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From de Kock through du Plessis to de Villiers, South Africa’s batting order ran a relentless relay race to 438 and a first ever bilateral ODI series win in India

Rachna Shetty in Mumbai 26-Oct-2015The perfect relay race is a finely tuned combination of speed, skill and strategy – swift changeovers, sustained pace, the right runners at the right leg and ruthlessness in heaps. In the series decider against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, South Africa ran something of an equivalent to it.They weren’t without help – India’s short-length strategy, their errors in the field, a belter of a track, a quick outfield and short boundaries – but no matter how perfect the conditions, the race still needs to be run and South Africa did that after opting to bat first on Sunday.Finding the right men for the job, specially in a batting line-up with their quality was never an issue. They’ve shuffled their batting around in this series, once to coax David Miller back to form, and another forced by JP Duminy’s injury – but the batsmen who scored the centuries today have all been in form in this series.Their problems, in Indore, Rajkot and Chennai, lay with their struggles on a slow pitch and a tendency to lose wickets in clumps. None of that was on display in Mumbai – the aggression kept building up with Quinton de Kock, then Faf du Plessis before that final, characteristic burst from AB de Villiers that left an already struggling Indian bowling line-up’s plans in rubble.For a while, at the start, it seemed like Hashim Amla would finally get among the runs that he has been aiming for in this series. He took a liking to Mohit Sharma’s troubles at finding a good length straightaway, taking five boundaries off Mohit, before edging one behind. Almost effortlessly, de Kock took charge, much like he and du Plessis had done in Rajkot when they added 118 runs.India brought on spin, in the form of Harbhajan Singh, in the seventh over. By the 10th over, there was spin at both ends. It didn’t work. This wasn’t a turning track, and the spinners had little assistance.Harbhajan did manage to catch de Kock off balance a couple of times early on, but the other spinners weren’t as tight. As his spell wore on, de Kock had the measure of the bowler – the manner in which he adjusted at the last minute while playing a cut to third-man off Harbhajan in the 19th over was evidence of that. Sixty-four of his 109 came against India’s lead spinners, each at better than a run-a-ball.A lot of talk in this series has revolved around the kind of impact new ODI rules have had on slow, turning tracks and in conditions where the ball gets old quickly. The unspoken assumption, of course, is that your bowlers can actually produce the lines and lengths you need in the conditions you face. India did not do that today and Dhoni didn’t hold back on the admission of the side’s shortcomings.Dhoni stated that on a track like the one at Wankhede, India’s seamers and the short-ball strategy broke down because the pacers couldn’t hit the deck hard enough. As South Africa accelerated, it got that much harder to control them.With de Kock humming at one end, du Plessis was happy to keep turning the strike around, acknowledging the risk of two batsmen simultaneously going ballistic. Before this game, du Plessis had crossed the 50-run mark in three out of four matches, but that consistency didn’t quite match the high expectations he had of himself. Before the Rajkot ODI, he had stressed how he wanted to bat longer, to bat better, to build a more substantial innings. He picked an opportune time for it.The heat affected du Plessis, and he struggled more and more as the innings progressed, but it was his stability and control over India’s frontline spinners and the part-timers that allowed de Kock and de Villiers the luxury of their big shots. He pushed himself almost to breaking point – to a situation where every six that he hit was followed by the sight of him crumbling awkwardly to the ground with cramps.And then there was de Villiers, who raced to his third hundred in the series. He’s hardly the kind of batsman to walk away from a platform like 187 for 2 in the 27th over. His tally of sixes – some of them mistimed, and top-edged – may not have shot up to 11 at another ground, but this innings wasn’t just about the hitting.De Villiers later said that when he came to the crease, and as his stand with du Plessis grew, he often had to hold himself back from playing aggressive shots. The reason, he said, was that he didn’t want to leave a tiring du Plessis with the task of shepherding the finish. That was his job, and he switched gears seamlessly once Du Plessis had walked off due to the cramp.The captain was batting on 79, and South Africa on 351 for 2, when David Miller joined him at the crease and India’s bowlers could do nothing but watch. When he fell three overs later, South Africa were 399 for 3 and on their way to securing their first ever bilateral ODI series win in India.

