T20s vs Australia Game 1
Nortje makes his debut
Neser going at 12 an over didn't help Australia. The point goes to debutant Anrich Nortje.
why didn't this happen before I picked my squad
Game 2
A defensive bowling masterclass, and with it the series! Kagiso Rabada will get the point for going at only just over three.
Game 3
Yikes...
Still, we have POTS to give
1st- Anrich Nortje. Five wickets at 15 is a great tally for a debutant.
2nd- Kagiso Rabada. Wasn't great in game 1 but brilliant in the next two.
3rd- Janneman Malan. With 124 runs, the only batsmen on our team who can really hold his head high.
The Chase for the Mike Proctor Trophy
J Malan- 13
K Rabada- 9
K Maharaj- 7
F du Plessis- 6
A Nortje- 4
D Pretorius- 3
Q de Kock- 3
V Philander- 3
R van der Dussen- 1
I Tahir- 1
B Fortuin- 1
M Ackerman- 1
D Hendricks- 1
South Africa Squad for ODIs vs India Faf du Plessis David Miller Zubayr Hamza Janneman Malan Pieter Malan
Quinton de Kock Dominic Hendricks
Bjorn Fortuin Andile Phehlukwayo Wiaan Mulder
Tabraiz Shamsi Marco Jansen Lungi Ngidi Kagiso Rabada Dale Steyn
Two changes. Dean Elgar doesn't find his way into this squad while Dwaine Pretorius is rested. In their place come Zubayr Hamza (370 runs in 4 hits in the SAT20) and Wiaan Mulder (averaging 34 with the bat and 14 with the ball in this year's SA OD)
ODIs vs Australia Game 1
Zubayr Hamza makes his debut
And oh dear. Bowling decent, batting awful.
Game 2
Double dear. What's happened is that Janneman, du Kock, Miller and Hamza have all lost form at the same time.
And of course. Malan (83b) the star as has become usual. He also gets the POTS vote by default as nobody else did anything.
The Chase for the Mike Proctor Trophy
J Malan- 15
K Rabada- 9
K Maharaj- 7
F du Plessis- 6
A Nortje- 4
D Pretorius- 3
Q de Kock- 3
V Philander- 3
R van der Dussen- 1
I Tahir- 1
B Fortuin- 1
M Ackerman- 1
D Hendricks- 1
South Africa Squad for T20 vs India Faf du Plessis David Miller Marques Ackerman Janneman Malan Zubayr Hamza
Quinton de Kock Sinethemba Qeshile
Bjorn Fortuin Chris Morris Delano Potgieter
Ottniel Baartman Anrich Nortje Kagiso Rabada Dale Steyn Dane Piedt
The customary two changes to this squad reflect some bowling focus. In come Ottniel Baarman and Dane Piedt, two of the best bowlers in the Mzansi Super League so far, and out go Ferisco Adams and Theunis de Bruyn. Oh and I forgot Hamza in for Markram. That was so automatic I actually forgot.
T20s vs India Game 1
Piedt and Hamza debuts
Malan and Ackerman got us home comfortably! Janneman gets the point and that secures him the Mike Proctor Award! What a debut campaign.
This pitch was diabolical. That 28 from Ackerman took 40 balls. However, Anrich Nortje 3.4-0-7-2 gets the MOTM.
Match 3
Everyone but Steyn got carted. Sadly
We still won the series which means POTS time!
1st- Delano Potgieter: Despite getting hammered in the final game, he finishes with 44 runs at 176 strike rate and 5 wickets at 18.2 average.
2nd- Kagiso Rabada: 15.86 bowling average. Speaks for itself.
3rd- Marques Ackerman: Got us home in both Game 1 and Game 2, his overall stats were unimpressive but he performed with the pressure on.
The Chase for the Mike Proctor Trophy
J Malan- 16
K Rabada- 11
K Maharaj- 7
F du Plessis- 6
A Nortje- 5
D Pretorius- 3
Q de Kock- 3
V Philander- 3
D Potgieter- 3
M Ackerman- 2
R van der Dussen- 1
I Tahir- 1
B Fortuin- 1
D Hendricks- 1
2019-20 AWARDS
Finally, after a long but rewarding season in which South Africa finally won the World Cup, as well as beating England and India in Test series, the awards ceremony!
Let's start with the Lee Irvine Award for best domestic T20 player.
3rd: Zubayr Hamza. 310 runs in just four games but international recognition in the form of touring India ended his campaign early.
2nd: Keegan Petersen. The top run scorer in the Mzansi SL.
1st: Corne Dry. An impressive MSL campaign meant that Dry finished on 21 wickets at a bowling average of 11. The 27yo will be in key contention for a South Africa place, even with Ottniel Baartman picked ahead of him for India.
