“The wicket had quite a lot of assistance for the seamers, and we knew that slip catching was going to be a critical part of winning this game,” said South African fielding coach, Justin Ontong. 

Terming the slip fielding performance in the first Test match against the West Indies a “big relief,” Ontong was cognizant of the criticism that came the South African team’s way over the last few series and indeed, the last couple of years. 

After losing key slip fielders such as Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla, the team management had to make a few changes. “Fortunately for us, a lot of guys at first-class level back home, they do field in the slips. It was nothing new to them. It was just a matter of sharpening the skills and also getting the guys in the right places.” Ontong’s rule of thumb has generally been that “good batsmen are good slip fielders. They have good eyes and good reflexes also.” 

Ontong and the rest of the team are determined to deliver another clinical performance to seal a series win against the West Indies. “These are the standards we’ve set for ourselves now. It’s not going to be that easy the second time around. There’s going to be harder work behind the scenes to make sure we don’t drop any standards,” said Ontong. 

Given South Africa’s recent struggles in Test cricket, Ontongbelieves a series win will be a significant achievement for this young team. “We want to play a winning brand of cricket. We want to make people back home proud.”