The Proteas’ bowlers showed their inexperience and lack of form against a resilient Zimbabwean batting attack as the Zimbabwean took the second International Pro20 to the last over of the match. In the first Pro20 the Proteas’ fielding and bowling was described as sloppy, this time out the bowling at the death was diabolical.

Winning the toss and electing to bat Johan Botha’s men posted a menacing total of 194/6. Again Smith got off to a flying start and played the Zimbabwean bolwers all round the park with ease, he missed out on the opportunity to post a massive score as he top-edged  one off Taylor to be out for 46.

Again Collin Ingram failed, but JP Duminy took his opportunity and scored a personal best of 96* (54b 10×4 4×6). Duminy peppered the parking lot with some massive shots to become the highest scoring International Pro20 player for South Africa – the previous best was Loots Bosman’s 94.

The batting from South Africa was exemplary, unfortunately the same can’t be said about the bowling. Both Theron and more so Parnell folded under pressure towards the end of the inning, Parnell coughed up 19 runs in the penultimate over leaving Zimbabwe with 15 needed from the last over.

Johan Botha had a poor outing with the ball conceding 30 runs from 3 overs, Duminy bowled Botha’s fourth over and went for 17. More worrying was Peterson’s 36 from 4, the problem is the way they bowled, they seemed to lack the ability to vary their bowling and deal with the pressure.

Let me take a moment to mention Chamu Chibhabha who again scored a half century and Brendan Taylor coming back to score 59 after his duck in the first Pro20. Taylor complemented his impressive batting with a good showing with the ball, returning figures of 4o 16r 1w 4.0rr.

There is plenty of work to be done ahead of the World Cup, this game really illustrates the value of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis all of whom missed the game due to injury.

I was listing to Ravi Shastri debate on SuperSport this evening about South African’s problem with big match temperament (BMT), Ravi noted a few very interesting points.

He firstly noted that South Africa stick to ‘the book’ too often in the crunch games, what he was referring to was the batting order. Ravi feels that the South African team should promote their ‘big hitter’ up the order, so that he can take the pressure off the established batsmen. This would change things up a bit and put some doubt in the mind of the bowling attack.

That’s an interesting theory, backed by many comments that I’ve heard recently. Having been critical of Albie Morkel’s batting and bowling, many have said that it’s an unfair comment as Morkel has not been given the opportunity to establish himself up the order before he has to play big shots.

The other option as a big hitter goes is Roelof van der Merwe, but his batting is not mature enough in my opinion, perhaps Boucher could fill that role at number 4.

Ravi further noted that South Africa often lose their way when they field first, specifically when the opposition knocks up a decent total. He said that South Africa lose 90% of their games when they field first in tournaments, so off I went to CricInfo the greatest cricket statistics site on the internet, and this is what I found.

Since 1992:

• South Africa has played in 5 matches in tournament semi-finals where we have fielded first, we’ve lost 4 of those matches and tied 1.
• South Africa has played in 3 matches in tournament quarter-finals where we have fielded first, we’ve won 2 of those matches and lost 1.
• South Africa has played in 1 match in tournament final where we have fielded first, we won that 1 match.

In summary South Africa has played 9 finals (semi/quarter/final) matches, lost 5, won 3 and tied 1. If we consider the tie a loss (because you know Allan should have run!), then we’ve lost 66% of the finals that we’ve played in, batting second.

I agree mostly with Ravi Shastri’s perspective on the issue, the only problem that I have is that South Africa lost their place in the Champions Trophy 2009, due to poor bowling rather than their batting.

The stats don’t lie

Our batting statistics over the three games: 724 runs, from 128.5 overs, at an average of 5.63 per over. To put that in perspective if you bat at 5.63 per overs for 50 overs your total would be 281 runs.

Bowling: 856 runs, 147.5 overs, average of 5.8 per over. (5.80 per over X 50 overs =  290 runs)

If you look at the games we lost against Sri Lanka and England, we conceded 642 runs, from 100 overs, at an average 6.42 which is not acceptable. (6.42 per over X 50 overs = 320 runs)

Looking at our pace attack, Wayne Parnell was very expensive over the three games: 28 overs, 196 runs at an average of 7.0 per over. The problem is compounded by Albie Morkel’s expensive figures: 13 overs, 97 runs at an average of 7.46 per over. If your 6^th bowler is consistently expensive it then puts pressure on the other 5 to perform, but if your 6^th bowler is effective and economical then it becomes a strength for the captain to use.

