is made of is also a good thing for South Africa. While they might not be short on leaders, more heads are always better than one and evolving the kind of lateral thinking involved in captaincy can only be a good thing looking at the big picture.

From an ODI perspective, this is yet another opportunity to try and find the balance of the side. Ryan McLaren batting at seven is a debatable solution. As a bowler, he has been South Africa’s best in the one-day format over the last year. With 20 wickets in nine games at an average of 17.90, a better record than anybody else, McLaren continues to show why he is so valuable to the side. He’s no mug with the bat, but it’s probably a bit of a stretch to call him an “all-rounder” now that his bowling has evolved. It’s also a very important tour for David Miller, who promised so much on the domestic circuit but delivered so little when it came to international cricket. Provided everyone else stays fit, the side for the World Cup basically picks itself; the next few games are just about dotting the is and crossing the Ts. DM

South African squads for the tours of New Zealand and Australia

ODI squad AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Kyle Abbott, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn

T20 squad JP Duminy (capt), Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Marchant de Lange, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, David Wiese

Photo: South Africa’s JP Duminy hits out during the first Natwest T20 international cricket match against England at the Riverside ground, Chester-le-Street, England September 8, 2012. REUTERS/Philip Brown.

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