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Comment: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town - On the particularly sound basis of sparkling form at the World Cup thus far, Imran Tahir’s inclusion in the South African team to play India at Nagpur on Saturday would be regarded as a foregone conclusion by many.
Eleven wickets in three matches at an average of 8.90 and, just as importantly, admirable economy rate of 3.84 – it seems a no-brainer.
Only it is perhaps not quite so simple.
Even taking into account their frustrating stumble from various favourable winning positions against England last time out, the Proteas have generally boxed pretty smartly at the tournament thus far, making good horses-for-courses calls and Graeme Smith rightly lauded by seasoned experts for many of his on-field strategic moves.
Now then, is leg-spinner Tahir the right horse for Nagpur? Or, to put it more accurately, to face these particular opponents?
By most accounts, the pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium ought to be a near-belter, with nothing like the big-turn, slow-death characteristics that marked South Africa’s demise to England in Chennai.
In other words, it may not bring a notably “attacking” spinner like Tahir so prominently into the game.
Also to be chewed on by the Proteas’ brains trust is that India’s galaxy of batting stars tend not to be quite as put off by a supposedly bamboozling slow bowler as counterparts from other leading countries.
They have been schooled, and then continue to fine-tune their skills for years and years, on pitches conducive to turn and as a result they pick googlies, flippers and sliders with little apparent discomfort.
Strangely, extremely standard, defensively-orientated left-arm spinners have sometimes got under their skins to a far greater degree than crafty schemers like Tahir (albeit more often in the Test arena, where left-armers can get away with bowling a throttling, leg-side line to right-handers like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag).
Leg-spin being such a complex art, those who practise it are inclined to throw up the odd long-hop or full-toss, especially if they are being subjected to run-leaking pressure.
It is instructive that even Australia’s Shane Warne, the greatest leggie of them all, was seldom unleashed on India at ODI level in their own backyards, despite his 194 overall caps in this format – he played just eight ODIs against India on their soil, for seven wickets at an average of nearly 53.
Also to be analysed is that arguably Tahir’s main strength at the World Cup thus far has been his ability to rip through tail-end batsmen with his sorcery: against both the Netherlands and England in his last two appearances that has been a particularly noticeable phenomenon.
We may just find that India at Nagpur is not going to be the kind of occasion where batsmen from No 8 down will be called to action, by either side.
My instincts just about tell me that the Proteas should persist with Tahir against India, whatever the potential perils involved in doing so, with “bravery” the key principle; some would see his omission as a copout just as he appears tidily set to take the tournament by storm.
But I’ll also say this much: I’m not going to loudly pillory Corrie van Zyl and company if they decide that a recall for off-spinner Johan Botha, that gritty, experienced fighter and rather superior batsman, is in order on Saturday - perhaps even at Tahir’s expense - as team balance for a likely high-scoring affair comes to front of minds.
I have taken some stick subsequently (and fair dinkum) for my suggestion just ahead of the World Cup that Tahir might mostly “twiddle his thumbs” at the event –three genuinely impressive appearances on the trot have rather blown that theory out of the water, of course.
But I still harbour a strong suspicion, in mitigation, that South Africa came very, very close to not fielding Tahir in their opener against West Indies, and sticking to a 25-overs-of-spin battle plan involving Messrs Botha, Peterson and a bit of JP Duminy.
And if Tahir hadn’t been unleashed on the Caribbean outfit with a 4/41 outcome, then ... well, yes, he might still have had his feet up on the balcony to this point and my submission would not be looking quite so prone to ridicule.
Sooner or later, like all leg-spinners, he is going to take some “tap”. That is simply the nature of his daring trade.
Is it worth Tahir side-stepping this important Group B match-up, against a team who almost certainly WILL take him on and then some, so that he does not lose a pinch of psychological mojo for the remainder of the tournament?
All I am saying is that his presence in the XI on Saturday requires intense discussion before a call is made either way.
If he is fit for action and doesn’t play, consider that there may be longer-term method to the apparent madness ...
