Comment: Rob Houwing

Cape Town – As South Africa continue their inevitable strangulation of Bangladesh in Bloemfontein, it is perhaps not such a bad thing that one or two problem areas have come to light.

After all, the Proteas camp have made no bones about the fact that this two-Test series is really all about greasing the wheels for Australia.

So under those circumstances, we are all entitled to cast a critical eye over certain current bugbears or characteristics.

And one of them, to some extent, is the ongoing “ordinary” form, if you like, of batting bedrock Jacques Kallis.

Statistics tell you quite starkly that this has certainly not been Kallis’s (calendar) year: he has scored only 495 runs in 19 Test innings, with one century and two “halves”, at an unusually lean average for the period of 29.11.

Compare that to his 2007 performance – 1 210 clinical runs in 17 knocks at 86.42. That, of course, was a particularly special year for “Jakes”, so looking at it obviously only makes his 2008 nosedive look that much more acute!

Against Bangladesh on Thursday, the scene seemed set for Kallis to go to town against Test cricket’s basement boys, especially considering his signs of a return to nick in the one-day meetings with Kenya and Bangladesh immediately preceding this first Test.

Or did it? In truth, you see, Kallis is not a 327/2 man – that’s when he took to the crease on day two in Bloemfontein.

He is much more a man for a wobble or mini-crisis; far likelier to make big runs, for example, if he takes guard at 65/2 in the first innings.

Like it or lump it, he is a singular fellow and prefers to set out his own stall; not be forced, by the knowledge of a clearly radiant situation accompanying him out to the middle, to push things along pretty instantly.

In that respect he is extremely similar to Ashwell Prince, and perhaps there is a case for saying the Proteas could consider becoming a little more flexible in their batting order when both players will come in with a swollen cushion of runs already beneath South African belts.

Why not contemplate, in that environment, breaking up the routine Kallis-Prince occupancy of the No 4 and 5 spots, and letting the instinctively more aggressive AB de Villiers maintain the rollicking momentum by promoting him to either of those positions?

There is an argument that De Villiers bats well with the tail, hence his stationing at No 6, but when your team has gone past 300 with No 5 not even out there yet, the tail should really be the last of your worries, shouldn’t it?

Be that as it may, on Thursday the Proteas didn’t get anywhere close to the “700” alluded to by Neil McKenzie at the close of day one, when they had been 299/1 and cruising.

Instead, they effectively scored 142/8 to even fall shy of the supposed benchmark 450 for a Test first innings. It was disappointing, even considering that the pitch had a bit of everything in it for bowlers: seam movement, carry, bounce and turn.

Kallis managed just 16 off 35 deliveries and yes, I’m sure some people, still mindful of his grim struggle in England, will be starting to wonder now whether his heyday has passed.

I have my own theory: maybe he is indeed on a slow comedown from some lofty career heights, but that certainly doesn’t mean he is a spent force.

And there may be a good reason why he hasn’t made major runs this year: he hasn’t had to. So satisfyingly consistent has been the form of Graeme Smith, Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla and Prince that Kallis has not had to drop anchor in the manner he knows best.

You can bet that come Australia, there may be times when South Africa totter a bit in the top-order; it may well be a signal for normal Kallis “restorative” service to resume.

Let us keep in mind also that his key role as the fourth seamer cannot be summarily dismissed – it came to light again in Bloemfontein when he mopped up a stubborn Bangladeshi tail and basically helped put Morne Morkel out of his poor-rhythm misery.

(Now that’s more of a concern, I think.)

Kallis crisis? Nope, not yet …