Thursday's Game

Wayne Parnell

Cricket gives you the biggest ups and downs, and so close together! It was horrible after Tuesday when we played so badly against Sri Lanka and then just 48 hours later we were celebrating victory over New Zealand.
I couldn’t have imagined losing and being eliminated from the tournament so early, especially after bowling poorly in the first game. I started alright with the new ball but I became a bit tentative in the middle and lost my rhythm completely at one stage. It was the most pressure I’ve felt in my international career but I got through it and I know I’ll be a better player and a better person because of it.
Graeme could have changed the plan and given the ‘death’ overs to somebody else because I’d gone for more runs in both games than I should have but he showed faith in me and I really, really appreciate that. There’s nothing better than having a captain who backs you and trusts you not to let the team down. Fortunately I was able to repay him with five wickets, including the vital one of Ross Taylor which probably made the difference between chasing 250 and 215.
Some cricketers never get to play in an ICC event and others have to wait years to get the chance – and there’s me playing in two world events within three months at the age of 20. I am very, very lucky and I know it!
Herschelle and Makhaya have too much energy at the best of times but when they aren’t playing they are like two fireworks in the changing room. But it was a great relief to have them there on Tuesday night because they refused to let anybody feel ‘down’ and they were so positive, constantly reminding us that we could win the next two games and the defeat wouldn’t matter.
People probably imagine that we have two days ‘off’ between matches but it doesn’t feel like that with practise sessions, physio and various functions that we attend for the BCCI or sponsors. The time will go very quickly until we play England on Sunday which is a good thing because I’m raring to go and can’t wait to get back on the field again.

Sri Lanka Match

Johan Botha

There is no doubt that a lack of hard, international match practise counted against us on Tuesday but we did everything we possibly could to prepare for the tournament and we certainly cannot have any excuses.
Sri Lanka came straight from a tough triangular series against India and New Zealand and they hit the ground running. It also helps that they have one of the most talented and well balanced squads in the tournament!

SA were in complete control

Jonty Rhodes

The prospect of South Africa being eliminated from the tournament after three days was too horrible to contemplate - so I didn't! I was always confident that they would be too strong for New Zealand even though the Black Caps have some dangerous players.
The Proteas have not only stayed alive but did some useful work in repairing the damage which Sri Lanka inflicted on their net run rate. It didn't look like they were deliberately trying to score quickly which pleased me because you don’t take liberties with the game of cricket at any level, but certainly not in a tournament involving the best eight teams in the world.
Having bowled and fielded brilliantly to dismiss New Zealand for just 214, it would have been unforgivable if South Africa had assumed that the hard work was done and taken victory for granted.
It was an absolute pleasure watching them construct the run chase in the methodical and clinical way they did and, although the people around me in the Standard Bank hospitality box became a bit nervous when wickets fell, I always thought they were in complete control. It was a comprehensive win and will give the team's collective confidence a vital boost after the shock of the Sri Lanka game.
 The only thing which didn’t work for the guys was their throwing at the stumps. JP Duminy must have had a dozen unsuccessful throws while AB de Villiers tried even more often from backward point without making contact once! It reminded of the last guy to spend a lot of time at backward point for South Africa, that Rhodes guy. He was hopeless at hitting the stumps.
Actually, there is quite a lot of luck involved and sometimes it’s just not your day. We always learn to throw at the base of the stumps when the 'keeper can't get there and sometimes the ball hits a piece of turf and defelects away - or bounces straight over the top. You just have to console yourself with the fact that you’ll hit them all the time in the next game.
 I said after the heavy loss to Sri Lanka that South Africa’s habit of starting quickly and fading may be about to turn around. If they can maintain the intensity they showed against New Zealand and win again against England on Sunday, then they should reach the semi finals with huge momentum piled up behind them.
For now, though, I think we can all breath a collective sigh of relief (apart from Kiwis, of course) because the tournament might just have felt a little flat if the hosts had been eliminated before half the teams had even played a game.

