Can Proteas' bowling take 20 England wickets?

[Feed]

In a couple of days we'll find out if Allan Donald and all those others claiming that South Africa don't have the firepower to take 20 wickets to win a Test are on the money. More... Can Proteas' bowling take 20 England wickets? December 13 2009 at 12:52PM By Gary Lemke In a couple of days we'll find out if Allan Donald and all those others claiming that South Africa don't have the firepower to take 20 wickets to win a Test are on the money. The first of four such Tests against England suddenly looms as a bigger challenge than we all thought a few weeks back. The script said the Proteas would win the Twenty 20s (they split the two matches because, not for the first time, they were unable to read a Duckworth/Lewis sheet) and that they'd mop up in the five ODI's (they didn't because two games were rained off and they only won a single match, thanks to getting it right at the toss and batting first in a day-nighter at Newlands). Now, oddly, it's England being hyped up as favourites in the increasingly threatened Test arena, and the bold predictions made by Mickey Arthur, Graeme Smith and Dale Steyn have become muted. With England having a warm-up against a SA Invitation XI, there's again the very real concern the Proteas haven't played enough cricket in the game's longe format. It might sound strange that there are those who go along with fast bowling great Donald's view, that 20 wickets will be hard to come by against determined tourists. That's because in the latest ICC Test rankings, South Africa has three of the top 10 bowlers - Dale Steyn (No 1), Makhaya Ntini (No 5) and Paul Harris (No 8). It's the highest representation of any country and the highest-ranked Englishman is James Anderson, who is facing a race against time to be 100% fit. Of course, that all goes to prove that Geoff Boycott is right - that rankings mean "now't". It's how teams perform on the occasion, though it's disturbing that South Africa are suddenly on the back foot, when the series is on home soil, bouncy tracks and all that. They haven't had much Test cricket though, last getting into their whites in March when they grabbed a consolation victory in the 2-1 home defeat to Australia. Since then it's been an endless stream of limited-overs matches, which the players themselves probably prefer, because it means more money for less time out in the middle. Motivation shouldn't be a factor for South Africa but perhaps the finest statement Smith and the Proteas can make is that they're playing for the future of the Test format. Already our governing body CSA got into bed with their Indian counterparts and agreed to the scrapping of the Tests on their tour early in 2010 in favour of a limited-overs series. Smith's Proteas would do every Test devotee a massive favour by putting on a commanding performance in the middle against England, over all four matches, and show the world what it will be losing out on when the ICC finally switches off the light on the extended format.

[Sooda]

They need Vince van der Bijl

[Guest Gunner]

South Africa will win.

[cowboysfan]

how times have changed.before the ashes everybody was wondering how on earth the poms were going to take 20 aussie wickets.

[Zelig]

Play Makhaya at least now.

[jusarrived]

it will be evenly contested , but England will win imo ...more than bowing , i see their batsmen struggle against Eng pace attack

[Celeste]

I want SA to win 2-0 or 3-1

[Guest Gunner]

I want SA to win 2-0 or 3-1

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:. Man, grow up!

[punjabi_khota]

^ :dontknow:

[S.Bond]

I think that will be a good test series... after the boring T20s and ODI's South africa are litle favorite acording to me because of Dale Steyn in the bowling departement, and superior batting.... I hope the best for Kevin Pietersen...

[The Outsider]

^ :dontknow:

India lose their number 1 ranking. :((

[maggot_brain]

Come on...Steyn, Ntini, Morne Morkel and Harris. The only weak link in that line up is Harris in my opinion. If Kallis is fit to bowl then South Africa have a formidable bowling line up. I fully expect South Africa to win this series.

[vvvslaxman]

They need a bit of assistance from the surface. They are not good on all surfaces.

[Guest Gunner]

Its surprising that everyone has automatically assumed that England has the bowling to take 20 wickets. The English media is quite good.

[S.Bond]

no one is good on all surfaces... Dale steyn is the fast bowler in the world todayand he has bowl reasonably well through out the world... Their main concers is Harris, for me he is not good enough...

[Gambit]

Anyone remember Ngam? He could have been something had he not been like Mr.Glass from The Unbreakable. Big loss for RSA.

[The Outsider]

I don't know why people are worried about South Africa's ability to take 20 wickets at home - Steyn, Ntini, Morkel, Kallis, and Harris are a very good combination. I think South Africa are strong favorites for the series and just hope England do not lose worse than 2-1.

[bunny]

If Kallis plays, SA is winning this series easily. England doesnt have a single reliable batsman.

[MUMBAISKIPPER]

why not?they have a decent pool of bowlers to choose from- steyn,ntini,morkel,parnell,botha,harris,langeveldt,Mclaren,tsosobe,etc.

[maggot_brain]

Anyone remember Ngam? He could have been something had he not been like Mr.Glass from The Unbreakable. Big loss for RSA.

I remember him, he looked really good when he started.