Veteran fast bowler returns to form in the West Indies
Peter Robinson
At one point during his career when his place in the England team was threatened, Ian Botham took to wearing a T-shirt bearing the legend: “Form is temporary, Class is permanent.” There’s a rider, perhaps, that needs to be added to this: when it comes to picking teams, go for class batsmen and form bowlers. All batsmen go through slumps, but for the really good ones, the next century could always be just an innings away. Bowling, on the other hand, is a different business and when you’ve got someone who’s on fire, trust in him.
The converse also applies. When bowlers are struggling with rhythm and fitness, it’s often kindest to let them go off to a lower level and try to rediscover the old spark. All of which brings us to Allan Donald, whose form in the Caribbean makes him the exception that proves the rule. Before South Africa left for the West Indies Donald’s form was miserable following a season dogged by injury, so much so that his future as an international player was clouded in doubt. This was a view shared by a number of well-qualified judges and, indeed, the question of what to do about Donald was discussed in some detail by the national selectors. It was felt that if and when the time came to leave South Africa’s greatest fast bowler out of the Test side, the decision should not be left to Shaun Pollock and Graham Ford, the two most senior strategists in the touring party, but also two men whose judgement might be coloured by loyalty to Donald. As it has happened, Donald has bounced back to silence his critics. In the first two Test matches he bowled superbly with the new and old balls, and if a little of the old pace has gone now, the ability to make batsmen uncomfortable is still there. Whenever Pollock has brought Donald back into the attack the pressure on the West Indies has invariably cranked up a notch or two. It is quite clear that Donald is in the autumn of a splendid career and whether he can achieve a personal goal of playing in the 2003 World Cup remains to be seen. But if South Africa build on the victory in Trinidad and win this series in the West Indies, Donald will have played a crucial role. To turn to the batting, though, South Africa’s biggest concern, apart from the fact that the tail has not wagged, must have involved Neil McKenzie’s slow start to the tour. McKenzie, to be honest, has really struggled to find any sort of form and yet as strokeless as he became in the second innings in Trinidad, he too played an important part in the win.
McKenzie may have looked horrible during his 169-minute 25, but in this instance what he looked like was of far less importance than the time he spent at the crease. There are different types of contributions to be made to Test matches, and although McKenzie’s innings at the Queen’s Park Oval will no doubt soon be forgotten by most, it is unlikely that it will have gone unnoticed by his team-mates. This is written before South Africa named their side for the third Test match and there have been murmurings that McKenzie should make way for Boeta Dippenaar. Both, it should be said, possess their fair share of class, but what should tilt it in McKenzie’s favour, apart from the fact that Dippenaar’s experience has been exclusively at the top of the order, was his bravery in Trinidad. Yes, form is temporary and class permanent, but don’t discount courage. Peter Robinson is the editor of CricInfo South Africa (www.cricket.co.za)