Rilee Rossouw of South Africa. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
It was so nice to have a team take part in a full cricket tour of South Africa, so thank you West Indies for visiting our shores. It was great having you.
And what an intriguing tour it was. What is clear is that the West Indies are much better suited to limited overs cricket than the Test format.
The Proteas were comfortable and easy 2-0 winners in the Test series, but it was another matter in the ODIs where the series was drawn after a rained-out game, while the T20 series was won 2-1 by the tourists.
And while the Proteas show good signs in all three formats and played some fine cricket at times, I am irritated that they didn’t win the T20 series.
The West Indies won the rain-affected first match, the Proteas hit back with a record-run chase to win the second game and then just when it looked like the home team were going to also win the third game, and the series, they went and lost it.
Chasing 221 to win, the Proteas were well set with Reeza Hendricks and Rilee Rossouw at the crease but when hot-and-cold Rossouw got out, the Proteas lost their way to end up eight runs short.
I know Rossouw can be great and dominant, and is a potential match-winner, but I feel he’s too wild and doesn’t think about the situation in a game often enough. He goes big all the time and does so too frequently and needs to be spoken to by coach Rob Walter.
In the decisive T20, if Rossouw had just shown some patience and knuckled down and been smart in the way he played I believe the Proteas would have reached their target. Scoring 42 off 21 is great, but 80 off 50 is better.
Well done to Hendricks though; wow, he’s batted well and has now proved he is a MUST every time the Proteas play in the limited overs arena. But then we all knew that last year already … he was the Proteas’ most in-form batter at the T20 World Cup but sat on the sidelines. Shame on the selectors and the coach!
Well, what now Tuks?
Who would have thought the mighty University of Pretoria rugby team would be relegated from the Varsity Cup competition – a title they’ve won five times and are considered among the favourites for at the start of every competition.
Well, it’s happened. After failing to win a game this year Tuks will play Varsity Shield rugby in 2024. Good luck and enjoy it boys. It’ll be something different and new, and like they say, a change is as good as a holiday.
I might be jumping the gun here, but if South Africa’s rugby teams endure a poor weekend — something that’s happened more than once this season — it could mean the end of their European rugby challenge.
On Saturday, in the Challenge Cup, the Cheetahs face Toulon in France and the Lions host mighty Racing 92 in Joburg, while in the Champions Cup, the Sharks host Munster in Durban, the Stormers face Harlequins in Cape Town and on Sunday the Bulls face Toulouse in France.
None of the above matches are easy games and after the weekend we’ll all know a lot better what the strength really is of our best and strongest franchises compared to some of the best in Europe.
Good luck men, you’re going to need it.
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