Cricketers, they say, hunt in pairs. Be it the deadly Waqar-Wasim combo or the smashing Gilchrist-Hayden duo, it has often been a case of ‘double trouble’ for the opposition in this unpredictable game. And after their performance againt the West Indies, chances are that the new South African openers Graeme Smith and A B de Villers can be on the list of dangerous opening pairs in the future. The recently concluded Test series against Caribbean nation saw them plundering three century partnerships in succession, which played a major role in Proteas clinching the series. Smith, who’s had an on and off time with the bat especially since taking on the burdensome job of captaincy, was consistency personified with three tons in the four match series and deservedly ended up picking the Man of the Series trophy. More importantly though, South Africa had won the series after almost going down to a depleted West Indies side in the first Test when the top Caribbean stars were unavailable for selection due to a contract dispute.
The series also saw the emergence of a young 21-year-old named Abraham de Villers who seems poised to take over the hot that was left vacant post Gary Kirsten’s retirement. The openers of any team play a big part in the team’s overall success. It is no coincidence that sides dominating world cricket for a reasonable amount of time have had a great opening pair. Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge were pivotal for their side for over a decade. Though the fast bowlers were considered the main raison d'être why West Indies did so well in 70’s and 80’s, the contribution of Haynes and Greenidge has never be underestimated. Even Australia’s prolonged run of wins in Test cricket has come in a period where first Taylor and Slater and now Hayden and Langer have scored heavily in tandem. So the emergence of Smith and de Villers as a successful opening pair is an extremely healthy sign for the future of South African cricket.
Like Smith, de Villers also scored heavily in the series and except for the first two Tests where he had a problem with deliveries short outside the off-stump, was the cynosure of all eyes in the South African dressing room. The talented youngster bludgeoned two centuries and impressed on and all with his stroke play, especially his square drive on the off-side. The West Indies bowlers also helped him providing him the width needed and bowling too many no balls- one from Reon King crashed into his stumps but he could do nothing except being frustrated.
The debate as to why Gibbs was replaced from the opening slot should now be put to rest with the arrival of de Villers. Gibbs and Smith shared three triple century partnerships during their tenure together at the top- a marvellous feat. But the fact remains that their partnership at the top of the order did not translate into too many victories. When Gibbs skipped the tour of India fearing arrest for his role in the match fixing scandal, the Proteas experimented by pushing the versatile Andrew Hall up the order. And he succeeded in a big way on that tour. But that was always going to be a stopgap arrangement as Hall was by no means a full-fledged opener. True, it can be argued that Sehwag is also the same. But players like the Nawab of Najafgarh come once in a generation and with all due respect to Hall’s batting ability, he his no where as near talented as our Delhi lad. Even India have tried opening with middle and lower order batsmen like VVS Laxman and Sanjay Bangar only to ruin their careers in the process.
Coming back to the South African opening woes, while Smith kept getting the big ones, he also had a string of low scores last year. Gibbs, on the other hand, was struggling in the one-day format and subsequently was pushed down in the order in the longer version too, which gave de Villers an opportunity to prove his mettle. Although he did not get big scores in the series against England, there were enough signs to prove that here was some one who could serve his country for long. And then came the big series against West Indies, which saw de Villers display his talent to the whole world on the big stage.
After throwing his wicket away in the first few innings, he saw the Proteas through to victory in the second Test. With confidence gained, he then teamed up with skipper Smith to hammer the not so impressive Caribbean attack in the next two Tests. Their opening stands in the last two Tests makes for more than an impressive reading. Stands of 70, 117, 191, 245, 14 are numbers any team would vouch for with especially when you have someone as inexperienced as de Villers at the top of the order. With the emergence of de Villers, it is safe to assume that the hunt for a replacement to Kirsten is finally over unless there is a drastic loss of form in de Villers’ batting or the confidence of the West Indian tour goes to his head. It has happened to many players before him who were extremely talented. So it’s of utmost importance that De Villers guards against complacency. His knocks against the West Indians were brilliant ones no doubt. But he has to keep in mind that in today’s times, West Indies are the most depleted side among the top eight excluding Zimababwe and Bangladesh. His real Test will come when he takes on the likes of McGrath and Co.
Also De Villers himself is playing in a South African side that is not the force they once used to be in world cricket when they were considered the second best only behind Australia. But there are definite signs that this team is slowly but surely improving. After the Test series reverses against England they came back pretty well to conquer the one-day tournament. But their overall performance in the new millennium has been well below par. And this can be attributed to a couple of very vital factors, which changed the face of South African cricket. First and foremost came the Hansie Cronje scandal which still haunts the cricket world. Once the most respected guys in world cricket, Cronje had brought the game and his country to shame. And South African cricket was never the same after that. Shaun Pollock, who was supposed to be the future skipper, was thrust with the captaincy overnight. And it only led to more turmoil. The grand event of the World Cup was to be held in the Proteas’ nation for the first time. And all excepted South Africa to atleast make it to the final four. But as things turned out, they were knocked out due to a grave misinterpretation of the Duckworth Lewis format. The pathetic state of South African cricket was evident from the fact that a few days later Lance Klusener, who for the second consecutive World Cup found himself unbeaten but on the wrong side (remember the ’99 World Cup semi-final?), commented that he felt like quitting the game and going on a fishing spree. Also the retirement of Rhodes and Kirsten sometime later left a big void in the South African batting order, which still looks a bit fragile at times.