Next, the Garth le Roux Award for best domestic OD player.
3rd: Wiaan Mulder. Batting average 34, bowling average 14. Say more?
2nd: Bradley Porteous. The 21yo opening batsman had a breakout season, averaging 69 and scoring 622 runs.
1st: Faraan Behardien. With his international career behind him, Behardien excelled as a closer for Pretoria this season, scoring 170 runs less than Porteous but coming in much later, excelling under massive pressure and also finishing with an average of ninety.
The final domestic award is the Barry Richards Trophy for domestic First Class achievement.
3rd: Dominic Hendricks. Hendricks stood out both at 50-over and FC cricket this year, averaging over 60 in both.
2nd: Marco Jansen. Jansen had an outstanding second season, taking 35 wickets at 21, the lowest average of any bowler barring Tabriz Shamsi and Dale Steyn who played four times between them.
1st: Delano Potgieter. 842 runs at 65 and 49 wickets at 25 would be enough to get on this list in their own right, combine them and you have a shoo-in for the award.
Next, and to begin the international section, the Graeme Pollock Trophy for Test player of the year.
3rd: Dean Elgar. It was an outstanding year for Test batsmen and Elgar was among their successes. Three hundreds, and two were in key wins in Delhi and Cape Town.
2nd: Keshav Maharaj. In an attack featuring Rabada, Ngidi, Steyn, Philander and Jansen, you'd imagine someone of Maharaj's reputation would be outshone. Not so. He took 47 wickets at 27, leading the team in the former and only being eclipsed by Jansen (who played one test) in the latter.
1st: Quinton du Kock. 742 runs. Average 93. Best 271. They speak for themselves.
It was a successful year for South Africa at One Day level, with the World Cup being won for the first time. The Clive Rice Trophy will now be awarded for achievement at that level.
3rd: Dwaine Pretorius. The man who won the World Cup final for South Africa with the bat ended up finishing second in averages with the ball. Although he was rested from the India series his prior performances ensure he is on this list.
2nd: Kagiso Rabada. 38 wickets at 22, of which 21 (at the same average) were in the World Cup. South Africa's best quick.
1st: Janneman Malan. Could it be anyone else? 536 runs at 76 in the World Cup. 1205 at 75 overall. 170* in the World Cup Semi Final. 192 and 178 in back to back games against the Poms. What a season. He's set himself up as the replacement for Hashim Amla at ODI level.
Now for the final single discipline award. The Vintcent van der Bijl Trophy will be awarded to South Africa's best T20I player.
3rd: Delano Potgieter. He wasn't as good as in Domestic FC, which he already has an award for tonight, but finishing the innings at 169 SR and taking wickets at 20 isn't bad.
2nd: Marques Ackerman. A breakout year for Ackerman. While he scored a similar number of runs to Janneman Malan (fourth in this award's voting), he scored at a much higher average, came in further down the order and batted under more pressure. Batting at 78 and 137 in your first season with the national team? Yes.
1st: Kagiso Rabada. It was a good year for Rabada, barring a wobble during the England Test series. And he got 2nd in the Rice Trophy and wins this one as a result. 16 wickets at 16, and that includes a key three-for as India were skittled for 66 just a week ago.
Finally, the big one. The Mike Proctor Trophy!
Honorable Mentions: Faf du Plessis on 6 votes, Anrich Nortje 5, Dwaine Pretorius, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander and Delano Potgieter on 3, and Marques Ackerman on 2.
3rd: Keshav Maharaj. Maharaj got the second-most votes across a single discipline (all 7 of his came through Tests) and that was because he bowled brilliantly, as already mentioned. The difference between his 7 votes and QDK's three? A lot of his stellar performances came in the India series where five of those seven were from. QdK's were more scattered.
2nd: Kagiso Rabada. It's clear South Africa have their successor to the line of Van der Bijl-Donald-Steyn. Rabada, across all internationals this year, took 78 wickets despite disappointing somewhat in Tests. He was clearly South Africa's best played in T20s and their second best in both the World Cup triumph and overall ODIs.
1st, and the winner of the 1st annual Mike Proctor Trophy is...
Janneman Malan!
Malan's performances this year have been noteworthy. In Tests, he's scored 520 runs at 43, with a top score of 138. In T20Is, he led the batting field along with Marques Ackerman, scoring 271 runs at 39 and 129SR. But it was his ODI contributions that won him this award. 1205 runs at 75, including three scores of 170 or more and 536 runs at 76 in the World Cup. If Pretorius won the World Cup final for South Africa, Malan won the World Cup for South Africa and it's off the back of that he wins the Player of the Year.
