Balancing the need to ‘build for the future’ with succession planning and encouraging older players to ‘move on’ and make room for the next generation is the holy grail for sports selectors at domestic and international level around the world.
Occasionally the requirement and desire to prepare for the next ‘big event’ in a year’s time can distract from the need to win the match next week, or the series next month.
Woe betide the selectors who make senior players walk the plank before their time is up.
England pushed their greatest wicket-taker, Jimmy Anderson, toward the exit door before he had even considered international retirement and the now 43-year-old is amongst the leading wicket-takers in the County Championship with 23 at an average of 15.6 for Lancashire.
He believed he was still amongst the best bowlers in the country when he was shown the door and now he is proving it.
Given Anderson’s age it was understandable that England felt the need to move on but, how old is too old?
Eyebrows were undoubtedly raised when South African recently announced their ‘A’ team squad for a multi-format tour of England later this month with the inclusion of 37-year-old seamer, Dane Paterso
Given the importance to South African cricket of mounting a strong defence of their World Test Championship title, and paucity of matches in which to do it, head coach Shukri Conrad is inclined to bank on experience for the forthcoming summer which includes eight tests and will determine whether a return to Lord’s for a second WTC final in June next year is a reality.
BANKING ON EXPERIENCE
There is no shortage of young fast-bowling talent in the country but Conrad believes in Paterson, who narrowly missed out on a place in the starting XI against Australia last June when Lungi Ngidi was preferred and played a vital role in the famous victory.
Paterson took over 180 first-class wickets in four seasons for Nottinghamshire before playing a handful of matches for Middlesex last season – he knows English conditions well and will also act as mentor young quicks Tiaan van Vuuren and Nqobani Mokoene.
The first test against Australia starts as early as October 9 at Kingsmead – if any of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Ngidi and even Corbin Bosch are injured or wearied by their hectic T20 Franchise commitments by that time, Conrad would prefer to have Paterson ready to go rather than select a younger, less experienced seamer in such an important, early-season test.
Elsewhere, batsmen Jordan Hermann and Tony de Zorzi return to (semi) international cricket after injuries and seamer Ottneil Baartman, recently awarded a national contract, is also included in the squad
The England Lions (‘A’ team) has been treated as a team within its own right for the last five or six years with a full-time head coach in Andrew Flintoff and individual performances given far greater weight than used to be the case when ‘A’ teams were invariably regarded as development teams.
South Africa have adopted the same approach with head coach Wandile Gwavu:
“This tour is a great chance for that group to test themselves in English conditions, and we know that someone like Dane brings a wealth of experience in those conditions. I’m looking forward to seeing him alongside Ottneil as we build towards a busy home summer and the opportunities it presents at Proteas level,” Gwavu said.
“A number of the one-day squad members were part of the recent T20 series against New Zealand, and this tour gives them another opportunity to keep learning, adapt to different conditions and grow their own game.”
Plenty of observers find it counter-intuitive that a 37-year-old fast bowler with a limited international shelf-life was included in place of an aspirant 20-something but, should form, fitness and the stars align for him to play against Australia in the first test of the summer, and he takes wickets, the doubters will no doubt be the first to congratulate Conrad on his foresight and vision.
FOUR-DAY SQUAD
Marques Ackerman (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Jordan Hermann, Rubin Hermann, Sinethemba Qeshile, Lesego Senokwane, Jason Smith, Bjorn Fortuin, Tiaan van Vuuren, Prenelan Subrayen, Codi Yusuf, Dane Paterson, Ottneil Baartman, Nqobani Mokoena
ONE-DAY SQUAD
Marques Ackerman (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Rubin Hermann, Connor Esterhuizen, Dian Forrester, Sinethemba Qeshile, Jason Smith, Bjorn Fortuin, Prenelan Subrayen, Nqaba Peter, Gerald Coetzee, Kwena Maphaka, Nqobani Mokoena, Ottneil Baartman
FIXTURES
May 22nd-25th – 4-day vs England Lions, Arundel Castle, Sussex
May 29th-June 1st – 4-day vs England Lions, Beckenham, Kent
June 5th – 1-day vs England Lions, Grace Road, Leicester
June 7th - 1-day vs England Lions, New Road, Worcester
June 9th – 1-day vs England Lions, New Road, Worcester