Proteas’ prolific Test summer: Six takeaways

The Proteas have enjoyed a bumper last few months of Test cricket, winning series in Bangladesh and at home against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. They have in the process qualified to play in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June, against Australia.

These are six big takeaways from the winning summer of Test cricket.

Temba Bavuma stands tall as team leader

While there have been many grumblings over the years about Bavuma and his place in the SA cricket team, mainly in the limited overs sides, there is no doubt about his stature as a Test player and the captain of the team.

The skipper returned from injury (after missing the Bangladesh series) with a big bang, scoring plenty of runs and leading the team brilliantly.

There is no question about him being the Test team’s best and most consistent batter and long may his form continue.

Kyle Verreynne cements spot as wicket-keeper

It’s debatable whether there were question marks around Kyle Verreynne’s selection some time ago, but the Western Province man has proved again this summer that he is an outstanding replacement for Quinton de Kock.

Not only has his keeping been really good, but as a lower-order batter he has scored plenty of runs – two centuries in fact – on different pitches, to show he has a long future ahead of him in this Test team.

He also scores quickly and is very reliable, all things you want from your wicket-keeper, who nowadays needs to be a frontline batter, too, which Verreynne is.

Kagiso Rabada is SA’s premier bowler by a mile

In the last few months Kagiso Rabada went past the 300-wicket mark in Test cricket and he has raced to an incredible 327 dismissals, and there seems to be no stopping him.

He has featured prominently in the wickets taken column in just about every innings he has bowled in during the last three series, and he has led the attack with distinction.

And he’s also shown in recent times that with a little more application he can hold his own as a batter way down the order; his knock in Centurion key in helping the Proteas win the first Test against Pakistan.

All-rounder options

The Proteas had struggled for a long time to find a genuine all-rounder to play at six, seven or eight, but several players have stepped up in recent times as candidates to fulfil the role.

Wiaan Mulder scored a century and took wickets in Bangladesh, and most recently Marco Jansen has been outstanding with bat and ball, taking several wickets and scoring important runs.

And let’s not forget just how brilliantly Corbin Bosch performed in Centurion, by taking wickets and scoring crucial runs lower down the order.

Keshav Maharaj in a class of his own

South Africa’s premier spin bowler, Maharaj has enjoyed a dream summer and must now rank as one of the top spinners in the game.

He has taken plenty of wickets on all sorts of pitches, from the sub-continent to the highveld to the coast, with his name also featuring prominently in all the wickets taken columns. There is not a Test nowadays that he doesn’t play a big role in.

And, let’s not forget the important knocks he’s played at times down the order as well.

Player depth

The one thing that has made the Springboks so good is their depth. And now the Proteas, thanks to some wise selections by coach Shukri Conrad, also have wonderful depth.

Ryan Rickelton can bat anywhere in the top six, Kyle Verreynne and David Bedingham also seem comfortable moving up and down the order, and Tristan Stubbs, too. The depth among the all-rounders has already been mentioned, while among the bowlers there are plenty of options, too.

Besides Maharaj, other spinners in the mix include Dane Piedt and Senuran Muthusamy, while fast bowlers who’ve been injured include Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi and Nandre Burger.

Veteran seamer Dane Paterson has been a revelation this summer, while the emergence of 19-year-old Kwena Maphaka gives the team more options going forward.