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2015James Anderson, however, struck early having the returning Azhar Ali for a seven-ball duck•Getty ImagesMohammad Hafeez did not build on a start, holing out to Stuart Broad in the deep…•Getty Images…but Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan steadied their side on a pitch that offered turn right away•Getty ImagesBroad delivered five consecutive maidens after lunch, during which he had Younis caught behind•Getty ImagesMisbah-ul-Haq and Sarfraz Ahmed, however, kept the scorecard ticking with an 80-run partnership•Getty ImagesThat was ended by Moeen Ali and Pakistan lost their last five wickets for 38 runs, after which England played out two overs before stumps•Getty ImagesAnderson and Broad were the standout performers of the day, claiming combined figures of 6 for 30•Getty Images

After posting no century partnership in Tests in 2015, South Africa had three in an innings in Cape Town, Stats highlights from another batsman-dominated day at Newlands

S Rajesh05-Jan-20160 Instances, before this game, of both teams getting 600-plus totals in the first innings of a Test in South Africa. In fact, there has been only one other instance of both teams getting 500-plus: ten years ago at the same venue, New Zealand declared at 583 for 8, and South Africa replied with 512. Had South Africa scored three more runs before declaring, this would have been only the fourth instance of a team taking the first-innings lead when chasing a 600-plus total: it has happened in the Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test in 2009, Sri Lanka-India in 2010, and West Indies-England in 2009.627/7 South Africa’s total, their fifth highest in any Test innings, their third best against England, and their best against England at home. The 211 overs they played is also the fifth highest for them in any Test innings.97.84 The average runs per wicket in this Test so far, the fifth highest in Test history, and the highest by far in South Africa.477 Balls faced by Hashim Amla for his 201, the third highest in any Test innings in South Africa. The only higher ones are 642, by Gary Kirsten against England in Durban in 1999, and Michael Atherton’s 492-ball unbeaten 185 in Johannesburg in 1995. Both those knocks came in the team’s second innings, and helped save the game from tough positions.0 Instances of South African captains playing a longer innings – in terms of balls faced – than Amla’s Cape Town effort. His 477 balls is comfortably higher than the previous record of 388, by Graeme Smith against Pakistan in Dubai in 2013. The top 11 instances of most deliveries played by a South African captain are all by either Smith (8) or Amla (3). Amla’s 201 is also the seventh double-century by a South African captain in Tests.3 Number of times Amla has faced 450-plus deliveries in a Test innings. It has only been done nine times by all South African batsmen, with Gary Kirsten being the other player to achieve this three times.50 The difference between Amla’s aggregate in 12 Test innings in 2015, and his score in his first innings of 2016. He totaled 251 at an average of 22.81 last year, an aggregate he threatened to surpass in just one innings in Cape Town.4 Double-centuries for Amla in Tests; among South Africans, only Smith, with five, has more.14 Instances of three century partnerships in an innings for South Africa in Tests. They didn’t have a single such partnership in all of 2015, but in their first innings of the new year they’ve had three, with Amla-AB de Villiers, Amla-Faf du Plessis, and Temba Bavuma-Chris Morris all putting together century stands. The last such instance was in the Boxing Day Test of 2013 against India in Durban.167 The partnership between Bavuma and Morris, South Africa’s third highest for the seventh wicket in all Tests, and their best against England.7 Bowlers who have conceded 100 or more runs in the first two innings of this Test – this has never happened before in a Test in South Africa. The previous highest was five. In fact, there have only been 14 instances ever of seven or more bowlers conceding 100-plus runs in the first two innings of a Test match; the previous such instance was the Perth Test last year between Australia and New Zealand.18 Instances of five or more 50-plus scores for South Africa in a Test innings. Excluding the openers, though, there have been only three such instances: the previous one was in 1966, against Australia.9 Instances of England bowling 200-plus overs without a single no-ball in a Test innings. The last such instance was in 1987 at The Oval against Pakistan, which is also the last time they bowled more overs than the 211 they did in South Africa’s first innings at Newlands.

