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SA’s T20 plans outdated?

Comment: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer

Cape Town - England’s Twenty20 international selection policy, light years different to the way they pick for Tests, could explain not only why they appear to have jumped ahead of South Africa in the newest format but also why the Proteas have faltered.

Commonly no match for South Africa for several years in one-day cricket generally, England have significantly remodelled their battle-plans more recently and, it appears, worked themselves into a position where they are suddenly both outplaying and outsmarting their old southern hemisphere foes.

They have pretty much had the Proteas’ number in the limited-overs arena since 2008, when they trounced them 4-0 in the NatWest Series that closely followed South Africa’s historic 2-1 Test series triumph on enemy soil.

Since then they have been responsible for eliminating Graeme Smith’s side from the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa last summer, followed that up by beating them 2-1 in the ODI series, and more recently torpedoed them twice in T20 combat in the Caribbean – first in a warm-up affair and then in the Super Eights phase of the ICC World Twenty20.

Paul Collingwood’s sharp, well-toned and noticeably confident side are semi-finalists against Sri Lanka and tipped by most pundits to advance to Sunday’s final in Bridgetown too.

So what has been the key reason for the reversal of fortunes between the two sides?

Much of it, I feel, has been down to England progressively moving away from the stodgy old route of entrusting the nucleus of their Test side with one-day duty as well -- and realising that T20 is a particularly different beast.

Other countries are also moving ever more rapidly that way, although South Africa, whatever the reasons, have been rather more hesitant in acknowledging the need for “horses for courses”.

I did some impromptu research this week, comparing the Test and T20 line-ups (the two most glaringly different arenas in modern cricket) of South Africa and England.

Of course statistics can be as misleading as they might be revealing, but they do seem to show the extent to which England, especially, are now choosing more “separately” for T20 requirements.

They have been to Bangladesh subsequently with a weaker squad, but the last time England played a Test against a major nation (South Africa at the Wanderers), their XI boasted a total of 449 Test caps, and an average age of a fraction under 29 (28.9).

Their last T20 line-up, against New Zealand a few days ago, featured a grand total of only 141 Test caps between them and an average age of 27.0.

That is almost two full years younger, and would gratify the growing lobby of experts who believe T20 is, or at least ought to be, largely “a young man’s game”.

As many as five of the team (Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Luke Wright and Mike Yardy) have never played a Test match, very much suggesting that England have identified various T20 “specialists”.

Now compare this with South Africa: their last Test team (against India at Kolkata) featured a total of 481 caps in that arena, and an average age of 27.7.

Yet the latest Proteas T20 side, which surrendered so disappointingly to Pakistan, actually climbs in total Test caps to 558 and an average age of 29.6 – two years older, rather than younger.

Admittedly the picture is distorted a bit by the fact that Mark Boucher, who turned out at Gros Islet, did not play in the final Test against India through injury, so he brings a weighty 131 Test caps to the T20 combo.

But it still shows that South Africa have, rightly or wrongly, shown huge faith in several players to carry the flag across all formats, and also a willingness to field T20 sides dangerously close to an average age of 30.

In certain respects it is a tribute to the proven (often very proven indeed) versatility of some senior South African players, yet it is also difficult not to wonder whether a stronger infusion of youth ought to be a key objective henceforth for the Proteas in the fast-evolving T20 landscape …

England’s last Test team (against a major power): Alastair Cook (54 Tests, age 25), Andrew Strauss (capt, 71, 33), Jonathan Trott (7, 29), Kevin Pietersen (60, 29), Paul Collingwood (59, 33), Ian Bell (55, 28), Matt Prior (29, 28), Stuart Broad (28, 23), Graeme Swann (18, 31), Ryan Sidebottom (22, 32), James Anderson (46, 27).
Total Test caps: 449
Average age: 28.9
England’s last T20 team: Craig Kieswetter (0 Tests, age 22), Michael Lumb (0, 30), Ravi Bopara (10, 25), Paul Collingwood (capt, 59, 33), Eoin Morgan (0, 23), Luke Wright (0, 25), Tim Bresnan (4, 25), Mike Yardy (0, 29), Graeme Swann (18, 31), Stuart Broad (28, 23), Ryan Sidebottom (22, 32).
Total Test caps: 141
Average age: 27.0

South Africa’s last Test team: Graeme Smith (capt, 83 Tests, age 29), Alviro Petersen (1, 29), Hashim Amla (43, 27), Jacques Kallis (137, 34), AB de Villiers (58, 26), Ashwell Prince (54, 32), JP Duminy (12, 26), Dale Steyn (38, 26), Paul Harris (29, 31), Wayne Parnell (3, 20), Morne Morkel (23, 25).
Total Test caps: 481
Average age: 27.7
South Africa’s last T20 team: Graeme Smith (capt, 83 Tests, age 29), Herschelle Gibbs (90, 36), Jacques Kallis (137, 34), AB de Villiers (58, 26), JP Duminy (12, 26), Mark Boucher (131, 33), Albie Morkel (1, 28), Johan Botha (2, 28), Roelof van der Merwe (0, 25), Dale Steyn (38, 26), Charl Langeveldt (6, 35).
Total Test caps: 558
Average age: 29.6
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