CAPE TOWN – An interesting statistic emerged prior to the first ODI between New Zealand and South Africa at Seddon Park.
Even without the injured David Miller, the Proteas boasted 72 ODI hundreds compared to the Black Caps’ 28 with only 12 of those centuries not belonging to former captain Ross Taylor.
It is abundantly clear that the strength of the Proteas’ ODI unit is their experienced and powerful batting line-up that boasts some of the best players in the world; like Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and, of course, captain AB de Villiers.
However, any team is only as strong as their weakest link, and the world’s premier ODI outfit are currently breeding a crop of young players that are ready to take on the world.
The thrilling victory over New Zealand on Sunday at Seddon Park required valuable contributions from three “Under-25s” who all bring a bold and adventurous spirit to the Proteas.
It is easy to forget that the now nearly-R10 million man Kagiso Rabada is only 21-years-old due to the plaudits that have come his way already, but it was only three years ago that he was bowling to school boys instead of to the Virat Kohli’s of the world like he will in the upcoming Indian Premier League.
When the more experienced Chris Morris, who was very impressive with the new ball, was being dispatched to all parts of Seddon Park at the backend of the Black Caps’ innings, there was young Rabada coolly running in and conceding just 20 runs from his final four overs, which included a maiden, and picking up two wickets in the process.
In the context of a match that was decided with one ball remaining such a performance its worth its weight in gold – or $750 000 to the Delhi Daredevils to be exact.
Then there’s Quinton de Kock. Although just 24-years-old, the Proteas wicket-keeper/batsman sits between his seniors Du Plessis and Amla in fifth position on the ICC ODI batsmen’s ranking and has already contributed 12 centuries to that sum total of 72 tons stated earlier.
De Kock was deemed Man of the Match on Sunday for stroking 69 off only 64 balls (4x9, 1x6) on a pitch that De Villiers termed "the toughest conditions I've ever played in" and also rated it "0 out of 10".
But such is the high standards these young players set for themselves that De Kock was not entirely happy with his performance.
"That was probably the hardest wicket I’ve played on in terms of spin. But it was a bit frustrating because I thought I was the guy to bat through and to make sure we won the game. It was disappointing. It wasn’t needed to for me to get out on that occasion," De Kock said.
Mother Cricket though knew what was still in store for De Kock’s dismissal precipitated a Proteas middle-order collapse that ultimately brought fellow youngster Andile Phehlukwayo to the crease.
Only 20 years old, Phehlukwayo is the rookie of the trio in terms of age and matches played. The Dolphins all-rounder only has 11 ODI’s and four T20I’s to his credit, but has amazingly yet to be on the losing side in a Proteas ODI shirt.
Call it the Midas touch, but everything Phehlukwayo touches ends up being a success. His cameo of 29 not out off only 23 balls was also not the first time he’s held his nerve in the most pressurised of situations.
Last October he belted the Aussies. On this occasion it was their Antipodean rivals New Zealand.
"I was trying to keep myself really calm. They bowled really well, assessed the conditions really well. We knew our gameplans and how we wanted to go about it. We executed it really well," Phehlukwayo said on Monday.
The power Phehlukwayo is able to generate is quite astonishing for it allows him to smash length balls over the boundary at crucial times, like the two maximums he belted on Sunday. The second six was particularly impressive for it sailed over the boundary just when the Proteas needed it most.
"I was just trying to watch the ball and pick the right ball. I was being given a lot of information from AB, in terms of what the bowler was thinking, and what he was trying to do. I just watched the ball and swung really hard," Phehlukwayo said.
"The first one I was just trying to hit the ball really straight, I wasn’t that confident. The second one, though, I knew that it was going for six and I was just really happy that I could execute that well and hopefully I can do that more consistently."
The way these young men are going the Proteas will hope they keep on swinging for it has certainly added a refreshing dimension to South African cricket.
