Proteas ODI captain AB de Villiers is a bowler now as well.
If you want to get something done in South African cricket, best you tell AB de Villiers that it’s impossible. It’s been working well for a few years now – although the Proteas ODI captain’s latest illusion extended the limits of our collective belief further than ever before in New Zealand last week.
Since the playing conditions of ODI cricket were changed to allow no more than four fielders on the boundary at any stage, every team in the world accepted that the days of “getting by” with a few part-timers to make up the 10-over allocation of a fifth bowler had ended. It was simply too risky. They all tried it, but found it impossible to protect their “amateurs”. The fifth bowler was costing 80+ on a regular basis.
Apart from adding more “excitement” (boundaries and runs) to the ODI game, the International Cricket Council hoped that genuine all-rounders would make a comeback after a decade of dying out. The introduction of two new balls for each innings put an onus on batting depth, too, because the fall of early wickets became increasingly likely. So teams needed seven batsmen and five bowlers. Unfortunately, cricket is an 11-man game.
Jacques Kallis can no longer solve the riddle as a front-line bowler batting at No 3. Ryan McLaren, Vernon Philander and Wayne Parnell are his successors, which is a horrible burden to bear.
Fine cricketers to a man, none inspire confidence as “specialist” batsmen.
Which is where De Villiers’s ability to think differently, defy logic and conventional wisdom – and back himself against the most improbable odds – saw the team select a genuine batsman at No 7 with the captain sharing the fifth bowler duties with JP Duminy.
It was ludicrous. It made a mockery of everything learned in the past four years. And it worked rather well.
‘Uniqueness of AB’
Just a few years ago De Villiers was being told he shouldn’t (or couldn’t) keep wicket, bat in the top four and captain the side. He was a wicketkeeper. Not only were teams not supposed to be using part-time bowlers, he wasn’t one. But in the second ODI at Mount Maunganui, with the series at stake, the Proteas included Rilee Rossouw at number seven – while De Villiers bowled six overs and collected 2-28.
“The uniqueness of AB is not just about self-belief but an amazing mixture of sublime talent and an ability to think laterally about the way he wants to play cricket,” said former national coach, Eric Simons.
“We can all name extremely talented cricketers who couldn’t think outside the box. AB can, and does. He refuses to put limits on himself, finding an AB way to do things. The Delhi Daredevils decided to release him after three years because his play ‘did not suit Indian conditions’ and at the time there was probably some justification for their thinking. But they didn’t factor in the AB ‘attitude’. How wrong he has proved them, and many others.
“The way he does things, particularly with the bat, is unique and Âcannot be copied. You can’t simply use him as an example and tell another cricketer to ‘do it like AB’ because it takes more talent than anyone else has to be able to play the shots he does,” Simons told the Mail & Guardian.
De Villiers may have made light of his bowling, but it was during a “live” match with a series at stake and it was an attempt to explore another answer to the most serious tactical question the squad faces ahead of the World Cup. They believe they need seven batsmen. How do they do it? Using Parnell higher in the order as a “wild card” (they used to be called pinch hitters but he is better than that) is an option. So is using De Villiers as a bowling option, apparently.
An illusion too far?
“Hmm,” says Simons, a specialist bowling coach. “I’m not one for focusing too much on technique if the ball has something on it, but in this case there is work to be done. I fear he may enjoy a short honeymoon period in which batsmen aren’t sure what to expect. If he ever starts taking his bowling seriously he may find the added string on that already impressive bow a little more difficult to maintain.”
So De Villiers’ latest trick is an illusion too far? “I would think so,” says Simons. “But would I bet against him becoming more and more effective? Never.”
With due respect to the sponsors, the three-match T20 series against Australia that precedes the five ODIs is peripheral. Both squads bear fleeting similarities to those that will contest the 50-over games and the likely World Cup line-ups. They will provide entertainment and, more importantly, revenue. But they will not provide context or relevance to the big tournament in February and March next year.
Duminy’s ascent to the captaincy and the first of (hopefully) many appearances in national colours for Kagiso Rabada should be cherished, but the important stuff begins in Perth next week.
T20 Series
Nov 5 – Adelaide
Nov 7 – Melbourne
Nov 9 – Sydney
ODI Series
Nov 14 – Perth
Nov 16 – Perth
Nov 19 – Canberra
Nov 21 – Melbourne
Nov 23 – Sydney