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It was way back in late 2014 when South Africa toured Australia for a five match one-day series that I called for a change of leadership. It never felt like AB de Villiers was as good a captain as he was a player.
That tour was not too impressive for the Proteas; they were humbled 4-1, despite de Villiers top-scoring for them in the series.
When Hashim Amla was appointed as the skipper of the Test team, people had their doubts about whether he would be anywhere near as good a skipper as the legendary Graeme Smith. Yet, against the odds, his side emerged victorious in a Test series in Sri Lanka for the first time in more than two decades, silencing any critics that might have stood against him.
However, an ignominious Test series howler in India, followed by a massive capitulation in Centurion, all but ended his reign as skipper.
De Villiers was yet again chosen ahead of T20 skipper Francois Du Plessis to get the team back on track. With a special performance from Kagiso Rabada, who ended with thirteen wickets in that match, De Villiers got off to a winning start in the fourth Test against England.
With what has happened in Perth, especially after the 5-0 beating South Africa gave Australia at home, the selectors might be forced to rethink if Du Plessis deserves a permanent captaincy role. In the three Tests he has captained thus far, he is unbeaten with two wins, one each against New Zealand and Australia.
Besides, what we saw in Perth from Du Plessis as a skipper is worth reviewing again.
There is no need of mentioning the lacklustre performance from the South African top-order in the first innings on the first day, which saw them being reduced to 32/4 with Du Plessis and Temba Bavuma at the crease. It needed a counter-punch from the skipper; while Bavuma looked submissive, Du Plessis took the onus of rescuing the ship. Though he departed for 37, a strong finish from the late middle-order propelled them to 242.
David Warner gave Australia a flier which saw them finish the day at 0-105.
At the close of day, there were claims from far and wide regarding Du Plessis’ decision to play JP Duminy at four, while he put himself at five. It was perceived as a gamble, yet it was a sensible move in many ways.
With Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc operating at different angles, it was important to have a left-right combination at the crease all times. With Stephen Cook and Dean Elgar opening, having Hashim Amla and Duminy next provided that allowance for the right-handed skipper to come at five. It was perhaps a tactical decision to see off the new ball.
Secondly, the move paid dividends with a game-changing partnership from Elgar and Duminy which laid the foundation for the massive score of 540 in the second innings. Although it was a pair of left-handers putting up that partnership, it set the platform for the late flourish from the South Africans.
Special mention has to be given to Du Plessis’ excellent management of his bowlers, especially when Dale Steyn was injured. He stuck with his only full-time spinner Keshav Maharaj (who, by the way, had an excellent debut game with three wickets in the first innings), with tight field placings to put in tight overs from his end; it gave him the flexibility to operate his two seamers at intervals.
The moment Shaun Marsh got out to an inswinging delivery from Vernon Philander, which got him an LBW, Du Plessis wasted no time in putting his best seamers back in tandem to clatter the fragile Australian middle-order. It was only when Mitchell Starc got in that Keshav Maharaj was again used.
These small tactical changes went a long way in cutting the Australian lead to only two runs, instead of fifty or more.
In the second innings, his master-stroke to bring in Stephen Cook to bowl on the fourth day even caught the eyes of Channel Nine commentators. It not only changed ends for Keshav Maharaj, who was given the joy to the drift the ball in with the Fremantle doctor, but it also gave an indication as to whether the ball was reverse-swinging.
Cook operated for three overs, going for plenty, yet when Du Plessis again brought his a-grade seamers back, the results were evident. Philander got the ball nipping in both ways and Rabada picked up two crucial wickets of Steven Smith and Adam Voges to pummel them to 169/4 with an impossible task ahead on the next day.
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