Plays of the day from the third T20I between Australia and India at the SCG

Daniel Brettig31-Jan-2016The human after allWalking onto the SCG to face India, Usman Khawaja’s previous nine innings had been as follows: 174, 9*, 121, 109*, 144, 56, 62, 104* and 70. He was understandably confident, getting off the mark first ball, and swiftly gliding to 14 from five. But Ashish Nehra was getting a modicum of movement with the new ball, and a perfectly pitched delivery drew and edge well caught by MS Dhoni. It proved that even the best can get a good one early, and perhaps also that Trent Boult may provide Khawaja with a challenge or two in New Zealand.The free hitsThe prospect of a free hit appears to be a strong deterrent against no balls for most, but in the fourth over Jaspreet Bumrah was unable to stop himself from transgressing twice in a row. The two free hits were summarily dispatched by Shane Watson, power drives skating either side of the cover fielder. Bumrah did not help himself by missing his yorker each time, delivering low full tosses that Watson was well balanced to crack through the off side.The new faceCameron Bancroft had first been picked for Australia in the Test squad for a tour of Bangladesh that was to be postponed indefinitely due to security concerns in October. He finally made his first appearance for Australia in the last international match of the home season, picked speculatively as a wicketkeeper in the absence of Matthew Wade. Bancroft took the gloves without the Perth Scorchers for the first time this season, and other stumpers such as Chris Hartley, Tim Ludeman and Tim Paine had cause to query the choice. They had further ammunition when Bancroft, who had caught Shikhar Dhawan, fumbled a stumping chance from Cameron Boyce when Suresh Raina danced down the wicket.The knock onThere seemed to be no stopping Virat Kohli as he surged to another half century. However Boyce had delivered a fine spell, defeating Rohit Sharma before the missed Raina stumping. He offered air once more from his second last ball and drew Kohli down, causing a miscued jumble of bat, ground, feet that had the ball corkscrewing back towards the stumps. Kohli dived back to try to avoid a stumping, only to watch as the stumps were broken.

06-May-2016Dwayne Smith fell in the third over, before Shikhar Dhawan made a mess of a chance offered by McCullum. McCullum was on 3 then and Lions were 12 for 1•BCCISuresh Raina played a brief cameo before popping a return catch to Bhuvneshwar•AFPSoon after Kane Williamson’s sharp catch got rid of Dinesh Karthik, an air-borne David Warner plucked a stunner at long-off to see the back of McCullum. Lions were 34 for 4•BCCISunrisers had several moments of brilliance on the field. Substitute fielder Vijay Shankar’s stunning boundary catch sent back Dwayne Bravo who had helped rebuild through a 45-run fifth-wicket stand with Aaron Finch•BCCIRavindra Jadeja chipped in with 18 and added 27 for the sixth wicket with Finch•BCCIFinch stayed not out on 51 to steer Lions to 126 for 6•BCCIMustafizur Rahman and Bhuvneshwar starred with the ball for Sunrisers. Bhuvneshwar took 2 for 28, while Mustafizur ended with 2 for 17•BCCIDavid Warner scored a typically quick 24 before he mistimed a pull shot and picked mid-on•AFPLions’ bowlers continued to make inroads. When Moises Henriques was caught behind for 14, Sunrisers were 55 for 3•BCCIBut Dhawan played a watchful innings to keep Sunrisers afloat•BCCIYuvraj Singh could not make an impact on his Sunrisers debut and managed just 5 off 14 balls•BCCIWhen Bravo had Deepak Hooda caught behind in the 18th over, the equation narrowed down to 19 from 16 balls•BCCIWhile Bravo took 2 for 14 in three, Dhawal Kulkarni finished with 2 for 17 in four overs•BCCIBut their efforts went in vain as Dhawan smacked back-to-back fours to help the hosts reach the target with an over to spare•BCCI

