Category: Bylines

It was painful to watch the Proteas slump to yet another defeat. After cussing AB for what must rate as one of the silliest ways to get out, I wondered if perhaps a visit to the sangoma by upper echelons of South African cricket had yielded some undesired effects. Dressing room muti gone wrong?

There is just no way we can naturally be this useless. Like sluggish automatons, we just cannot seem to put a more virile approach to our batting. We’ve been woeful this tournament. Sure, our bowling hasn’t been brilliant. Langeveldt and Steyn are head and shoulders above the rest of the attack but our batting line up should be backing themselves to go after any score. Instead, we slur and stutter and slither away cowardly. After the first defeat to India, we put on our characteristically South African smiles beamed the hope of the nation and reassuringly told each other that we could only improve from that. Instead, we’ve managed only a victory against lowly Afghanistan and another against New Zealand.

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I take issue with reports of the Proteas first match in T20 World Cup that claim the Proteas were altogether out played by India. Were they watching the same match? Yes, we were beaten but to describe it as an entirely one-sided affair is ludicrous.

We can actually take some encouragement from the match. India took the game away from us in two periods, Yuvraj and Raina’s partnership and our openers overly cautious beginning. Loots Bosman seemed to struggle with the sluggish pitch and could not adjust himself. Suresh Riana conversely, struggled early on to get the ball away but once he played himself in, he put on an awe-inspiring batting display. His 100, brought up emphatically with a six off Albie Morkel, has made him the first Indian to score a century in international T20 cricket. With Gambhir out through illness and Sehwag out through injury, Raina assuaged any doubts about the inexperienced Indian upper order. (Read more)

When I told a friend I was watching New Zealand take on Sri Lanka in the inaugural T20 World Cup match, he looked away in disgust. New Zealand, claims my friend, are a chore to watch. He’d much rather watch his Mac put through a crusher, take a holiday in Witbank, or watch Bangladesh volunteer to a whipping. ‘New Zealand playing T20 cricket translates to a dull team attempting an exciting game,’ he insisted. (Read more)

Makhaya Ntini turned back the hands of time as he rocked the Warriors into the final of the Standard Bank Pro 20 Competition. The Warriors, defending a meagre 121 under lights, flexed their bowling muscle and Ntini was their leading act.

Ntini’s figures were an impressive two for 12 off four overs with a maiden. The Cobras were ultimately restricted to 111 for six as they battled to find the boundary consistently enough. (Read more)