Nicky Boje is statistically South Africa’s most successful spinner in Sri Lanka. Exactly a quarter of his 100 test wickets came in Colombo, Galle and Kandy. Almost never afforded the services of a fellow specialist spinner, Boje went at it alone, three times, in 2000, 2004 and 2006.
Eight years later, the Proteas have heeded the warnings of the past. Dane Piedt and Imran Tahir will be at the fore of the correction, while the burgeoning role of JP Duminy will certainly offer a lot more than the part-time trundle of Ashwell Prince, Jacques Rudolph – and even Daryl Cullinan – of yesteryear.
“The days when I played, when we went over to the sub-continent, I was the only spinner. At least now we have Tahir and Piedt together – and a guy like Duminy who can do a role with the ball. At least two of them are going to play in the team, compared to the old days, when it was just one spinner against three or four opposition spinners,” Boje told supersport.com.
“As a spin bowler, working out the conditions is key. Sometimes the ball does not turn as much as you think. It’s key to work out at what pace you want to bowl. It all depends on what type of role you are playing too. If you are more in the defensive mode, or the captain wants the spinner to be more defensive at certain stages, then you have to fit in.
“Dane will have to quickly work out what pace he wants to bowl on those wickets. Yes, you think the sub-continent wickets will turn but sometimes they don’t spin that much. They are certainly low wickets. Our wickets in South Africa don’t turn that much, but they produce extra bounce.”
Andrew Hudson and fellow national selectors have been quick to reward superb form at domestic level since the turn of the decade. Vernon Philander and Rory Kleinveldt – and more recently Stiaan van Zyl and Piedt typify this. The latter was prolific across the 2013-2014 season, snaring 55 first-class wickets in 10 matches at a remarkable average of 18.52 – in conditions not consistently conducive to turn.
KEEN TO LEARN
“The main thing with Piedt is that he had a successful season for the Cobras. It was his first full season, really, as the Cobras’ No 1 spinner. He has been with me to the sub-continent twice, as part of the High Performance squad’s spinning camp. He is a talented guy, he has a lot of variations – and is keen to learn. I think it is well deserved, that he got picked, for the season that he had,” added Boje.
“He is still a young spinner in terms of games played and overs bowled. But the selectors have recognised him for doing well at provincial level. He is a good pick for the future.”
While the new caps will step into a test era void of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis, Boje’s provincial teammates – Dean Elgar and Ryan McLaren – have been pinpointed as potential replacements. McLaren’s talents remain affixed to the ODI unit, at least until the West Indies visit South Africa at the end of the year, but Elgar will be charged with partnering Alviro Petersen.
By no means a like-for-like successor, the diminutive left-hander will at least be afforded an extended run at the top of the knock, rather than questioning his future in the middle order.
“Dean will get a decent go now. It is sometimes difficult when you get picked for South Africa and you are almost fighting every game to keep your place in the side. Now he will have the chance to grow into that opening position. He has got a very good cricket brain, he is a hard worker, a very gutsy player. That’s the type of player you need at the top of the order, facing the new ball and getting through the tough periods,” enthused Boje.
“Ryan is a quality allrounder. Sometimes a guy like Ryan almost needs to find out about his own game. He probably needs to see what his role is about too – is he more a batting allrounder or is he more of a bowling allrounder? He is always going to give you a 120 percent regardless. He will never let you down. He is always a guy who is going to perform well under tough conditions.”
KALLIS MUST PLAY
Meanwhile, Kallis’ quest to prolong his limited-overs career by retiring from test match competition is not going according to plan. The languid recipient of a mere five runs in three innings in the recent three-ODI series against Sri Lanka – and unable to bowl due to a back injury – the veteran’s bid for a 2015 World Cup berth is waning.
“Kallis must play in the World Cup, regardless. He hasn’t played much ODI cricket in the last couple of years. But if you look at the gap he has left in the test side, it just shows what a massive player he is. If Jacques is still fit and still keen to bowl – and he still wants to play ODI cricket – he is definitely the No 1 pick in the ODI team,” insisted Boje.
The Proteas will face characteristically staunch opposition from talismanic duo Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene this month.
Both brimming with confidence on the back of June’s test series victory in the United Kingdom and eager to succeed at venues primed for plenty of runs, the pair will remember fondly their mammoth 624-run alliance amassed against the South Africans at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo in July 2006. Boje, churning out a tiring 65 overs without reward, witnessed almost every delivery of that mega partnership.
“Jayawardene and Sangakkara, those two are just quality players. They’ve just shown they can do it anywhere in the world, they’re not just quality sub-continent players. South Africa, of course, will have to make sure Jayawardene and Sangakkara don’t get big scores,” he said.
Gone are the days, though, of countless hours in the sub-continental humidity. Nowadays, Boje spends his time investing in the future of the game – and playing the odd match. Having retired from the international game in 2006, the stalwart allrounder is still a pivotal cog in franchise cricket’s future – if not on the field, then behind the scenes.
“I’m not sure how much cricket I am going to play. I am the head coach of the Free State Cricket Academy, so I am putting more time into the coaching side of things at the moment – and also just doing some work with Cricket South Africa and the High Performance squad. But, no, I haven’t officially retired from first-class cricket. It all depends, a couple of injuries here and there, maybe I will get a couple of games,” he concluded.
