Last year, South Africa landed in India as one of the best
Test teams in the world. After winning the one-day series in a commendable
fashion, the Proteas were expected to finish the Test series in style. They had
the bowlers and batsmen to dominate against the home team, and above all, the
charisma of AB de Villiers was always there to give the team an extra boost
even on the spin friendly tracks.
However, as soon as the Test series commenced, the visitors
were found wanting. A lingering groyne injury limited the participation of Dale
Steyn in the Test series while the service of Vernon Philander was also missed
due to an injury. The Proteas attack already lost it’s killer punch and then,
the rank-turners simply devoured the best batting line-up in world cricket
mercilessly. South Africa ended the tour in a shambolic manner as they failed
to stay strong under pressure.
When England came to visit South Africa last December, Dale
Steyn had hurt his shoulder midway through the series in Durban and had to be
sidelined for the rest of the series. The outcome was not good for the home
team as England won the series and shrugged off the frustrations of the defeat
against Pakistan.
South Africa were left wondering about their terrible lean
patch while Russell Domingo’s credibilities as a coach came under scrutiny. The
team had yet again failed to regroup and rediscover their fighting spirit when
the going got tough, and the inability to exhibit composure under difficult
circumstances made them a soft target.
Another difficult situation
At
Perth, in the first Test against Australia, David Warner and Shaun Marsh were
scripting a jolly-bash against the South African bowling attack. The Proteas
batting line-up minus AB de Villiers failed to weather the storm of the
Australian pace attack and were bundled out cheaply. Warner and Marsh were
rubbing salt in their wound by scripting an opening stand of 158.
Steyn
succeeded in halting Warner’s hundred, but he could not bowl further in the
match due to a shoulder injury. The situation was bemusing for the South
African captain Faf du Plessis as he would have to rely on his three-man
bowling attack and one of them playing in his first ever Test match.
The
task for Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander and Keshav Maharaj was like climbing a
mountain against the Australian batting line-up whose plan was to bat out the
visitors in the first innings. The South Africans came under the same pressure,
which has always proved to be their undoing and even a die hard Proteas fan
must have given up the hopes of a bounce back when they witnessed Steyn leave
the field with a sad face.
A turnaround
In
such situations, a lot depends on the captain. The members of the team look up
to their skipper in search for inspiration. At Perth, Faf was not down and
dusted by the heat of the situation, but searched for wickets despite
Australia’s strong position.
He
utilised his limited options smartly and encouraged his bowlers to attack.
Rabada and Philander bowled full and at pace with an attacking line. They made
full use of the conditions which aided reverse swing and set jitters in the
Australian batting line-up who collapsed from 158 for 0 to 244 all out.
Such
an exhibition of character rekindled the fighting spirit within the team and
worked as a tonic to gain authority over the home team who were well known for
their fighting qualities.
JP
Duminy and Dean Elgar scripted one of the inspiring partnerships ever played on
Australian soil by a visiting team to build the platform for a historic win
against all the odds. Both Duminy and Elgar smashed hundreds while Quinton De
Kock and Philander added more agonies to the Australian cause who looked pale
under the hot sun at Perth.
The
WACA track was still better to bat on, and the opportunity was there for the
Australian batters to hang on for a draw. But this South African team are like
wounded Tigers and would not get satisfied with just a tight finish.
The
21-year old Rabada was a like a black panther and hunted for his prey. His
inswing , outswing, yorker, late movement, length balls and utilisation of the
cracks intelligently sunk Australia and made this Test match a part of South
African cricket’s folklore.
Tough
challenges didn’t melt South Africa at Perth. The lads from the rainbow nation
maintained their composure better than the home team. Especially, Faf deserves
a lot of credit for his attacking captaincy. In Test cricket, a defensive
mindset never fetches better results, and Faf is well aware of this.
A
great victory for South Africa and they are expected to get better and better
from here in the upcoming Test matches.
Note: This article has been
published at Sportskeeda on 08/11/2016 Australia vs South Africa 2016: Tough challenges didn’t melt South Africa at Perth
Thank
You
Faisal
Caesar
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