Here are some lessons the Proteas can learn from Australia’s World Cup campaign.

Test players can be an asset

Given Australia have been through some dark times due to the infamous #SandPaperGate scandal, it was very impressive to see that the Baggy Greens could turn their fortunes around so quickly. The Proteas would have done well to have taken a leaf out of Australia’s playbook of bringing in spinner Nathon Lyon. The wily off-spinner’s knack for building pressure – often seen in Test-match cricket – from one end was the perfect foil to ensure Mitchell Starc picked up key wickets at crucial moments. It reminiscent of the type of bowling we see from Keshav Maharaj and it would be a real step in the right direction for the Proteas to include the Dolphins spinner in their plans going forward. It also debunks the current myth that Test bowlers can’t be just as effective in white-ball cricket.

Blood a left-arm quick

It was a pity that Beuran Hendricks wasn’t included in the Proteas plans months ago. He had a stellar Mzansi Super League but just never got a decent start for South Africa after that. The Aussie’s bowlers were formidable as Mitchell Starc led from the front with a record-breaking 27 wickets in the tournament. Unfortunately, injuries have curtailed Hendricks’ career growth but the Proteas are missing a left-arm quick who can get the ball to swing and it wouldn’t hurt to invest in Hendricks. More needs to be done to develop this option and it would be wonderful to see a raw talent like Michael Cohen and Akhona Manyaka being invested in for the future as the Proteas’ bowling attack would thrive with a left-arm option in their arsenal.

Think out of the box

Justin Langer, who was a brilliant servant to the Baggy Greens during his career, played under a shrewd leader in Ricky Ponting. It was a masterstroke by the Australia coach to secure Ponting’s services who formed part of the coaching set-up. He brought a wealth of experience that money can’t buy. Ponting’s calmness and the respect he has from the players was obvious to see. Pat Cummins praised Punter’s presence in the Aussie set-up during the World Cup: “The boys love having him around. He’ll take some of them out for golf every couple of days, others out for coffee. You rarely see him walking around without Davey Warner or Glenn Maxwell hanging off his hip. We joke that they’re his two little kids that he carries around. The boys love him.” The Proteas would have done well to have brought in Gary Kirsten, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock or a Graeme Smith in the mix – especially the latter given his playing relationship with the veterans that were part of the squad. Sometimes a father figure, or childhood hero, goes a long way.

Photo: Cricket World Cup/Twitter