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Cape Town – The Proteas’ struggles and their inability to regularly command places in their Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket teams is busy jeopardising South Africa’s preparations for the World Twenty20 tournament.
A few South Africans – Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel and Herschelle Gibbs – are performing well for their respective teams, but the rest of the players are not getting much game time.
The World Twenty20 tournament starts in the West Indies at the end of the month – only five days after the IPL final.
Proteas coach Corrie van Zyl confirmed that there would not be a training camp because of a shortage of time before the tournament.
It was hoped beforehand that the majority of the national players would get regular game time in the IPL so that it would serve as ideal preparation for the World tournament.
However, the opposite has transpired, with the likes of AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher and JP Duminy spectators in the IPL.
How SA players in the national T20 squad have fared in the first half of the IPL (up until Tuesday April 6):
Albie Morkel (9 games for the Chennai Super Kings):
164 runs at an average of 32.80 (strike rate: 150.45); 8 wickets at an average of 36.50. (run-rate: 8.84). He is looking like the player of old again after a difficult season.
Jacques Kallis (9 games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore):
425 runs at 85.00 (strike rate: 123.90). Kallis is the biggest star of this year’s tournament and has proved that he can adapt to the T20-format.
Herschelle Gibbs (8 games for the Deccan Chargers):
237 runs at 29.62 (strike rate: 119.09). Gibbs’s ability to obliterate bowling attacks appears to be on the wane.
Dale Steyn (8 games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore):
7 wickets at 33.71 (run-rate: 7.37). Steyn is bowling with a lot of pace, but is also conceding a lot of runs and has not been taking many wickets.
Ryan McLaren (7 games for the Mumbai Indians):
26 runs at 26.00 (strike rate: 108.33); 3 wickets at 70.00 (run-rate: 8.40). All-rounder McLaren has not excelled with bat or ball.
AB de Villiers (6 games for the Delhi Daredevils):
107 runs at 17.83 (strike rate: 95.53). De Villiers’s poor form with the bat cost him his place in the Daredevils’ starting side.
Mark Boucher (5 games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore):
13 runs at 13.00. (strike rate: 130.00). Boucher has done little in the IPL to date, but is at his best when his team needs him most.
Rusty Theron (3 games for the Kings XI Punjab):
3 wickets at 26.00 (run-rate: 6.50). Theron enjoyed an impressive start to the series and his ability to bowl the final overs will definitely be an asset in the West Indies.
Charl Langeveldt (3 games for the Kolkata Knight Riders):
5 wickets at 17.60 (run-rate: 8.00). Langeveldt has not played much because he is struggling with a leg injury.
Graeme Smith (2 games for the Rajasthan Royals):
44 runs at 22.00 (strike rate: 112.82). The Proteas captain broke a finger in his team’s second game and has been on the injured list since.
Morné Morkel (2 games for the Rajasthan Royals):
No wickets (run-rate: 9.07). Morkel struggled in his first two games and was omitted after that.
Roelof van der Merwe (1 game for the Royal Challengers Bangalore):
2 wickets at 13.50 (run-rate: 6.75). Van der Merwe is struggling for game time because of the many international stars at the RCB.
JP Duminy (Mumbai Indians) and Johan Botha (Rajasthan Royals) have not played to date, while Loots Bosman and Rory Kleinveldt are not playing this year.
Cape Town – The Proteas’ struggles and their inability to regularly command places in their Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket teams is busy jeopardising South Africa’s preparations for the World Twenty20 tournament.
A few South Africans – Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel and Herschelle Gibbs – are performing well for their respective teams, but the rest of the players are not getting much game time.
The World Twenty20 tournament starts in the West Indies at the end of the month – only five days after the IPL final.
Proteas coach Corrie van Zyl confirmed that there would not be a training camp because of a shortage of time before the tournament.
It was hoped beforehand that the majority of the national players would get regular game time in the IPL so that it would serve as ideal preparation for the World tournament.
However, the opposite has transpired, with the likes of AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher and JP Duminy spectators in the IPL.
How SA players in the national T20 squad have fared in the first half of the IPL (up until Tuesday April 6):
Albie Morkel (9 games for the Chennai Super Kings):
164 runs at an average of 32.80 (strike rate: 150.45); 8 wickets at an average of 36.50. (run-rate: 8.84). He is looking like the player of old again after a difficult season.
Jacques Kallis (9 games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore):
425 runs at 85.00 (strike rate: 123.90). Kallis is the biggest star of this year’s tournament and has proved that he can adapt to the T20-format.
Herschelle Gibbs (8 games for the Deccan Chargers):
237 runs at 29.62 (strike rate: 119.09). Gibbs’s ability to obliterate bowling attacks appears to be on the wane.
Dale Steyn (8 games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore):
7 wickets at 33.71 (run-rate: 7.37). Steyn is bowling with a lot of pace, but is also conceding a lot of runs and has not been taking many wickets.
Ryan McLaren (7 games for the Mumbai Indians):
26 runs at 26.00 (strike rate: 108.33); 3 wickets at 70.00 (run-rate: 8.40). All-rounder McLaren has not excelled with bat or ball.
AB de Villiers (6 games for the Delhi Daredevils):
107 runs at 17.83 (strike rate: 95.53). De Villiers’s poor form with the bat cost him his place in the Daredevils’ starting side.
Mark Boucher (5 games for the Royal Challengers Bangalore):
13 runs at 13.00. (strike rate: 130.00). Boucher has done little in the IPL to date, but is at his best when his team needs him most.
Rusty Theron (3 games for the Kings XI Punjab):
3 wickets at 26.00 (run-rate: 6.50). Theron enjoyed an impressive start to the series and his ability to bowl the final overs will definitely be an asset in the West Indies.
Charl Langeveldt (3 games for the Kolkata Knight Riders):
5 wickets at 17.60 (run-rate: 8.00). Langeveldt has not played much because he is struggling with a leg injury.
Graeme Smith (2 games for the Rajasthan Royals):
44 runs at 22.00 (strike rate: 112.82). The Proteas captain broke a finger in his team’s second game and has been on the injured list since.
Morné Morkel (2 games for the Rajasthan Royals):
No wickets (run-rate: 9.07). Morkel struggled in his first two games and was omitted after that.
Roelof van der Merwe (1 game for the Royal Challengers Bangalore):
2 wickets at 13.50 (run-rate: 6.75). Van der Merwe is struggling for game time because of the many international stars at the RCB.
JP Duminy (Mumbai Indians) and Johan Botha (Rajasthan Royals) have not played to date, while Loots Bosman and Rory Kleinveldt are not playing this year.