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2016Jake Ball was the final wicket to fall when he couldn’t make his ground•Getty ImagesYasir Shah holds the ball aloft after finishing with six wickets•Getty ImagesStuart Broad is ecstatic after having Mohammad Hafeez caught in the slips•Getty ImagesAlastair Cook holds the catch at first slip to remove Shan Masood•Getty ImagesYounis Khan struggled to settle as Pakistan’s scoring rate slowed•Getty ImagesAlex Hales held a well-judged catch running around at deep midwicket to remove Misbah-ul-Haq for a duck•AFPSteven Finn throws his head back as he sees Younis save himself from an lbw with a review•Getty ImagesAsad Shafiq played his second important innings of the match to help steady the innings•PA PhotosYounis eventually dragged on against Moeen Ali, but it was a ball that turned sharply which was good news for Pakistan•Getty ImagesMoeen collected two big wickets to keep England in the contest•Getty ImagesSarfraz Ahmed’s innings kept the pressure on England•Getty ImagesStuart Broad couldn’t quite grasp a low chance offered by Yasir Shah•Getty ImagesSteven Finn shows his anger as Jonny Bairstow drops a catch•Getty ImagesChris Woakes claimed his tenth wicket of the match when he removed Sarfraz Ahmed•Getty Images

Stats highlights England’s 122-run victory over Sri Lanka in Cardiff

Bharath Seervi02-Jul-20164 Number of bilateral ODI series of five or more matches in which England have not lost any game, including this series. The first such series was against Zimbabwe in 2001-02 when they won all the five matches. The second came against South Africa in 2008 when they won four of the five matches, with one game being washed out. The last such series came against India at home in 2011, which had similar result like this series – three wins, one tie and one no-result.2 Number of bilateral ODI series of five or more matches in which Sri Lanka have not managed to win a single game, including this series. The first came against India in 2014-15 when they lost all the five matches.324 England’s total in this game, which is their second highest in ODIs against Sri Lanka. Their highest of 333 for 9 came in a 60-over match in the 1983 World Cup in Taunton. The previous-highest total for England in a 50-over ODI against Sri Lanka was 321 for 7 at Headingley in 2006, which Sri Lanka chased down in 37.3 overs. This was the first time England made more than 250 runs in ODIs in Cardiff and their total is the second highest by any team at this venue.1 Number of higher victory margins, in terms of runs, for England against Sri Lanka, than the 122-run win in this ODI. They had won by 128 runs at the WACA in 1998-99, which is their biggest win against Sri Lanka.109 Runs added by Joe Root and Jos Buttler for the fifth wicket, which is the most by a England pair against Sri Lanka in ODIs. Root was involved in the previous highest as well – 98 runs with James Taylor in Wellington in the 2015 World Cup.225.00 Buttler’s strike rate in his last 20 balls of the innings, in which he scored 45 runs. In the first 25 balls he faced, he managed only 25, including one four. In the last 20 balls, he hit six fours and a six.93 Root’s tally in this match – the highest by an England batsman in Cardiff. There have been four centuries at this venue, all by non-England players. The previous highest by an England batsman was 88 by Ian Bell against Pakistan in 2006. Buttler scored 70 on Saturday, which is the third-highest score at this venue. This was the first time Root was out in the nineties, having pressed on to make a century eight times.7 Number of times the top-six England batsmen made 20 or more runs in an ODI. This was their second such instance in ODIs this year. They had achieved the feat against South Africa in Bloemfontein earlier this year when they posted 399.83 Runs conceded by Chaminda Bandara, which is the most by a Sri Lanka player on ODI debut. This is also the most by a bowler from a Full-Member side in a 50-over ODI. The previous highest by bowler from a Full-Member team in a 50-over ODI was 78 by Steven Smith in 2009-10. Bandara, though, in his last first-class match, in March, had taken 9 for 68 in the first innings.316 Runs scored by Jason Roy in this series, which is the most by an England opener against Sri Lanka. The previous highest was 298 by Alastair Cook in 2011. Root had scored 367 in the seven-match series in 2014-15, which is the only aggregate higher than Roy’s 316 for England against Sri Lanka, considering players from any batting position.4 Number of fifties by Dinesh Chandimal in this series, which is the most by a Sri Lanka batsman in a bilateral ODI series of five or fewer matches. Chandimal has scored five fifties and one century in eight ODI innings this year.12 Number of fifties made by Sri Lanka players in this series without making a century – the most for them in a bilateral ODI series. Their previous highest was ten fifties in 2004 series against South Africa. Only two teams have made more fifties without a century in a bilateral series – 13 by India in the seven matches against England in 2007 and and an equal number by Zimbabwe in five matches against Kenya in 2008-09.4 Number of run-out dismissals from Sri Lanka’s top-four batsmen in this series, which is their joint most in a bilateral ODI series. Their total of seven run-outs, from all positions, in the series, stands joint second. Kusal Perera, the opener, and Dasun Shanaka, the allrounder, were run-out twice in the series.

