What worked and what didn’t for Proteas
With a short one-day international series – shortened even further by Durban’s terrible weather -against England it was hard to make any kind of definitive judgement of the Proteas in the 50-over format. However some things worked and others didn’t, Stuart Hess looks at those after the series was tied at the Wanderers on Sunday.
What worked:
Quinton de Kock, as captain, wicket-keeper and opening batsman (for now)
Mark Boucher spoke after the final ODI on Sunday about not wanting to judge players or tactics after just two completed matches. He is right. And the same goes for De Kock and all the many roles he fills. But for now (just for now) this three-card trick worked. De Kock quite rightly claimed the man-of-the-series award; he was excellent with the bat scoring 187 runs, with a healthy strike-rate of 88.62, took a couple of catches and his captaincy was imaginative and thoughtful. Boucher believes De Kock can take on all these roles for the long term, although he will need help with the “off-the-field stuff.” In a year’s time, everyone will be in a better place to judge.
Temba Bavuma at No 3
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