Times Media
TELFORD VICE, Johannesburg
Leg spinners already loom large at the World T20, and yesterday the most famous one of all put in a surprise appearance at SA’s training session in Dhaka.
Shane Warne turned up at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium where SA will play India in the WT20 semi-finals tomorrow, sparking fears in the Indian media that the Australian great was helping Proteas leg spinner Imran Tahir plot their team’s demise.
Warne reportedly spent more than hour at SA’s net practice, bowling a few balls to Quinton de Kock and talking to Tahir. He also watched SA’s other spinners, JP Duminy and Aaron Phangiso, in action and had a lengthy conversation with Allan Donald, SA’s bowling coach.
“A lot of us were surprised to see him at the nets today,” Hashim Amla said. “Maybe he was getting bored sitting at the hotel and came over to have a bowl.”
Among bowlers likely to play in the semis, which start today with the game between Sri Lanka and West Indies, Tahir is the leading wicket-taker with 11 scalps. Another leg spinner, West Indian Samuel Badree, is next with 10. India’s Amit Mishra, who has nine wickets, is also a leggie.
Tahir’s achievement is made more impressive by the fact that SA played all four of their group matches in Chittagong - Dhaka is considered better suited to spin bowling.
The duel between Tahir and Mishra promises to be a closely studied subplot in tomorrow’s bigger drama.
“It does look like there’s a bit of difference between the two,” Amla said. “The Chittagong wicket had a bit more pace and bounce in it, but it did spin later on.”
As part of SA’s opening pair along with Quinton de Kock, Amla’s role will be to survive and prosper against all the bowlers he encounters tomorrow, regardless of whether they are seamers or spinners.
Amla was criticised early in the tournament for the perception that he scores his runs too slowly for the demands of the T20 format. But he has played important innings at the right time, and been a vital part of SA’s march to the semi-finals.
“It’s all about assessing situations and playing accordingly,” he said. “It’s not only about scoring quicker upfront - you have to see what your partner is doing.
“It also depends on what team needs at that time, because the game has to be set up properly. Our job is to play positively batting upfront and to give the team a good start. Some days it works, some days it doesn’t.”
Not that Amla felt that kind of careful thinking applied to his free-scoring opening partner.
“With ‘Quinnie’, I don’t think it makes a lot of difference as to what kind of game it is,” Amla said. “He is a fearless cricketer.”
Fearless indeed. De Kock apparently dealt comfortably with Warne’s deliveries, and even showed the good grace not to hit the Australian ace out of the nets.
Comments
No comments yet. Start the conversation.