Times Media
TELFORD VICE, Johannesburg
The success or failure of SA’s campaign at the World T20 in Bangladesh could hang on the state of a pair of ailing hamstrings.
Their owners, Faf du Plessis and Dale Steyn, will undergo fitness tests today in the hours before SA take on Sri Lanka in Chittagong in their opening match of the tournament.
Du Plessis has led SA to three series wins in the five rubbers of at least two games they have played since since he was appointed captain in December 2012. Of the remaining two, they drew one and lost one - their 2-0 crash to Australia this season.
AB de Villiers is a proven replacement as captain, but Du Plessis has been a settling influence both as captain and in SA’s batting order.
Steyn, the leader of SA’s attack in all three formats, is among the most feared fast bowlers in the game - which also means his absence is keenly felt even in a squad that does not wont for quality replacements.
“It’s been a pretty intense week for Dale and myself trying to make sure we are 100% ready for the game,” Du Plessis said yesterday in Chittagong.
“We seem to be okay, but we will have a look at it tomorrow to see how the hamstrings are doing.
“Batting is 100% fine, I don’t feel anything. But it’s just when I’m sprinting - pace-wise I am up to about 70%. Hopefully we can crank that up to around 90 of 95%.”
That is an improvement on the “50-50” chance of playing Du Plessis was given earlier in the week, but South Africans will still watch this space closely. Steyn, meanwhile, bowled in the nets yesterday.
Sri Lanka are the only side in SA’s group ranked higher than them, but the Proteas will draw inspiration and experience from the memory of their 2-1 series win in Sri Lanka in August last year - a fine performance especially as it followed SA’s 4-1 hammering in the one-day matches.
“Sri Lanka are a fantastic team,” Du Plessis said. “Having said that, we beat them and played really good cricket against them. So we take a huge amount of confidence from that.”
But Du Plessis knew that his team, with or without him, would be challenged today.
“Sri Lanka have good spinners and it will be crucial how we play them,” he said. “Luckily the wicket doesn’t seem like it has too much spin. But they also have other danger bowlers like Lasith Malinga.”
De Villiers batted at No. 3 and 4 in SA’s warm-up matches against Bangladesh A and Pakistan, but he seems set to be deployed as a finisher rather than come in early in the innings to try and maximise his time at the crease.
“It’s nice to know that if you have a good start you always have AB in the bank,” Du Plessis said. “He can come in and destroy any team on his day.
“If you lose him early on, you might see it as losing your best batsman.”
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