Albie Morkel’s poor bowling, compounded by Parnell’s expensive run rate is why I would drop Morkel. As the stats show above our batting over the past three games was excellent, it’s the bowling that cost us.

We can spare a part-time batsman for a 5^th specialist bowler while we use Kallis as the 6^th.

South Africa needs Albie Morkel to sort out his bowling, or South African need to find the real replacement to fill the void left by Shaun Pollock.

South Africa has played two games in the Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Having lost one and won the next, South Africa’s destiny is in their hands. They face England at SuperSport Park Centurion this Sunday.

South Africa has chosen a team with four pace bowlers; Parnell, Steyn, Morkel and Kaills with two spinners; van der Merwe and Botha, Duminy has chipped in with the odd over here and there.

The South African selectors are going to change the team for the England contest, as Herschelle Gibbs will make his come back into the team after he sustained an injury in the warm up game against the West Indies. Who are they going to drop? I’d suggest that Morkel will get the boot, his bowling has been terrible and with Gibbs up the order we shouldn’t need Morkel’s batting lower down.

I have one major issue with Parnell at the moment; he’s simply far too expensive. Yes he’s the leading wicket taker at the moment, let’s be honest, the New Zealand batsmen pretty much got themselves out in the last game. Parnell has bowled a total of 18 overs for 136 runs, that’s 7.56 runs per over, those figures may be considered acceptable while he’s taking wickets, but what happens when he doesn’t take wickets and one of the other bowlers has an off day? Then we’ll get smashed like we did against Sri Lanka. Add to that when we drop Morkel the sixth bowler will be JP Duminy. Duminy can bowl a bit, but we can’t rely on three spinners in an ODI.

Parnell simply has to sort his economy rate out, we can’t afford to have a bowler going at 7.5 runs per over when you only have five specialist bowlers in the team. If Parnell continues with his expensive run rate, then the selectors will have to retain Morkel as the sixth bowler, which will see Hashim Amla missing out.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2009 kicks off today at SuperSport Park Centurion. Sri Lanka will take on the hosts South Africa.

There is some talk about there being some spin in the pitch which should see both teams fielding two spinners, in Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe for South Africa and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis for Sri Lanka. The inclusion of the second spin bowler will probably keep Wayne Parnell or Mhakaya Ntini out the side.It would be difficult to leave Parnell out, remember how he took Australia apart at the same ground a few months back?

The home ICC Champions Trophy is probably South African crickets best opportunity to win an ICC trophy, and shake the tag of ‘chokers’ and ‘nearly boys’.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday named a provisional squad of 20 players for the ICC Champions Trophy tournament to be held in South Africa in September.

The squad will be reduced to a final squad of 15 closer to the start of the tournament.

The squad consists of the 15 players who did duty in the ICC World Twenty20 in England in June plus, Hashim Amla, Charl Langeveldt, Makhaya Ntini, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Vaughn van Jaarsveld.

“It is a very good squad and it will be quite difficult to reduce it to the final 15,” commented selection convener Mike Procter. “Charl Langeveldt  is no longer a Kolpak player and is again available for selection. He has recently undergone shoulder surgery and we will have to see how well he comes through that.

“The news on Graeme Smith’s elbow surgery is extremely positive at this stage while Lonwabo Tsotsobe has made a good recovery from the knee surgery he had earlier in the year. We will be able to monitor his form as well as that of Vaughn van Jaarsveld on the Emerging Tour of Australia later this month.

“Hashim Amla, Herschelle Gibbs and Wayne Parnell are all playing county cricket at present but will return home in good time to prepare for the tournament.”

Proteas’ Standard Bank ODI squad: Graeme Smith (Nashua Cape Cobras, capt), Johan Botha (Chevrolet Warriors, vice-capt), Yusuf Abdulla (Nashua Dolphins), Hashim Amla (Nashua Dolphins), Mark Boucher (Chevrolet Warriors), AB de Villiers (Nashua Titans), JP Duminy (Nashua Cape Cobras), Herschelle Gibbs (Nashua Cape Cobras), Jacques Kallis (Chevrolet Warriors), Charl Langeveldt (Nashua Cape Cobras), Albie Morkel (Nashua Titans), Morne Morkel (Nashua Titans), Makhaya Ntini (Chevrolet Warriors), Justin Ontong (Nashua Cape Cobras), Wayne Parnell (Chevrolet Warriors), Robbie Peterson (Nashua Cape Cobras), Dale Steyn (Nashua Titans), Lonwabo Tsotsobe (Chevrolet Warriors), Roelof van der Merwe (Nashua Titans), Vaughn van Jaarsveld (bizhub Highveld Lions).

