Cape Town — To secure their place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals South Africa will have to make the tough calls. All indications are that they intend to play two spinners in their final group assault against the Netherlands in Adelaide on Sunday (SA time 2am start).
It has been a tactic South Africa have routinely utilised in the shortest format leading up to the trip Down Under, but have since gone cold on the idea.
Wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi was left out of the abandoned opener against Zimbabwe in Hobart — much to the displeasure of Proteas spin legend Imran Tahir — but was then recalled alongside Keshav Maharaj in Sydney for the Bangladesh demolition.
Although Shamsi responded with the excellent figures of 3/20, it was not enough to warrant him keeping his place at the Perth pace paradise in the follow-up encounter against India.
The musical chairs continued in the return to the SCG for the Pakistan clash where Maharaj was omitted to accommodate Shamsi’s return to the line-up.
To be fair to the selectors, headed up by convenor Victor Mpitsang and coach Mark Boucher, the wet and primarily dark overhead conditions in Australia have by and large dictated their hand.
However, after watching Australia edge over the line against a gallant Afghanistan side at the Adelaide Oval on Friday night where only a superb spell of 4-0-22-2 from leg-spinner Adam Zampa saved the hosts’ blushes, logic dictates South Africa will revert to their two-pronged spin attack.
But the devil is in the details. Lungi Ngidi was the seamer omitted at the SCG when Maharaj and Shamsi played in tandem, but the Titans star has arguably been South Africa’s most impressive paceman on display with seven wickets at an average of 11.57 and economy 8.10.
Casting an eye over the remainder of South Africa’s fast bowling unit the decision does not become any easier. Anrich Nortje has built up a head of steam and is the tournament’s leading wicket-taker in the Super 12 stage with 10 scalps, while Wayne Parnell has been miserly with an economy rate of 5.83.
That leaves Kagiso Rabada. And this is where the problem lies. “KG” has just two wickets and the highest economy rate of 8.76 thus far in the tournament and has been particularly vulnerable with the new ball.
Furthermore, Rabada has not been at his best throughout 2022 in the shortest format, having snared just seven wickets at an average of 51.71 in 13 matches.
However, it would remain a massive decision from Mpitsang and Co to omit South Africa’s talisman with the playoffs on the line.
“He is a big-match player. He has shown that in the past. I think guys have just targeted him, in the last game his first over put him under pressure when they scored a few boundaries off him,” Proteas bowling coach Charl Langeveldt told IOL Sport exclusively from Australia.
“But then he came at the back. He is a match-winner. On the day he can win us the game, be a game-changer. At the moment though he seems to be doing it in the field.”
Overall Langeveldt believes the South African attack needs to adapt better to the different conditions they will face in Adelaide after being shot down by Pakistan at the SCG.
“We got away with length in Perth, but the conditions were different in Sydney. And will be different in Adelaide. The square boundaries are a lot smaller than the straighter boundaries. We need to be able to adapt to conditions. I think the other night we weren’t as great. We started off well, we controlled the game, and then at the backend we gave away too many boundary options.
“I won’t say we had a blow out, but we did have a bad day at the backend. We weren’t tested before at the backend because we got away with length. I think the last two/three overs were better because we went to our wide plans. We defended the bigger boundaries, but in the middle period we were a bit off.
“And that’s a good thing. We need to be challenged before the games if we do get to the semi-finals. If we get to the semifinals we have to be on the money at the death, if we are going to stay in Adelaide,” Langeveldt added.
LIKELY TEAMS FOR THE ADELAIDE OVAL
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj/Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi.
Netherlands: Stephan Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Bas de Leede, Tom Cooper, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards, Roelof van der Merwe, Tim Pringle, Logan van Beek, Fred Klaassen, Paul van Meekeren.
Start: Sunday 2am (SA time), TV: SuperSport
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