SA aim at the top from the bottom

Times Media

TELFORD VICE, Cape Town

BY the time you read this, SA could have taken a first step from the bottom of the world to the top.

Right now, they are about as close to the bottom as anyone can get - in New Zealand to play three one-day internationals. Should SA win all the matches, they will be the world’s top ranked team in the format.

The first game, at Mount Maunganui, was due to end at around breakfast time today (SA time).

With the World Cup just four months away, rankings matter even less than usual. But this time they add relevance to a raft of ODIs that would otherwise exist only as preparation for the tournament.

There is something to at least think about besides the be all and the end all. Players, especially those who need to impress more than they have so far, know that winning a game with something on the line will not hurt.

But there is no getting away from the fact that these ODIs as well as the five SA will then play in Australia and the five scheduled against West Indies - should the pay dispute that has marred the Windies’ tour of India be resolved in time for them to come to SA - are all about the World Cup.

The question SA need answering most heading into the tournament, which for them starts against Zimbabwe in Hamilton on February 15, concerns the depth of their stock of allrounders.

AB de Villiers’ assertion before the first ODI that “there are 20 to 25 guys in SA that can walk into this XI, that I know are good enough, that I’ve seen perform under pressure” is an endearing bit of warm, fuzzy hyperbole.

The reality is there are not nearly that many players on the domestic scene ready to step up to the highest level. Those good enough to crack the nod on their batting or their bowling skill are particularly rare.

Happily, then, Ryan McLaren has earned his place as SA’s premier player in that role. But the truth of the modern game is that one allrounder is nowhere near enough.

One of those who could take on the job, Wayne Parnell, was ruled out of the first ODI with a shoulder problem. Another, Vernon Philander, was set to return in Mount Maunganui having missed SA’s tour to Zimbabwe in August and September because of a hamstring injury.

Philander is a fine bowler, even though he has not made the same impact in a green shirt as he has in test whites. What needs to be established is whether he can put his bat where his mouth is consistently enough.

“Some games you are going to come in with a couple of overs left and some games you are going to come in with a lot of overs left,” Philander said before the match.

“Mentally, an innings where you have to bat for a long time is the key. Batting with the tail is key. You have to make sure you collect 50 to 100 runs with the tail should your team be in danger.”

That’s the theory. It’s practice that makes perfect.