Johan, going back to the first time we spoke, you joked about maybe seeing two spinners in the SA team regularly, now it looks like you and Roelof might get that wish in T20 and even ODI’s, along with JP Duminy filling a role as well. Does it help having another spinner to bowl with and bounce ideas off?

J: "I think against Australia it has helped a lot. I think in Australia we struggled with only one spinner in the middle overs and coming back to South Africa its definitely helped having two."

R: "Yeah I think also looking at the IPL you see a lot of spinners bowling in tandem. There’s always the risk of a spinner travelling but having another option there is good. Taking the pace off the ball and trying to contain teams seems to be the way things are going, and its worked well in the IPL."

There are a number of different views of a spinner’s role in T20, especially in the IPL. Some have been used for containment, others for wickets and even as opening bowlers. How do you view the spinner’s role in T20?

R: "I think a spinner is still largely a containing bowler in the middle overs, say from overs 7 to 15. Some teams have used them successfully in the opening overs as wicket takers but I think generally to build pressure and get through the middle overs quickly."

J: "I think its is good to vary it every now and again, but I think whats worked for me personally in the past is to try contain the batsmen and build pressure and if you do that successfully it will lead to wickets."

Do you think the way spinners are used in T20 will impact how they are views in ODI’s?

J: "Umm, I don’t think One Day Internationals should have spinners in the first ten overs. You might in the sub-continent at times, I know I bowled a few overs between the 10th to 15th in the past when the wicket or situation allowed, especially if they’re under pressure or we’re under pressure. With these new power plays we already bowl a bit earlier than before. We tend to bowl around the 16th over whereas before it was around the 21st, so things have already changed a bit. You still play the situation on the day though."

R: "Yeah, good answer, I’ll go with that." (big grin)

Last time we spoke you had just started establishing yourself in the Proteas’ side, now you’re vice-captain, also one of the most successful captains when you have stood in recently, and one of the key players. Tell us about this progression over the last year or so?

"I haven’t actually done anything different, I’ve definitely become more consistent and that’s helped. Also as you get more into a team and feel more comfortable, people start to support you more and that helps a lot. You also tend to enjoy it more and that enjoyment is a huge factor that encourages you to contribute and be more involved. I’ve enjoyed it thoroughly and the team has also been doing well so its been great to be a part of it?"

You seem to have the wood on the Aussies, both in the bowling and the captaincy. Have there been any specific plans against them you can reveal?

"I don’t think I’ve done anything too special. Its more down to consistency and I’ve got crucial wickets early on in all my spells. Generally against Australia I’ve go t wickets in my 1st two or three overs and that’s stopped the batsmen from cracking on, which has really helped. Our fielding side has also been magnificent and that helps a spinner a lot to slow down the runs and create some real pressure."

You were initially called for chucking, worked through it, were cleared, established yourself, called again and now recently cleared. How difficult has this period been?

"I think the worst part is I was starting to get ready for the IPL, I was going to play for the Rajasthan Royals the whole tournament and it came at a very bad time, but I always say everything happens for a reason. I’m back now and I’ve been cleared, and only missed the first portion of the tournament."

Your action has been cleared, bar the Doosra. In all honesty how will that effect your variation and how often do you bowl it anyway?

"I haven’t bowled it much. I probably bowled two or three in the series against Australia here and in Australia I probably bowled around three. So, the whole series I probably bowled around five Doosras. I think I can still slip in the odd topspin or something in the games to come, so its not much of a problem."

Both times you’ve been called against the Aussies, and most bowlers that get called seem to be in games against Australia. There are quite a few conspiracy theories around this, is there any truth in these or is it just nonsense?

"When I got called recently I got an sms from someone that 11 guys have been called in world cricket and all 11 have been recorded Australia, so I think that says something. So I think India’s got the money power and Australia’s got the say in world cricket."

Obviously you’re quite fierce rivals on the field, but when it all comes down how is the vibe with them off the field?