Proteas show adaptability with the batting order, flop with the ball

As the kids would say: “what was that, even”?

If you were watching South Africa and England square off in the World T20 in Mumbai on Friday night, you would have been forgiven for thinking you were watching highlights. So exceptional was the batting and so completely foul was the bowling. And, just for good measure, England very nearly out-South Africa’d South Africa in the final over with two wickets in two balls to, for a mere few moments, look like they might just pull off an extraordinary act of autoerotic asphyxiation.

In the end, England chased 230 with two balls to spare in what will almost certainly go down as one of the most ridiculous chases in T20 cricket.

Both teams will have serious question marks hanging over the heads of their bowlers. After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, largely because over concern about the dew later on, England’s bowlers looked wayward and South Africa made them look amateur.

But whatever England’s bowlers could do badly, South Africa did worse.

Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn and Kyle Abbott conceded over 50 runs in the first three overs and while there was little assistance in the deck, the seeming lack of plan B, C or any plan whatsoever, cost them.

As exceptional as Joe Root’s 83 off 44 for was, South Africa’s bowling cannot be excused for conceding 20 wides and 26 extras. Ten of those were “five wides” off one ball, but even so, on a deck as flat as this one, any extra balls gifted to the batsmen is simply unforgivable.

Most staggering of all, perhaps, was that Imran Tahir was not brought into the attack until the sixth over. Logic might dictate that it was to protect him during the Powerplay, but even with the fielding restrictions, it would have taken some of the worst bowling of his career to do worse than the quicks. In the end, England made a high chase look exceptionally easy and even with all the absurdity of modern-day cricket into account, and South africa now have to win their next three fixtures if they want to get through to the semi-finals.

If you’re reaching for the positives, though, there’s this: Before the start of the WorldT20, South Africa seemed insistent on the fact that there simply was no room for Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers in the same team. Then, all three of them scored so many runs that not even the selectors who refused to pick an actual opener for the Test team over the could ignore them.

On Friday against England, the trio obliterated England’s woeful bowling with Amla and De Kock combining for a 96-run opening stand and De Villiers adding 16 off eight. JP Duminy with 54 off 28 and David Miller with 28 off 12 added to the 229-run total. That they are willing to adapt the batting order according to conditions at least shows that there is an inkling of adaptability in the side. They’ll need it to bounce back from this defeat.