Johannesburg – Twelve months ago, Wayne Parnell was one of the members of the South African Cricket Academy, dreaming of earning a full-time spot in the Warriors franchise, with thoughts of playing for South Africa very much a dream for the future.

A year later, 19-year-old Parnell has a national contract with the South African cricket team – becoming the youngest player to be awarded a national contract.

He performed so well at the ICC World Twenty20 (T20) tournament in England that he was named part of the World Team selected by a panel of experts, beating out bowlers like last year’s ICC Cricketer of the Year Dale Steyn and Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga for the honour of opening the bowling with Pakistan’s Umar Gul.

Parnell was one of three South Africans named in the team, the others being veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis and explosive batsman AB de Villiers.

“I never dreamt things would happen so fast,” Parnell said on Tuesday. “A year ago, I was just working to play for the Warriors.”

Parnell first played for South Africa in Australia earlier this year. He played competently in Australia, but it was in the return series in South Africa that he really grabbed the headlines.

In the second one-day international (ODI) at Supersport Park in Centurion, he ripped through the Australian batting order, taking four wickets for 25 runs, and earned himself a place in the South African team for the World T20.

The lanky teenager is by far the youngest member of the national squad, but his achievements with the ball have resulted in him being accepted as a full member of the team.

“When I first played for South Africa, I felt a bit of an outsider,” he said. “But once I started taking wickets for South Africa, the others made me feel really welcome, and I now feel I belong there.”

At present, Parnell is happy just to be part of the limited overs team, although his ultimate goal is to play Test cricket for South Africa.

One thing Parnell has achieved in his brief spell in international cricket is that he has helped coach Mickey Arthur solve the problem of “death” bowlers.

“This was one of the biggest positives to come out of our campaign,” commented Arthur.

“The way Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell closed both the West Indies and Pakistan down in the last four overs of what were very tight matches was very encouraging. Looking ahead to the Champions’ Trophy these two look to have solved one of our few problem areas.”

Although he is better known as a bowler, Parnell is also an outstanding batsman and he hopes to establish himself as an all-rounder.

“I really enjoy batting – when I played for Kent, before the World T20, I made 69 in one match and 90 in the other – and I definitely want to do more with the bat. So far, I haven’t really had the opportunity to show what I can do, but I’m sure the time will come.

“Ideally, I would like to bat at number seven or eight for South Africa, and also for the Warriors.”

Source: News24

I’ve watched almost every game that has been played in the ICC World Twenty20 and have noticed a few things.

Don’t break the flow of the game

The IPL can learn from this competition, the introduction of the ‘strategic break’ in IPL 2 was absolutely ridiculous. The break did exactly that “break” the flow of the game; the commentators started talking about the effects of the eleventh over in the IPL.

In this ICC World Twenty20 there have been no breaks, the game has flowed and the scores have been much higher, which the cricket fans love.

There is still place for an elegant cover drive in Twenty20 cricket

My second observation that I’d like to discuss is that batsmen can still play a cover drive in Twenty20 cricket. Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis in particular have played good cricket strokes in this ICC World Twenty20, and it’s worked.  Jacques is currently the leading run scorer in the competition with 147 runs in four innings with a strike rate of 129.85.

It hasn’t been often that you’ve seen Jacques play a shot in anger over the past few weeks. And when he has played the big shot it’s been with control. The same can be said about AB de Villiers, this man is pure class and he’s managed to bring that class and batting elegance from test cricket into the Twenty20.

The players who have struggled have been the guys trying to smash the ball out the park from ball one, Albie Morkel, Herschelle Gibbs and Mark Boucher.

Taking the pace off the ball

Having the ability to take the pace off the ball without being hit out the park, is possibly the greatest asset any team can have. Seven of the ten most economical bowlers in the competition are spin bowlers.

If you have a decent pace attack that can be backed up by your spinners then you’re going to do very well in Twenty20 cricket. Look at the South African team, we have great opening bowlers in Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell, as soon as they come off we have Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe to build the pressure on the batsmen which then allows for the part timers to take wicket as the batsmen now need to up the run rate.

My last observation: if you have Wayne Parnell in your team, you are going to win the ICC World Twenty20

Statistic were taken from CricInfo, as of Monday June 15 @ 15H50

Kent have signed South Africa international fast bowler Wayne Parnell as their overseas player for 2009, initially for a six-week period.

The 19-year-old left-armer is expected to arrive in England on Saturday.