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2016It was an awful piece of judgement from such an experienced batsman•Associated PressAdil Rashid also struck as Bangladesh continued to lose their way•Associated PressBen Stokes had been the catalyst late on the second day and continued a masterful display of reverse swing•Associated PressStokes wrapped up the innings when Kamrul Islam Rabbi judged the wrong one to leave•Associated PressHowever, after a steady start, England quickly lost top-order wickets – Alastair Cook the first when he edged low to slip•Getty ImagesMehedi Hasan claimed the seventh wicket of his debut Test•Getty ImagesShakib tried to make amends for his earlier shot with two wickets before lunch•AFPMoeen Ali helped to steady England’s innings before falling for 14…•AFP…he was well caught off a sweep by Mushfiqur Rahim to leave England 62 for 5•Getty ImagesBut Stokes followed his fine bowling with a mature and sensible half-century•AFPHe was joined in a crucial sixth-wicket stand by Jonny Bairstow, who broke Andy Flower’s record for runs by a wicketkeeper in a year•AFPStokes unleashed some powerful shots as England took control•Getty ImagesKamrul Islam Rabbi claimed Bairstow as his first Test wicket•AFP

Stats highlights from the third Test between Australia and South Africa in Adelaide where Faf du Plessis declared on the score of 259

Shiva Jayaraman24-Nov-20162 Centuries by South African captains in Tests in Australia before Faf du Plessis’ 118 not out. Graeme Smith had scored both of them – at the same venue in 2012-13 and at the WACA in 2008-09. Overall, du Plessis’ hundred was only the seventh by a South Africa captain in Tests against Australia.97.40 Du Plessis’ batting average in Tests in Australia. He has made two hundreds and two fifties in just eight innings. At the Adelaide Oval, du Plessis has made 306 runs – scores of 78, 110* and 118* – in three innings. Overall, he has 701 runs at 63.72 in Tests against Australia. Only two other South Africa batsmen with at least 500 runs against Australia – Barry Richards and Graeme Pollock – average higher than du Plessis against them.108.33 Du Plessis’ strike rate against Mitchell Starc in his innings. He faced 48 balls from Starc and made 52 runs, 36 of which came off boundaries. The other South Africa batsmen scored only 24 runs off 91 deliveries from Starc at a strike rate of 26.37.

1981 The last time Australia had five debutants in a Test series. They had handed out Test caps to Terry Alderman, Trevor Chappell, Martin Kent, Dirk Wellham and Mike Whitney in the Ashes series in England that year. While Callum Ferguson and Joe Mennie made their debuts in Hobart, this Test has three Australia debutants – Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson and Matt Renshaw.4 Number of times Josh Hazlewood has dismissed Hashim Amla in four innings in this series. This equals the most any bowler has dismissed Amla in a series. S Sreesanth had dismissed Amla four times in 69 deliveries during India’s tour of South Africa in 2006-07. Stuart Broad had got Amla four times from 207 balls in the Test series in South Africa in 2015-16. Hazlewood has bowled just 33 deliveries to Amla in this series so far.2/102 Score in the final session on the first day when artificial lights took over completely. The final session on the first day of the first floodlit Test at the Adelaide Oval had seen five wickets fall for 83 runs. However, the happenings in the first two sessions of the day were almost identical to the first Test: seven wickets fell for 171 runs in this Test. The first two sessions of the match between the hosts and New Zealand had seen seven wickets fall for 173 runs.Faf du Plessis declared South Africa’s innings at the Adelaide Oval with only 259 runs on the board – their second-lowest total on which they have declared in the first innings of a Test. The table below lists the 15 instances when teams have declared the first innings of a Test for a total of under 300 runs.

