Proteas fast bowling needs urgent repair as Marnus makes merry again

Having built a strategy for the World Cup, that relies on pace bowling, the Proteas face three weeks of hard labour to get that area of their game fixed before heading to India. 

The opening week and a half of the international season has been a struggle for all the bowlers, with the first two ODIs in Bloemfontein featuring poor execution and alarming inconsistency. 

Yesterday Australia notched up 392/8 — their second highest ODI total against South Africa — to claim a comfortable 123-run victory that sees them take a 2-0 lead in the five match series.

There were hundreds for David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne, who were able to take advantage of bowling that lacked accuracy and control. Warner and his opening partner Travis Head were allowed to get off to a flying start, scoring 102 runs in the opening 10-over power play with 88 of those coming in boundaries (16x4, 4x6). 

Temba Bavuma was understandably bemused given he had set a strong offside field, and then watched as his new ball bowlers Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada served up a surfeit of half-volleys, either too wide off the off stump or too straight. 

The Australian openers, dined out in the manner of a pair of famished locals at one of the boerewors stands that surround the Mangaung Oval. 

What was most disconcerting from the home team’s bowlers was the failure to adhere to the basic tenets of control of length and particularly line.

Too often, Australia’s batters were allowed room to free their arms, while a better reading of conditions would have made it clear that bowling short wasn’t an option, but they, nevertheless, offered freebies to the tourists in that category as well. 

There was added confusion about the composition of the attack for yesterday’s match. With Sisanda Magala still not match ready after suffering with a knee injury, Proteas selectors called Andile Phehlukwayo into the squad as cover. Strangely the 27-year-old was given a starting berth, even though he is not in the World Cup squad. 

It would have made more sense for either Lungi Ngidi or Gerald Coetzee to start. Ngidi could argue he needs a break, having played all of the T20s and the first ODI, but Coetzee, who’s played just three ODIs, needs as much match time as possible before he steps on the plane for India. 

The news that Anrich Nortje, playing in his first match of the series, needed treatment for back spasms after bowling only five overs, would not have helped the mood in the home team’s changeroom. 

Although there was a slight recovery in the last 10 overs, when they picked up five wickets, it felt like too little too late, and only wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi with 4/61 could hold his end high as the Proteas left the field.

Bavuma and Quinton de Kock delivered an explosive start to the home team’s innings with a stand of 81 in nine overs, but Australia’s bowlers were never going to keep giving gifts in the manner of their opponents. 

With the series on the line in Potchefstroom on Tuesday, the Proteas fast bowlers need to recapture their mojo quickly.