SACricketmag.com asked Dave Nosworthy, Fanie de Villiers and Lance Klusener to analyse South Africa’s first two World T20 games.
What hasn’t worked?
Nosworthy: ‘Our starts with the ball have been very poor, mainly because we haven’t gotten our disciplines right. Our execution has to be better.
De Villiers: Looking at our first two games, I’m asking myself the question whether or not bowling is really so important? Because all the bowlers have taken a beating so far. South Africa twice scored more than 200 so it’s really about which teams scores the most runs.
‘Having said that, our bowling has been poor and I believe the reason for that is coaching. Our bowlers are missing their yorkers too often and with too big margins. It’s all about muscle memory, you have to practice it a lot and all the time to get good at it and that is clearly not happening at the moment. I have no sympathy for them because the bowlers aren’t good enough.
Klusener: ‘We need more precise skills in our bowling. We shouldn’t hide behind bowling too many variations at the death because it’s the variations that end up going for boundaries. South Africa should be bowling a lot more yorkers, but they are currently missing their mark too often by too big a distance.’
On Dale Steyn
Nosworthy: ‘I’m a big fan of Dale Steyn, but he has always been a bowler who needs a lot of overs under his belt. There is a fine line between resting someone and making sure they get enough game time. To me Dale still looks rusty and not as consistent as he can be.
De Villiers: ‘Steyn has never excited me in the T20 format. It’s a risk playing him because he can be very expensive.’
On the loss of JP Duminy
Nosworthy: ‘JP has blown hot and cold of late but remains a top player. His confidence has been low, but he started to find some form in the last few games. His loss is a big blow, especially because he is a left-hander which helps to mix things up.
De Villiers: ‘We will miss his bowling, but it’s not a massive loss.’
Klusener: ‘I don’t think the sixth bowler is essential. It might be worth picking an extra batter because it’s not the end of the world to have only five bowlers. You only need a sixth bowler if the others don’t do their job.’
On the West Indies
Nosworthy: ‘The West Indies showed against Sri Lanka that they do just as well without Chris Gayle [who didn’t even bat in the seven-wicket win]. They sent a message that the rest of their batsmen are also dangerous. Early wickets will be key, something South Africa haven’t been able to do so far. If we don’t get early wickets we’re in trouble.’
De Villiers: ‘We currently have the best batting line-up in the history of South African cricket. The problem is if they don’t perform at 120% every game we are in trouble because our bowling isn’t good enough. We are going to need a lot of luck to win this World Cup.’
Klusener: ‘I don’t think we should worry too much about them. We can beat them because I think overall South Africa have a better team than they do.’