South Africa Squad for ODIs vs Sri Lanka Faf du Plessis David Miller Zubayr Hamza Janneman Malan Rassie van der Dussen Temba Bavuma
Quinton de Kock
Bjorn Fortuin Andile Phehlukwayo Dwaine Pretorius Delano Potgieter Vernon Philander
Keshav Maharaj Kagiso Rabada Dale Steyn
At the end of last season, Temba Bavuma signed with Gloucestershire with one goal: return to the national team. Averaging 62 in FC and 69 in OD this county season has done exactly that for him. Rassie van der Dussen also returns (maybe I was too harsh on a guy averaging 62), as do Dwaine Pretorius, Delano Potgieter, Vernon Philander and Keshav Maharaj. A lot of bit and piece players have been left out, as has young quick Marco Jansen, specialist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi and the struggling Lungi Ngidi. Anrich Nortje was thought to be the choice if Dale Steyn, who was injured again in April, couldn't prove fitness.
South Africa Squad for T20 vs Sri Lanka Faf du Plessis Theunis de Bruyn Marques Ackerman Janneman Malan Zubayr Hamza
Quinton de Kock
Eathan Bosch Bjorn Fortuin Chris Morris Delano Potgieter Jason Smith
Kagiso Rabada Dale Steyn Corne Dry Anrich Nortje
Some real talking points here. The inclusion of Corne Dry, the domestic T20 POTY and leading wicket taker, was not unexpected even if he doesn't play, but Jason Smith is a left field selection that the game told me to make. Another interesting decision is clearly coach Ddrap losing patience with the diminishing returns of David Miller who has been dropped for de Bruyn.
T20s vs Sri Lanka Game 1
That's an annoying defeat. Should have known better than to pick Rabada with 0% match form.
Match 2
Corne Dry makes his debut.
Batting simply didn't show up.
Match 3:
Hello! Chris Morris after a dismal 2020 and Zubayr Hamza (before this point averaging 16) stand up to get us across the line. It'll be Morris with the point.
And for the series, Anrich Nortje will take our POTS with 7 wickets at 15. The fact that bowlers keep winning these in T20s suggests where our weakness lies.
The Race for the Mike Proctor Trophy
C Morris- 1
A Nortje- 1
T Bavuma- 1
B Fortuin- 1
Not a lot of big calls here. Nortje is a player who's been around the setup for a long time, and Shamsi may play on a more spinn-y pitch. Aside from that, stability is the bets policy if it's bringing results.
South Africa vs West Indies First Test Match, Kingston Park (17-21 Aug 2020)
Lineups:
South Africa:
West Indies:
Janneman Malan
Kraigg Brathwaite
Aiden Markram
Rajendra Chandrika
Faf du Plessis
Shimron Hetmyer
Quinton de Kock
Shane Dowrich
Zubayr Hamza
Shai Hope
Dean Elgar
Roston Chase
Kyle Verreynne
Nicholas Pooran
Vernon Philander
: Gudakesh Motie
Keshav Maharaj
Kemar Roach
Anrich Nortje
Devendra Bishoo
Dale Steyn
Shannon Gabriel
For South Africa, Anrich Nortje is given his debut over Ngidi and Jansen after Rabada was ruled unfit at the last minute. They've gone in with just four bowling options, but one suspects some allrounders may be knocking on the door if Hamza fails. As for the West Indies, their selections (Bishoo, Motie, Chandrika) will make qpeedore very happy...
It should be said though, after they were put in by du Plessis, their openers were competent at surviving the new ball. Then Philander got the breakthrough, Brathwaite nicking off, and the floodgates opened. Philander's first spell finished 7-1-19-3. Hope and Dowrich righted the ship and played a stand of over 100, but then 3-14 was lost just before tea (one each to Steyn, Philander and Elgar). Annoyingly for the Windies, that meant their tail was exposed, and while they fought gamely Roach and Gabriel facing Steyn and Philander with a new ball was never going to end well.
South Africa's openers did much better, putting on 90 before Malan edged Bishoo to slip. And while there was a minute collapse after this, Faf and QDK getting out for single figures, they had Dean Elgar doing Elgar things at the other end. He brought up his ton the over after the fourth wicket, Hamza edging Motie behind, and went on to make 119 (230) before drilling Gabriel to mid on four overs before the new ball. Between the dismissal and the new ball, however, the West Indian total was passed. And while a decent fist was made by the WI bowlers to contain the damage, thanks to Markram and Verreynne the South African lead was three digits by the end of the innings.
The West Indian openers were morbid. Before the introduction of Maharaj, they were on 0/20 from 17 overs. Chandrika hit two fours from Maharaj's first nine balls then flicked his tenth to mid wicket. The quicks continued to be cripplingly economical, allowing Maharaj to do his thing. The top order had a massive failure hit with Maharaj and Steyn and while captain Brathwaite survived, he was left looking at a scoreboard that read 4/53 after Hope was yorked by Steyn. He was able to engineer something of a fight back though. He took the score to 96 with Chase, then to 208 in a gritty century stand that took the best part of two sessions with Pooran. A classic catch from de Kock ended that, while Brathwaite's 301 ball resistance ended when he inside edged one back to Philander. Motie counter-attacked where Brathwaite had resisted, making a quick 63*, but when it was all said South Africa needed just 173.
