Proteas flying under the radar in New Zealand

Write off a South African team at your peril! When the Proteas test squad was announced to tour New Zealand, fans flocked to social media to denounce the selection, calling the Proteas squad a “C Team” due to the unavailability of national players who are playing in the Betway SA20 tournament.

Cricket South Africa did engage with New Zealand about rescheduling the tour but a compromise could not be found and so coach Shukri Conrad and the selectors picked, what they thought, was the best squad to tackle Kane Williamson’s men in the Land of the Long white Cloud in a two-match series starting on Sunday 4 February.

Bowling coach Piet Botha was frank. “It is what it is. It is a wonderful opportunity for this team that has been selected. A lot of these players have excellent first-class records and sometimes in life, opportunities come in different ways.”

INEXPERIENCE

Half of the touring squad have some test experience, but that experience is limited to just 51 matches between them with bowler Duanne Olivier the most experienced with 15 caps while Keegen Petersen has 12 caps to his name.

Olivier and Zubayr Hamza are the only players in the squad who were part of the previous tour in 2022, in a series that was drawn one apiece. The pair’s only involvement in the series was in the first test in Christchurch where South Africa were rolled over for their lowest-ever total against New Zealand, humbled for just 95 in the first innings before going on to lose by an innings and 276 runs.

“Yes, it has been quite a while since I have been part of the national setup. Last time I was part of the Proteas was two years ago here in New Zealand, so it is an exciting time for me. I am looking forward to the challenges ahead,” Hamza said.

Botha added, “Duanne has 15 test caps so it is very important for him and he knows what it’s all about. The guys need to focus on the basics, they all have good skill. If we can do the basics for long enough then that’s where Duanne can bring in a lot of value.”

A BLESSING IN DISGUISE

The inexperience of the squad might be a blessing in disguise as there are no expectations on their shoulders and they can play with freedom. It could prove tricky for the hosts to put a plan in place considering that half the squad are debutants.

Fast bowler Dane Paterson, who has just two caps to his name, said “New Zealand will probably be doing a lot of data searching because they don’t know the players that are here, so it is a bit of an unknown to them.”

Despite having a lack of test experience, the squad does boast over 1300 first class matches with David Bedingham, Raynard van Tonder and Hamza all boasting averages in the 40’s while Petersen and captain Neil Brand are just shy of the 40 mark.

Hamza, Petersen, Bedingham and Khaya Zondo have a total of 66 first-class centuries between them so there is no shortage of capability in the top order, as the quartet all have double-tons to their names.

PREPARATION GOES WELL

Preparation for the first test involved a three-day warm-up game against a New Zealand XI side which ended in a draw but the most important thing was that the players earned some valuable time in the middle at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln.

“We’ve prepped pretty well for this tour. It started with the series against West Indies A already, and the facilities here have been nothing short of brilliant. It was never about the amount of runs, it was all about the work we put in prior to the three-day match and for the guys to get out of the match what they wanted,” said Conrad.

The bowling attack will be led by Olivier, who has 540 first-class wickets to his name. Alongside Paterson, the spin of Dane Piedt and Shaun von Berg will be vitally important in guiding the young and inexperienced, but exciting, Ruan de Swardt.

“We have some very experienced bowlers with Paterson and Olivier while Moreki has really done well the last couple of seasons. We have some good all-rounders that have good discipline in their bowling. We have good spinners in Dane Piedt and Shaun von Berg and Neil Brandt can also do a job so we have all the skills covered,” said Botha.

Another exciting prospect is allrounder Mihlahli Mpongwana. The 23-year-old has just 20 first-class games to his name but already has 34 wickets as well as two half-centuries. The right-hander had a formidable season with Western Province in the One-Day Cup, earning a man of the series badge.

“The West Indies A experience was absolute gold in getting to know what the players could do at different stages of the game,” said Botha.

CAPTAIN UNKNOWN

Brand was named as the captain of the touring squad after taking the reigns against West Indies A in November. The 27-year-old moved to King’s College in Taunton with the hope of qualifying to play for England but moved back to South Africa in 2017.

Brand’s captaincy of the South Africa A was exceptional, guiding his side to a come-from-behind 2-1 series win. After losing the first unofficial test by just one wicket, the SA “A” side won the second and third “tests” by 232 and 76 runs respectively.

Brand, Hamza and Petersen all scored centuries in those games but Brand’s use of his bowlers at the right time in the final two games made the difference, despite the SA “A” side not scoring more than 300 in any of their four innings.

Brand becomes the first player in South African cricketing history to captain a side on debut since Alan Melville did so in 1938. With only 51 first-class matches under his belt, the Johannesburg-born left-hander will have the world on his shoulders.

QUIETLY CONFIDENT

The Proteas will certainly be facing a stern challenge against Williamson and his charges. The experience of Devon Conway, Tom Latham and Will Young at the top of the order will be complemented by the bowling attack that includes Tim Southee, Matt Henry and Neil Wagner.

Paterson though was upbeat. “I think we are more excited for this challenge. We have a lot of youngsters starting out in international cricket. Mentally it is going to be tough, test cricket is difficult and only a handful of us have played a few tests so at least we can provide a helping hand.”

Conrad though, believes that his side can spring a surprise or two. “I think we can take a bit of confidence from the West Indies win over Australia because we played against the bulk of that team a few months ago.”

South Africa’s record in New Zealand is strikingly good, having won on nine occasions and losing just twice in 22 matches. Although the Black Caps have only lost six times in the last 10 years, their last defeat came in February last year at Mount Maunganui against England.

“It is part of the motivation for us. I mean we haven’t lost a series against NZ since the 1930s and we know what is expected of us and we are very motivated to play for the badge,” said Botha.

Despite all the negative social and media coverage of the touring squad to New Zealand, Paterson believes that people back home should not write them off in any manner. “Every South African doesn’t see themselves as an underdog because we pride ourselves in those pressure situations, that is where we are our best. So it will be exciting,” said the 34-year-old.

The first test starts at midnight, South African time, on Sunday morning with the second test in Hamilton starting at the same time on Tuesday 13 February 2024.