CRISIS? Are the Proteas experiencing a fast bowler crisis, or are they worried about picking an up-and-coming youngster? Pictures: SportzPics, AFP
Image: SportzPics, AFP
If you’ve followed the squad updates from the Proteas for the Champions Trophy, it quickly becomes more confusing than the plot of a David Lynch film.
To make sense of it all, it’s best to start at the beginning. Nearly a month ago, on January 14 Cricket SA (CSA) announced their 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy.
A few eyebrows were raised as 31-year-old tearaway quick bowler Anrich Nortje who has been injury plagued over the last two years, was included in the squad. That came after he had not played a game of cricket for over a month.
Of course Nortje’s inclusion in the squad meant he had overcome any injury concerns he had. Not so. Two days later, he was withdrawn due to injury.
His ability had never been in question, in fact it was also a gamble selecting him in the squad for the T20 World Cup last year as he'd already had injury struggles, but he was a revelation for the Proteas.
The pacer played all nine matches, and finished as the top SA bowler on the wicket-takers with 15 sticks. That put him fourth on the wicket-takers list at the tournament, just two victims behind Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi and India’s Arshdeep Singh.
The Champions Trophy, however, is a vastly different proposition for a bowler as they are not just required to bowl four overs per match, but 10 in each outing. It therefore places a greater emphasis on physical fitness, and any hint of an injury needs to be interrogated.
In stepped, or soon hobbled, Gerald Coetzee, for Nortje. He was seen as the likely replacement for Nortje, and would add extra ability with the bat.
Ironically, the day the Proteas squad was first released last month was also the last time Coetzee played a game of cricket in the SA20 for the Joburg Super Kings.
He too, a couple days later was ruled out of the SA20 with a hamstring problem, but CSA went out of their way to say they would wait until they could make a call on Coetzee before naming him as a replacement for Nortje for the Champions Trophy.
On Wednesday CSA announced their squad for the tri-nations series against Pakistan and New Zealand. The short series which begins for the Proteas in Pakistan on Saturday, is a warm-up for the Champions trophy.
Coetzee was named in the squad, much to the relief of SA fans. Four hours later, he was withdrawn. That after he bowled 10 overs in training and the injury again flared up.
It begs the question, why do the Proteas management wait on players that are battling with injury? Do they see it as more of a gamble to simply pick a young fast bowler who has no hint of fitness issues?
Instead they tend to wait on someone who has proven his ability on the big stage, but who also may not be available. The latter seems to be more risky in my opinion.
I’m also not suggesting they pick a specific player, but a bowler who has no hint of an injury cloud, and if they’re early 20s that’s even better. Time to make a definitive call CSA.
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