Gabriel put the Proteas on the back foot when he removed Elgar and du Plessis in two balls in the 9th over. de Kock negotiated the hattrick ball, and he and Malan scored the remainder of the runs required to level the scores. I say level because with the scores tied, Malan was trapped in front by Motie. And then, after five scoreless balls to Markram, the same happened to de Kock. South Africa did get over the line in the end and this was good for Dean Elgar, whose first innings century got him the Man of the Match award.
South Africa vs West Indies Second Test Match, Queen's Park (24-28 Aug 2020)
Lineups:
South Africa:
West Indies:
Janneman Malan
Kraigg Brathwaite
Dean Elgar
Rajendra Chandrika
Faf du Plessis
Shimron Hetmyer
Quinton de Kock
Shane Dowrich
Aiden Markram
Shai Hope
Kyle Verreynne
Roston Chase
Delano Potgieter
Nicholas Pooran
Vernon Philander
: Gudakesh Motie
Keshav Maharaj
Miguel Cummins
Anrich Nortje
Devendra Bishoo
Dale Steyn
Shannon Gabriel
One change for South Africa: Delano Potgieter comes in for Zubayr Hamza to bring a fifth bowling option. Several others (particularily Rabada and Jansen) can count themselves unfortunate. Their day will come, likely very soon with Philander and Steyn being 36 and 37. As for West Indies, I wouldn't have blamed Kemar Roach for that loss, but sure.
Brathwaite chose to bat first, although I'm not sure why after what happened last time. Brathwaite settled in to being defensive while Chandrika played a few good shots. However, like the first innings, the bowler he targeted got his wicket- this time Anrich Nortje, who would be very relieved to see his 130 average be halved. The Windies lunched at 1/72 and then immediately lost Hetmyer. The issue was, West Indies had a plan- don't get out. Brathwaite was third out, in the 78th over for 79, and the team tally was just 173. They kept grinding though and this had three effects. First, all of the South Africans bowled 25 overs or more barring the part timer Dean Elgar. Second, Shane Dowrich made his fifth Test hundred, but took 300 balls. And third, a lower order collapse of 5/34 hurt significantly.
Thanks to Nortje and Potgieter, momentum was with South Africa. Elgar couldn't really keep it going, out an over after tea, but Faf du Plessis and Janneman Malan then batted a similar amount of time to Brathwaite and Pooran last game. The difference was they scored runs, and by the time Faf was out for 90 five minutes before lunch on the third day, Janneman was on 123, the partnership on 204 and the score on 233. de Kock failed, but the thoroughly settled Malan and Markram in a new wave of form at five added over 100 more runs before Malan was stumped for 207 (350). Markram made 80, but while the South Africans lost 6/52, this had less of an effect as they were already almost 50 runs ahead of the West Indians.
Steyn delivered a massive blow in the seventh over, trapping Brathwaite LBW. He had also removed Hetmyer before his spell was over, and while Chandrika and Dowrich bedded in, Chandrika's dismissal left WI 3/58 in the 30th over. That meant acceleration was needed, but in the next 20 overs, while they scored 75 runs, Hope and Chase got out. The Windies kept scrapping towards a good total or a draw, and helped substantially by some tight but unpenetrative bowling from everyone not named Dale or Anrich, they set a marginally higher target than last game.
199 on a turning pitch wouldn't be easy though, particularily in 1 and a half sessions and following the dismissals of Elgar for 20 and du Plessis for 6, South Africa were maybe under the pump for the first time at 2/57. QDK came out, hit his first ball for 6 and then scored 8 (37), but he seemed to get Janneman Malan going. Malan went on to make 73, and the test was drawn. MOTM went to Janneman Malan.
Player of the Series:
1st: Vernon Philander- Not a great series with the bat but 11 wickets at 17 is almost a career best at 36.
2nd: Janneman Malan- A breakout at Test level for the South African Player of the Year, maybe he's now a complete player.
3rd: Dale Steyn- The evergreen quick took 9 wickets at 23.
The Race for the Mike Proctor Trophy
V Philander- 3
J Malan- 3
D Elgar- 1
D Steyn- 1
C Morris- 1
A Nortje- 1
T Bavuma- 1
B Fortuin- 1
Two changes, and they come at the cost of the two of the SL series. Smith and Dry (who got a CPL contract and flattered to decieve) dropped for the impressive-this-year Mulder and Beuran.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Faf du Plessis 
