Sisanda Magala has the been the victim of bad luck and poor public perception, however, in recent times he has regained fitness, built his confidence and has been asserting his dominance in the 4-Day Series, writes Ravi Reddy.
In a year severely impacted by COVID-19, we have finally got cricket to return to South Africa. Our visitors happen to be our oldest enemy, England.
Eoin Morgan led his chargers to a series win with a game to spare and three ODIs to follow.
The English squad leaves no surprises. All of your classical match-winners in the form of Stokes, Morgan, Buttler and Rashid have been in action.
Alas, the selected Proteas camp leaves a sense of disappointment as Sisanda Magala was omitted from the team.
Magala, who started his professional first-class career in 2010 has made a name for himself in the domestic T20 tournaments (namely the Mzansi Super League).
His abilities are often underestimated for his portly build. With an average speed of over 140k/m and 237 first-class wickets, Magala has the makings of a future Test bowler.
Admittedly, his bowling average is just under 30 making it incredibly difficult to justify a place in the Test side for him. However, imagine a test team in which we field an all pace attack, with a suitable all-rounder batting at 7?
An attack comprised of Ngidi, Rabada, Nortje, Maharaj and Magala?
Magala is known for belting in and hitting the deck hard, making many a batsman uncomfortable. Effectively Magala could be Rabada’s “yin” to his “yang” and his aggressive bowling methodology could be welcomed by the Proteas camp.
Since his move to the Lions, Magala has won the favour of most cricket fans. He has clearly shed significant weight and seemingly bowled more overs than customary.
In a recent 4 day outing against the Knights, Magala obtained 7/96 in a losing endeavour. Magala was instrumental in securing the win for the Lions when he helped skittle the Knights for 235 after amassing a significant lead.
Magala is a superb cricketer all round. We may even see him make his debut alongside the likes of Marques Ackerman and Raynard van Tonder in the upcoming test series against Sri Lanka.
What do you think? Is Magala a worthy contender for a Test cap? Sound off your comments below.
Yours in peace, love and cricket,
Ravi
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