His fine for obscene gestures notwithstanding, South African pace bowler Andre Nel is set to play a vital role in getting up the West Indies’ noses when the Boxing Day Test gets under way at Kingsmead on Friday.
Nel proved to be a revelation in the first Test, finally matching his often embarrassing machismo with genuinely quick and aggressive bowling.
Although West Indies skipper Brian Lara brushed aside the Nel threat, insisting that he was not even remotely intimidated, South African coach Eric Simons feels that Lara was at the very least unsettled.
”Lara’s never going to admit that he was intimidated,” said Simons on Wednesday, a day before joining up with the 13-man Test squad in Durban.
”Saying that he wasn’t was probably a bit of a bluff. Lara is without doubt an outstanding batsman and when he feels that a bowler is beginning to dominate him, he responds by trying to dominate the bowler.
”I know he often just sits back and swings his arm at the ball but at the Wanderers he was doing it to Nel especially, probably because he was a bit unsettled.”
Unsettled or not, Lara — who will play his 100th Test in Durban — went on to make a breathtaking 202. To counter the Lara factor, Simons feels that consistent line and length and more than just a hint of aggression is the answer.
”With Lara you have to bowl in the right area, unsettle him with pace and bounce and just hope that he eventually gets an edge.
”That’s where Nel is so important. If you get him bowling well and aggressively at the one end, it’s quite likely that you’re going to pick up wickets at the other end.”
A new grip on the seam as well as shedding 8kg has seen Nel increasing his pace by more than 15kph, regularly delivering balls at above 150kph in the first Test.
”In Pakistan I said to Andre that the position of strike bowler was there for the taking and he has responded to the challenge magnificently.
”I think he can still lose five or six more kilograms and then he’ll probably bowl even faster.”
Nel’s sudden rise has seen his provincial teammate Andrew Hall relegated to the duties of chief drinks carrier.
”Andrew is probably a bit unlucky because every time he has come into the side he has played really well.
”But when you’re down to bat at number nine then your primary function is bowling. When you select the team you have to look at who’s going to give you more as a bowler and that’s why Andre got the nod.”
That is not to say that Hall will not play in Durban.
”There’s been a lot of rain there of late,” explained Simons, ”so the pitch is probably going to be pretty green. Depending on the conditions, we’ll decide whether to play a spinner or not.
”We’re certainly not going to pick a spinner simply for the sake of playing one. If he’s only going to bowl six or seven overs then it’s rather pointless. Really, it depends on the conditions on the day.” — Sapa
Squads:
South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Rudolph, Jacques Kallis, Gary Kirsten, Neil McKenzie, Martin van Jaarsveld, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel, Paul Adams.
West Indies: Brian Lara (captain), Dave Mohammed, Carlton Baugh, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Corey Collymore, Mervyn Dillon, Vasbert Drakes, Fidel Edwards, Daren Ganga, Wavel Hinds, Ridley Jacobs, Adam Sanford, Ravindarnath Rampaul, Dwayne Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan.