Congratulations have to go to England - they were better and more consistent than South Africa throughout
Graeme Smith: Moeen Ali deserves a special mention, for his superb batting as well as showing that he is more than good enough to perform the lead spinner role
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Your support makes all the difference.A long, proud unbeaten record for South Africa in England comes to an end. Monday saw the rounding off of a tough series and a tough tour which has yielded some serious food for thought for the South African players and board.
Congratulations have to go to England, Joe Root and his team – they’ve simply been better and more consistent than the Proteas throughout. It wouldn’t be right not to talk about how well England bowled on Monday. Both Anderson and Broad showed supreme skill, mixed with the aggressive intent and assertiveness that can send shockwaves through opposition dressing rooms when they’re in that kind of mood.
They both set the tone superbly on Monday morning, with a high class display which was then backed up by England’s man of the series, Moeen Ali, in typically casual fashion. Moeen has shown in this series that he is more than good enough to perform the lead spinner role, and his batting has proved a nagging thorn in South Africa’s side – often being the difference between a par score and a good score for his side.
When Ali came in to the side, I’m not sure whether he or England’s management knew where he would best fit in. The role he’s playing is one he’s carved out for himself with consistent, quality performances. Potential has begun to manifest itself as an end product more often than not, which can only be a good sign in terms of his ability to contribute for England in the long-term.
The pressure spinners can feel when being asked to bowl sides out on helpful pitches is something Moeen has dealt with admirably as well. Throughout this series, we’ve seen pitches that have promoted good, balanced Test Cricket. A lesson to other boards. There hasn’t been a close game, but each track has provided opportunities for good batsmen to score – whilst keeping both spinners and the quicks in the game, which is a tough art.
Today seemed to highlight the permeating issues that have dogged South Africa throughout the series. As a batting unit, there is a heavy reliance on the likes of Amla, Du Plessis and Elgar to fire. Temba Bavuma has been an exception to that, showing a maturity and confidence in his methods which could form the base of an improvement in his ability to contribute on a more regular basis.
His technique and understanding of his own game seem to be there, but the key is his tempo and how he paces his innings. He’s a big player for South Africa for a number of reasons, but for him to step up to the next level, those starts need to become big scores more often than not.
Day four saw Hashim Amla and Faf Du Plessis go a long way towards creating some hope, especially with the forecast tomorrow being typically grim. For a period, they looked in complete control – displaying a simplicity in method and the clarity of mind that’s so vital to surviving for long periods on challenging surfaces.
Once they fell, it was a pack of cards scenario oncemore.
South African cricket doesn’t need to panic, but there needs to be an honest assessment of how the side wants to play moving forward and who the personnel are to carry this team in to the next phase. The announcement of a new coach is likely to be the first step, with much being made of the links to current England bowling coach, Otis Gibson.
England see him as a key part of their set-up, having worked tirelessly with England’s bowling unit for a number of years over two stints.
The side itself has a number of holes to fill. The opening partner to Dean Elgar and the middle order have consistently failed to get South Africa up to any kind of batting parity, and as I mentioned in Sunday's column, chasing the game in Test Cricket doesn’t see you win many games.
Still, from a personal point of view it’s been a hugely enjoyable series. England is a fabulous country to tour and play Test Cricket in, and the players that have done so will have gained valuable experience.A huge six months beckons for Cricket South Africa. An uncertain six months too, it would seem.
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