“I want the responsibility. I’m sure someone else would have said the easier option is to be the stand-in captain. But I’m not that way inclined.” - Dean Elgar
Telford Vice / Catania, Sicily
WORDS flow freely from Dean Elgar, and his stream of consciousness was typically strong during a press conference on Monday ahead of South Africa’s Test series in England. But three words bubbled up more often than most: assets, resources and options.
Here’s Elgar on Ryan Rickleton, who scored two centuries, a 95 and three half-centuries in eight first-class innings for Northamptonshire in June and July: “The way he’s played has been a massive confidence booster for him, and the way we view him now is as a stronger candidate to hold a position in the side. He’s done everything the right way; he’s put the numbers on the board. He’s another asset for us as a squad.”
And on Anrich Nortjé, South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in the ODI series against England last month: “The way he bowled in the white-ball games and the way he’s bowled in the nets is big for us. He brings a whole different kind of pace to the table. In the UK if you have those kind of assets you need to use them in the best way you see fit.”
Rickleton and Nortjé will be prominent in the selection conversation going into the first Test at Lord’s, which starts next Wednesday. Even more so because other key assets, resources and options have been or could be removed from the equation.
Since the start of 2021 no South Africa batter has had a higher Test average than Temba Bavuma and only Elgar has scored more runs. During the same period no bowler has taken more wickets for the team in the format than Kagiso Rabada, and among the seamers only Lungi Ngidi’s average is lower. But Bavuma will miss the series because of an elbow injury and Rabada is in doubt with damaged ankle ligaments.
“Workload is the biggest concern — whether he can carry himself throughout a Test match, with the intensity and the volume of overs in a day’s play,” Elgar said about Rabada’s chances of playing at Lord’s. “For now he’s doing all the right things.”
Here he is on filling Bavuma’s berth: “We have three guys who are up for that option in Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen and Khaya Zondo. The good thing is we do have resources.” And assets, of course.
It’s a whole new ballgame for Elgar compared to the last time he captained a Test team in England. Lord’s was also the venue where, in July 2017, he stood in for Faf du Plessis, who was on paternity leave. England won Elgar’s first match in charge by 211 runs with a day to spare, and when Du Plessis returned Elgar happily handed back the leadership — at a press conference both attended, Elgar peeled off an imaginary armband and, with a wry smile, offered it to Du Plessis, who didn’t struggle to get the joke. “There’s a lot of things in captaincy you don’t see as a player,” Elgar said at the time. “He’s laughing ’cause he knows it’s true.”
Now all of those things, seen and unseen, are on Elgar’s shoulders. The buck has stopped with him since he was appointed Test captain in March last year. Did he prefer being able to shrug off the challenges that came with the job, as he was able to do in 2017? Or would he rather be in the position permanently, and thus have more say in the direction the team takes?
“Being the appointed captain is possibly easier,” Elgar said on Monday. “You’ve got more control and you can arrange things accordingly. You can almost give the players more time, more love, going into a match. I want the responsibility. I’d like to think what we’ve created over the last year, and what I’ve learnt over the last year of captaining in international cricket, has given me a lot more resources going into this series. I’m sure someone else would have said the easier option, and the route they would choose, is to be the stand-in captain. But I’m not that way inclined.” So far, so good: as a permanent captain Elgar has presided over three victories and only one loss in five series.
Another change from 2017 is that Elgar will have all of South Africa’s fit assets, resources and options available to him. The Kolpak era ended in December 2020, and with it went the counties’ power to ban some of the foreigners on their books from playing international cricket. That’s why South Africa’s squad includes former Kolpakians Duanne Olivier and Simon Harmer. “It would be stupid not to use them,” Elgar said. “Even if they don’t play they’re great for the changeroom from an information point of view.”
A more recent difference is that this will be South Africa’s first away Test series since the lifting of most Covid-19 restrictions. Elgar welcomed the more relaxed environment: “It’s about putting the guys in a better mental space and allowing them the freedom and responsibility to be a human being. It’s great to be able to walk around in the streets without a mask. It’s like going back to civilisation and being human again.”
Elgar will want change in another area, what with South Africa having lost the first Test three times in their last five series. “I’ve made the guys aware that starting slowly against tough opposition away from home is clearly not the game plan,” Elgar said. “Playing catch-up is not easy in Test cricket. We might get away with that at home, where we know the conditions a lot better. But when you’re touring you can’t start slowly.” Even more reason to make the best use of those assets, resources and options.
First published by Cricbuzz.
Comments
No comments yet. Start the conversation.