He could be in the Spitfires’ side for Sunday’s Friends Provident Trophy opener against Somerset in Taunton.

Kent chairman of cricket Graham Johnson said: “Coach Graham Ford has seen him in action in recent weeks and believes he will do a fantastic job for us.”

Parnell comes to Kent in place of Stuart Clark, who was recalled by Australia earlier this month.

Kent coach Simon Willis told BBC Radio Kent: “He is keen to come over and play. He’s a young, energetic individual and we hope he’s going to bring a lot to the dressing room.

We’re very excited about this signing and looking forward to him joining us as soon as possible

Kent coach Simon Willis

“He bowls at 145 km per hour and there’s not many guys in the world who can do that.

“We’re very excited about this signing and looking forward to him joining us as soon as possible.”

Nicknamed ‘Pigeon’ or ‘Parny’, Parnell has played only 11 first-class games for his native Eastern Province Warriors side, taking 27 wickets at an average of 33.25.

In his four one-day international appearances to date for the Proteas, he has claimed six wickets at an average of 31 with a strike-rate of a wicket every 36 deliveries. His career-best with the bat is an unbeaten 26.

His last international appearance was on 13 April, when he played against Australia at his home ground in Port Elizabeth.

Source

His heroics in the test series against Australia resulted in a bid of R9,5-million being tabled for JP Duminy in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

His South African teammate, Wayne Parnell, should also be a red-hot buy after his excellent performance in the second one-day international against Australia.

South Africans, who know the local conditions, will be sought-after in the IPL after the tournament was moved to South Africa.

Yusuf Abdulla is the most recent South African to be snapped up. He was approached by the Kings XI Punjab after West Indian seamer Jerome Taylor was injured in an auto accident.

Charl Langeveldt also joined the Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday. He replaces injured Australian Mark Cameron. The Knight Riders had enquired about CJ de Villiers, but opted for the more experienced Langeveldt.

Nineteen-year-old Parnell should top the shopping list after his 4/25 should any more players be injured or withdraw for other reasons.

Other South Africans that will be involved in the IPL for the first time are Tyron Henderson (Rajasthan Royals), Morné Morkel (Rajasthan Royals), Dillon du Preez (Bangalore Royal Challengers), Ryan McLaren (Mumbai Indians), Roelof van der Merwe (Bangalore Royal Challengers) and Morné van Wyk (Kolkata Knight Riders).

The IPL tournament starts on April 18.

Source: SuperSport

Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Tuesday that it had decided to award a national contract to Standard Bank ODI squad member Wayne Parnell. He is the 17th player to be awarded a contract in the current cycle which runs from May 1, 2009, to April 30, 2010. He made his international debut in both Pro20 and ODI international cricket during the tour of Australia and is currently with the Standard Bank squad preparing for the first MTN ODI against Australia on Friday at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead in Durban.

“At 19 years old, Wayne Parnell is the youngest player to be awarded a CSA contract and there are very good reasons for this,” commented CSA CEO Gerald Majola.

“Wayne has come through the CSA structures since he played Bakers Mini Cricket as a 10-year-old, and has always shown that he is capable of converting his considerable talent into results.

“Last season, he led the SA U19 team to the finals of the ICC U19 World Cup and was one of the best players at the tournament.

“He has continued to impress since being included in the Proteas’ ranks this season. His fast left-arm swing bowling, very useful lower-order batting and excellent temperament will make him a Proteas’ asset for years to come”.

National selection chief Mike Procter was equally enthusiastic about the left-handed all-rounder.

“We have identified Wayne as one for the future,” commented Procter, “and I have been absolutely delighted with the progress he has made in the very short time he has been with the Proteas. The more he is involved with the various national squads the more it will benefit his game in the long term.”

Parnell said it was a “very great honour” to be awarded a national contract at this stage of his career.

“I was still at school 15 months ago and, although I have always had ambitions of playing for South Africa somewhere down the line, I never imagined that it could happen so quickly.

“I am deeply indebted to Ashwell Prince and Robbie Peterson for the help they have given me at the Chevrolet Warriors to get my professional career off to a sound start.

“I am also very grateful for the advice I get in the national set-up from Graeme Smith, Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis. They are players whom I always looked up to as a youngster.

“Since I have been part of the Proteas’ squad, Vinnie Barnes has also helped me a lot with my bowling,” he added.

Looking ahead to Friday’s game Parnell said the Australians were always tough opponents but he felt that home ground advantage would help. “When we were in Australia we felt that we weren’t just playing the Australian team but the whole of Australia.”