Domestic cricket has come under intense scrutiny after the Proteas’ 2-1 series loss to England. Prasanna Agoram argues the scrutiny’s unjustified though it did highlight the importance of preparation as the Proteas focus on their next task, a Test series in Australia in December, writes Ongama Gcwabe.

Is the scrutiny of domestic cricket justified?

The series loss to England prompted many comments on the drop in standard of South Africa’s domestic cricket and how it is allegedly the root cause of the loss to England. The poor performances from our batters have been somehow traced back to ‘poor bowling standards’ in domestic cricket.

“The easiest thing to do is to find excuses when the team losses a series. I don’t think anyone was talking about the standard of domestic cricket when we won the first Test by an innings at Lord’s. The moment we lost the following two Tests then came the scrutiny,” Agoram said.

“It makes me laugh seeing people question the standard of bowlers in domestic cricket because it is really not to be questioned to be honest with you. I have ball-by-ball data of the 4-Day games from last season and I can tell you that as far as talent is concerned, we are in safe hands.” He added.

South Africa has produced some excellent bowlers recently. Marco Jansen is one example. He was called up to the Test side last December following excellent returns in domestic cricket. The same domestic cricket that is supposedly full of average bowlers who don’t prepare our batters well enough for Test cricket.

“If you look at the Lions, there are three international bowlers in Duanne Olivier, Lutho Sipamla and Sisanda Magala. You look at the Titans, they have Corbin Bosch who’s making waves in the global leagues. They have Simon Harmer and Lizaad Williams who both played Test cricket last summer. At Western Province there’s Beuran Hendricks, Wayne Parnell, Nandre Burger and Tshepo Moreki,” said Agoram.

“At the Dolphins they have the quick Daryn Dupavillon and Ottneil Baartman. I can name more names that are exciting in the domestic system. I fail to understand on what basis people are saying domestic cricket is poor.

“I said it before, the challenge in the SA batting department is the lack of experience. There’s just a lot of talent coming through from the domestic system and I can’t see why anyone would question the system when it keeps producing quality cricketers. Perhaps the question I should be asking is whether people follow and watch domestic cricket because it seems we are not talking about the same system here.”

The importance of preparation ahead of the Australia Test tour

The England Test series has exposed a weak spot in the Proteas side. Opposition teams, with Australia being next in line, know exactly where to land a punch that’ll hurt South Africa the most – the struggling and inexperienced middle-order.

The Proteas have 2-to-3 months to prepare for the Test series, at least the majority of our Test batters. Seven of the batters who were involved in the England series will not be a part of the T20 World Cup. That means they will be available for the start of the South African season and most importantly, the start of the 4-Day competition on November 10th.

“If we are going to protect our 18-year-long winning record in Australia, we need to prepare very well and very soon,” said Agoram.

The Proteas have enjoyed an 18-year period of dominating Australia in Australia having last lost a Test series Down Under in 2005. They won 2-1 in 2008, 1-0 in 2012 and 2-1 in 2016.

They’ve also dominated Australia in South Africa having last lost a series in 2014. Most recently, the Proteas crushed Australia 3-1 in 2018 and left Australia a broken team in so many ways.

The memories of that 2018 tour will motivate the Australians to want to return the favour come December when they host us for a three-match Test series. After all, there’s a World Test Championship Final spot to secure.

The winner of this series will undoubtedly book themselves a spot to go to the Home of cricket in June 2023.

Australia have the best opportunity to get one over South Africa given the inexperience and low confidence in the side after an embarrassing series loss at the hands of the Ben Stokes-led English Test side.

“The first thing to do after the England series is to provide players with feedback after arriving in South Africa,” said Agoram.

“Give them a detailed report on how they have adjusted to the conditions. What they could’ve done better when it comes to decision making. If there’s anything that is hurting them as far as technique is concerned, then we need to point out what exactly can be done to improve.”

Below are batters and bowlers who will not be involved in the T20 World Cup. These are the players who will have ample time to prepare for the tour Down Under.

Available Proteas Test Batters:
Dean Elgar
Sarel Erwee
Keegan Petersen
Ryan Rickelton
Kyle Verreynne
Khaya Zondo
Rassie van der Dussen
Wiaan Mulder

Available Proteas Test Bowlers:
Lutho Sipamla
Glenton Stuurman
Lizaad Williams
Duanne Olivier
Simon Harmer

“Now they will play in a completely different ball game in Australia. There’ll be some kind of a challenge in the first 12 to 15 overs for the batters, but after that, the wickets will become beautiful for batting. They’ll be hard and bouncy but easier to bat on. The runs will flow and the game will go quickly. That’s how Australia dominate teams in Australia. They look to score quickly and score big.

“South Africa has been the most impressive team in Australia. No team has the same record in Australia. All the other teams have taken a real beating in Australia. India have won two series in a row but if you look at the margin with which South Africa have been winning in Australia, no team can match that record.

“The most important thing is to understand what is on offer when it comes to Australia. How we are going to prepare here at home when we come back? How will I take my game forward as a batter? How am I going to adjust to the conditions? Am I going to adjust myself to a similar style of play when I play the domestic games here at home even though the conditions will be different?

“We need to prepare ourselves mentally in terms of what we expect to get in Australia. What lengths to expect, and what shots are safe to play? How to keep the score ticking to really keep the pressure on the Aussie bowlers. So these are the questions we need to answer when we get home before we leave for Australia.

“How we should be mentally prepared and tactically prepared to take on Australia. If we go there without a clear plan and answers to the above questions, we will undoubtedly struggle to look at the calibre of the opposition we will be faced with.

“When it comes to international cricket, the planning is very very important. That’s why there’s a popular phrase in sport that if you fail to prepare, then you’re preparing to fail. If we’re going to play the final at Lord’s next year, we’ve got to prepare and prepare well and on time.”