The series also saw the emergence of a young 21-year-old named Abraham de Villers who seems poised to take over the hot that was left vacant post Gary Kirsten’s retirement. The openers of any team play a big part in the team’s overall success. It is no coincidence that sides dominating world cricket for a reasonable amount of time have had a great opening pair. Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge were pivotal for their side for over a decade. Though the fast bowlers were considered the main raison d'être why West Indies did so well in 70’s and 80’s, the contribution of Haynes and Greenidge has never be underestimated. Even Australia’s prolonged run of wins in Test cricket has come in a period where first Taylor and Slater and now Hayden and Langer have scored heavily in tandem. So the emergence of Smith and de Villers as a successful opening pair is an extremely healthy sign for the future of South African cricket.
Like Smith, de Villers also scored heavily in the series and except for the first two Tests where he had a problem with deliveries short outside the off-stump, was the cynosure of all eyes in the South African dressing room. The talented youngster bludgeoned two centuries and impressed on and all with his stroke play, especially his square drive on the off-side. The West Indies bowlers also helped him providing him the width needed and bowling too many no balls- one from Reon King crashed into his stumps but he could do nothing except being frustrated.
The debate as to why Gibbs was replaced from the opening slot should now be put to rest with the arrival of de Villers. Gibbs and Smith shared three triple century partnerships during their tenure together at the top- a marvellous feat. But the fact remains that their partnership at the top of the order did not translate into too many victories. When Gibbs skipped the tour of India fearing arrest for his role in the match fixing scandal, the Proteas experimented by pushing the versatile Andrew Hall up the order. And he succeeded in a big way on that tour. But that was always going to be a stopgap arrangement as Hall was by no means a full-fledged opener. True, it can be argued that Sehwag is also the same. But players like the Nawab of Najafgarh come once in a generation and with all due respect to Hall’s batting ability, he his no where as near talented as our Delhi lad. Even India have tried opening with middle and lower order batsmen like VVS Laxman and Sanjay Bangar only to ruin their careers in the process.
Coming back to the South African opening woes, while Smith kept getting the big ones, he also had a string of low scores last year. Gibbs, on the other hand, was struggling in the one-day format and subsequently was pushed down in the order in the longer version too, which gave de Villers an opportunity to prove his mettle. Although he did not get big scores in the series against England, there were enough signs to prove that here was some one who could serve his country for long. And then came the big series against West Indies, which saw de Villers display his talent to the whole world on the big stage.
After throwing his wicket away in the first few innings, he saw the Proteas through to victory in the second Test. With confidence gained, he then teamed up with skipper Smith to hammer the not so impressive Caribbean attack in the next two Tests. Their opening stands in the last two Tests makes for more than an impressive reading. Stands of 70, 117, 191, 245, 14 are numbers any team would vouch for with especially when you have someone as inexperienced as de Villers at the top of the order. With the emergence of de Villers, it is safe to assume that the hunt for a replacement to Kirsten is finally over unless there is a drastic loss of form in de Villers’ batting or the confidence of the West Indian tour goes to his head. It has happened to many players before him who were extremely talented. So it’s of utmost importance that De Villers guards against complacency. His knocks against the West Indians were brilliant ones no doubt. But he has to keep in mind that in today’s times, West Indies are the most depleted side among the top eight excluding Zimababwe and Bangladesh. His real Test will come when he takes on the likes of McGrath and Co.
Also De Villers himself is playing in a South African side that is not the force they once used to be in world cricket when they were considered the second best only behind Australia. But there are definite signs that this team is slowly but surely improving. After the Test series reverses against England they came back pretty well to conquer the one-day tournament. But their overall performance in the new millennium has been well below par. And this can be attributed to a couple of very vital factors, which changed the face of South African cricket. First and foremost came the Hansie Cronje scandal which still haunts the cricket world. Once the most respected guys in world cricket, Cronje had brought the game and his country to shame. And South African cricket was never the same after that. Shaun Pollock, who was supposed to be the future skipper, was thrust with the captaincy overnight. And it only led to more turmoil. The grand event of the World Cup was to be held in the Proteas’ nation for the first time. And all excepted South Africa to atleast make it to the final four. But as things turned out, they were knocked out due to a grave misinterpretation of the Duckworth Lewis format. The pathetic state of South African cricket was evident from the fact that a few days later Lance Klusener, who for the second consecutive World Cup found himself unbeaten but on the wrong side (remember the ’99 World Cup semi-final?), commented that he felt like quitting the game and going on a fishing spree. Also the retirement of Rhodes and Kirsten sometime later left a big void in the South African batting order, which still looks a bit fragile at times.
Amidst all the ruins, Graeme Smith all of 22 years old and till then not a permanent fixture in the side, was asked to take over the mantle of leading the side from Shaun Pollock. Today almost two years down the line, he has partially transformed the team into a not so strong but competitive unit. The South Africans have now entered a phase in their rebuilding stage where they look like a team which can give most sides a run for their in the future as they gain more experience and confidence. And as the Proteas usher into a new era, their openers de Villers and Smith will play a pivotal role and in a big way determine the future of South African cricket.
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