Arthur Turner

South Africa have won the One Day International series against Australia for the second time this summer thanks to the vision of Mickey Arthur.

He realised after the first ODI at Kingsmead that the attack needed change. His inspired selection of Wayne Parnell and Roelof van der Merwe has given the South African attack both fresh legs and much needed variation. The Proteas attack now probably has more variation in ODIs than ever before.

The left-handed Parnell has added a new dimension to the attack and he won the match almost single handedly at SuperSport Park with his performance. Australia never recovered after losing three key wickets in Parnell's opening spell. At Newlands although he went wicketless, he also bowled an impressive spell with the new ball.

Van der Merwe has also been a revelation the way he has taken to international cricket but this is not surprising because he is a player with immense mental strength. His contribution with bat and ball in both the Twenty20 and ODI forms of the game along with his attitude has added a new dimension to the team. He will play a big role in the future fortunes of the side in limited overs internationals.

For years South Africa has struggled to find spinners of international standard on a regular basis, but now Arthur has at his disposal three spinners who can play a role for him in limited overs internationals. South Africa for the first time in ODI cricket have played two spinners on a regular basis and benefited from their performances.

Johan Botha for me could easily be named the ODI player of the season for the role he has played in the team. His bowling in the middle overs of the innings has been crucial to the success the Proteas have enjoyed against Australia this summer. Also, he has been a good leader in the absence of Graeme Smith and led the team successfully.

The Proteas have also developed a third very good option in Robin Petersen. He has never let South Africa down as we once again saw in the two recent T20 Internationals against Australia. He is probably the best all-rounder of the three.

The series did have its disappointments and decisive moments. The ODI at Kingsmead proved once and for all that Makhaya Ntini’s ODI career is finally over. At 32 he has lost pace and does not possess enough variation to warrant future selection for the ODI team. His international career should be prolonged by selecting him for Test cricket where the Proteas are short of experienced bowlers.

Morne Morkel’s form continues to be a concern and he was once again a big disappointment. He has lost the ability to consistently bowl good areas and as a result his confidence has gone. However, a player of his ability will be back. He has an important role to play in the future of South Africa’s limited over fortunes.

Arthur has said that his ODI team is work in progress and he realises that the key to a successful 2011 Cricket World Cup campaign in India will be spinners who can bat and variation in the pace attack. He has successfully started this identification process and given the young guns an opportunity at international level. Already Parnell and Van der Merwe have rewarded him richly.

Arthur is a former cricket administrator and current player agent.

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