Cape Town - On the particularly sound basis of sparkling form at the World Cup thus far, Imran Tahir’s inclusion in the South African team to play India at Nagpur on Saturday would be regarded as a foregone conclusion by many.
Eleven wickets in three matches at an average of 8.90 and, just as importantly, admirable economy rate of 3.84 – it seems a no-brainer.
Only it is perhaps not quite so simple.
Even taking into account their frustrating stumble from various favourable winning positions against England last time out, the Proteas have generally boxed pretty smartly at the tournament thus far, making good horses-for-courses calls and Graeme Smith rightly lauded by seasoned experts for many of his on-field strategic moves.
Now then, is leg-spinner Tahir the right horse for Nagpur? Or, to put it more accurately, to face these particular opponents?
By most accounts, the pitch at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium ought to be a near-belter, with nothing like the big-turn, slow-death characteristics that marked South Africa’s demise to England in Chennai.
In other words, it may not bring a notably “attacking” spinner like Tahir so prominently into the game.
Also to be chewed on by the Proteas’ brains trust is that India’s galaxy of batting stars tend not to be quite as put off by a supposedly bamboozling slow bowler as counterparts from other leading countries.
They have been schooled, and then continue to fine-tune their skills for years and years, on pitches conducive to turn and as a result they pick googlies, flippers and sliders with little apparent discomfort.
Strangely, extremely standard, defensively-orientated left-arm spinners have sometimes got under their skins to a far greater degree than crafty schemers like Tahir (albeit more often in the Test arena, where left-armers can get away with bowling a throttling, leg-side line to right-handers like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag).
Leg-spin being such a complex art, those who practise it are inclined to throw up the odd long-hop or full-toss, especially if they are being subjected to run-leaking pressure.
It is instructive that even Australia’s Shane Warne, the greatest leggie of them all, was seldom unleashed on India at ODI level in their own backyards, despite his 194 overall caps in this format – he played just eight ODIs against India on their soil, for seven wickets at an average of nearly 53.
Also to be analysed is that arguably Tahir’s main strength at the World Cup thus far has been his ability to rip through tail-end batsmen with his sorcery: against both the Netherlands and England in his last two appearances that has been a particularly noticeable phenomenon.
We may just find that India at Nagpur is not going to be the kind of occasion where batsmen from No 8 down will be called to action, by either side.
My instincts just about tell me that the Proteas should persist with Tahir against India, whatever the potential perils involved in doing so, with “bravery” the key principle; some would see his omission as a copout just as he appears tidily set to take the tournament by storm.
But I’ll also say this much: I’m not going to loudly pillory Corrie van Zyl and company if they decide that a recall for off-spinner Johan Botha, that gritty, experienced fighter and rather superior batsman, is in order on Saturday - perhaps even at Tahir’s expense - as team balance for a likely high-scoring affair comes to front of minds.
I have taken some stick subsequently (and fair dinkum) for my suggestion just ahead of the World Cup that Tahir might mostly “twiddle his thumbs” at the event –three genuinely impressive appearances on the trot have rather blown that theory out of the water, of course.
But I still harbour a strong suspicion, in mitigation, that South Africa came very, very close to not fielding Tahir in their opener against West Indies, and sticking to a 25-overs-of-spin battle plan involving Messrs Botha, Peterson and a bit of JP Duminy.
And if Tahir hadn’t been unleashed on the Caribbean outfit with a 4/41 outcome, then ... well, yes, he might still have had his feet up on the balcony to this point and my submission would not be looking quite so prone to ridicule.
Sooner or later, like all leg-spinners, he is going to take some “tap”. That is simply the nature of his daring trade.
Is it worth Tahir side-stepping this important Group B match-up, against a team who almost certainly WILL take him on and then some, so that he does not lose a pinch of psychological mojo for the remainder of the tournament?
All I am saying is that his presence in the XI on Saturday requires intense discussion before a call is made either way.
If he is fit for action and doesn’t play, consider that there may be longer-term method to the apparent madness ...
