Yorkers and death bowling

When one looks at the recently completed one-day series against Sri Lanka the three-two win by South Africa was a satisfactory result. South Africa had the series wrapped up after three matches. The batting and fielding worked well during the series, however there should be some concern over the fact that the Proteas lost the last two matches defending big totals.

The reason why the coaching team and the selectors should take the defeats seriously is that both defeats highlighted a problem that has been evident over the last few years. The South African bowlers struggle to bowl at the death and sometimes during the batting power play. This was again very evident during the two matches that were lost.

This problem presents a formidable challenge for bowling coach Alan Donald. First of all, in attempting to solve this issue, both Donald and head coach Gary Kirsten will have to decide which of the bowlers they feel are most equipped to do the job.

Once they have done that they will have to give the bowlers tasked with this difficult job the skill set to do so effectively. Bowling at the end of a ODI or T20 innings should be built around the good old fashioned yorker. Some of the African bowlers shy away from this delivery because they argue that the yorker has become too predictable.

This attitude is a cop-out and comes from a few individuals who find it very difficult to execute the yorker under pressure. A good yorker remains a very effective delivery at the back end of the innings.

When a captain has bowlers at the end of a one-day innings who bowl this delivery effectively it makes a massive difference. The captain can then set a field with confidence. I am not suggesting that variation should not be part of the equation at the death, but the yorker should be the foundation around which the variation should be built.

Bowling a good yorker under pressure requires good technique, hours of practice and a solid temperament. In the recent past Charl Langeveldt was entrusted with this important role. He is no longer in the mix as we know so a few new candidates for this task should be identified by Donald and Kirsten.

Once they have been identified Donald should make it a priority to get this aspect of the South African game up to a level that they can effectively compete at major international tournaments on a consistent basis. It is very difficult to win high-profile ODI matches against strong opposition and let alone a World Cup or a T20 if this discipline isn’t working well.

Currently major improvement in this area is needed.

The batting, fielding and captaincy are going according to plan for the Proteas at the moment. If they want to beat the best a bowling solution at the death and when the opposition takes the batting power play needs to be found. A solution for this problem is a long way off and unless one is found in a hurry it will continue to cost the Proteas.