The Proteas unbelievable decision to pick a seam-bowling allrounder ahead of spinner George Linde in the first ODI against Sri Lanka shows that the team don't learn from their past mistakes.
Andile Phehlukwayo played the first match of a three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka, and unfortunately, proved to be a weak link in the bowling attack.
Phehlukwayo’s recent form with the bat meant that the decision to include him was a huge gamble and one that was always unlikely to pay off.
While Sri Lanka are of course accustomed to spinning conditions that does not render them immune to the wiles of a world-class tweaker.
The Islanders have struggled to score against the turning ball across all formats of the game but suffer from a particularly acute affliction in the white-ball game.
The spinners fielded, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi and part-timer Aiden Markram all did a great job of keeping the hosts in check only to see the seamers consistently release the pressure by missing their lengths.
Phehlukwayo is known for his bowling variations but very little of what he tried to do at the Premadasa stadium.
Maharaj’s left-arm spin proved virtually impossible to get away and had Linde been selected alongside him the pair might have acted as momentum killers for the Proteas up front.
Linde is also a far better player of spin than Phehlukwayo, and although you can’t compare potential to actual performance, would have given the Proteas more firepower in their chase.
Having opened the bowling in T20I cricket, Linde knows what is required to keep international batsmen in check, and it beggars belief that he wasn’t one of the first names on the teamsheet, ahead of both Phehlukwayo and fellow seamer Wian Mulder.
Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma used his spinners well in the match, setting good fields and bringing them on to halt the Sri Lankan progress, however he simply ran out of overs from accomplished spinners which allowed the lower order to achieve a big finish.
With two matches to go, and T20Is to follow, the Proteas must give Linde more time out in the middle.
