• Two all-rounders work

    The decision to play two all-rounders in the ODI series against England was a good one and should be persevered with.

    It was a wonderful achievement by the Proteas to come from behind and win the series 3-2. It was nice to see there is still some fight in the team and they didn’t give up.

    The decision to play Chris Morris and David Wiese in the same XI was a good idea and I think it worked very well. South Africa should persevere with that selection in the two shorter formats because I think they will make as many runs as JP Duminy ever will.

    It was disappointing to see Rilee Rossouw play only three games and David Miller none at all, but there have to be at least four players of colour in the team and that is why they probably stuck with someone like Farhaan Behardien ahead of them. We have to live with it and move on.

    If a spot for Rossouw or Miller does open up, I would go for Miller because he’s done more and is perhaps a little more aggressive in his batting, which can come in handy when chasing a target. I would like to see Miller get a permanent spot in the team and for the selectors to back him.

    Generally most of the players did well in the series but it was good to see Quinton de Kock build his confidence. He is fast becoming a very important player for South Africa while Imran Tahir had his best game at Newlands where he picked up vital wickets in the middle order. JP Duminy was disappointing.

    The comeback shows the talent there is in the team and that South Africa are good enough to beat most sides.

    I was very surprised that Morne Morkel didn’t play in the last game and was left out of the T20 World Cup squad. He is our most attacking bowler and I would like to know, on what grounds he was left out? I would pick him ahead of Kyle Abbott.

    It will be interesting to see which batting line-up the selectors go with in the T20s against England and beyond that into the World Cup.

    I would keep Hashim Amla and De Kock at the top of the order and AB de Villiers at No 3 and Faf du Plessis at No 4. I would switch them around if, for example, South Africa lose a wicket early on in their innings, but generally you want your best batsman to face as many balls in 20 overs.

    I would have Miller at five and Duminy at six and keep Wiese and Morris at seven and eight respectively.

    My T20 team: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, David Miller, JP Duminy, David Wiese, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Kyle Abbott, Imran Tahir.

    Post by

    Graeme Pollock