The balls faced by South Africa – 456 – were sixth on the list of fewest deliveries of a first innings of a Test before declaration.

In fact, this is the lowest team total at which a captain unbeaten at the crease has declared the first innings of a Test. The only other instance when an unbeaten captain chose to declare the first innings of a Test with a total of under 300 runs was when Geoff Howarth called New Zealand’s innings off while batting on 58* in the Wellington Test against Australia in 1982. That decision was, perhaps, forced by weather conditions with the first day of the Test already lost to rain.

Cricket South Africa have been asked by Test captain Faf du Plessis to be more vigilant about their players’ concerns to prevent more Kolpak departures. ESPNcricinfo lists some of the players who may be most tempted to join the talent drain

Firdose Moonda at Newlands06-Jan-20173:03

Explainer: What is a Kolpak deal?

Morne Morkel

Even if he recovers from his back injury, Morkel’s career is on the wane at the age of 32, and he may consider the tour of England to be his last hurrah. Morkel has not played for South Africa since June and lost ground to Abbott in that time, although he should find himself in contention for a Test spot when fit, especially after du Plessis stressed the importance of experience in the longest format. But the same may not apply in other formats. Morkel played just one of the six ODIs in the Caribbean triangular in June and was not included in the World T20 squad, which suggests South Africa are starting to move on.

Marchant de Lange

A tale that is almost Abbott-like in that de Lange made a stunning first impression when he took 7 for 81 against Sri Lanka on debut in 2011, but has struggled for opportunities since. However, the fact that he lacks Abbott’s consistency heightens the sense that he may be tempted to look elsewhere. He has played just two Tests and 10 limited-overs matches since bursting onto the scene and the frustration could be creeping up on him. A stress fracture and remodelled action stalled some of his progress and he has struggled to maintain a regular place at the Titans’ franchise as well as internationally. He relocated to Bloemfontein ahead of this summer and, at the halfway stage of this season’s first-class competition, was fourth on the wicket-taker’s list and bowling with pace once again.

David Miller

David Miller’s IPL contract could dissuade him from leaving South Africa•AFPA Test cap is probably not in Miller’s future, which may prompt him to look elsewhere if he is not satisfied with his lot as a white-ball specialists. He went 16 innings without a half-century in 2015 and was left out of the touring party for the triangular series in the Caribbean last winter, but recalled to play against Australia in October. What may encourage him to stay is that he is part of South Africa’s Champions Trophy plans, and very much in the running for the 2019 World Cup as well. Plus, he has a massive IPL contract that is said to be in the range of R25 million (US$1.82 million). CSA have also been willing to release him to other tournaments such as the CPL.

Chris Morris

Another nearly-man, Morris played two Tests for South Africa against England early in 2016 but has since fallen off the long-format radar and is not a certain pick in white-ball cricket either. He went to the World T20 and last played ODI cricket in June 2016, before suffering a knee injury in September which sidelined him almost four months. He missed the ODIs against Australia as a result. The niggle could not have come at a worse time because Morris was establishing himself as South Africa’s lower-order finisher and will now have to fight to get that place back. He was due to make a comeback for the Titans in a first-class fixture against the Knights this week, but that match has yet to get underway because of rain.

Dane Vilas

Dane Vilas has struggled for opportunities since the Test tour of India•Getty ImagesPicked as the first-choice wicketkeeper for South Africa’s Test tour to India in last 2015, Vilas became one of the casualties of what was a disastrous visit. South Africa lost 3-0 and their batsmen were outspun on turning tracks. Vilas only made 60 runs in seven innings and was promptly replaced by Quinton de Kock on the team’s return. He travelled to Australia as a reserve gloveman but has admitted his chances of a recall are slim. He is a strong candidate for a Kolpak option, taking into consideration his age (31) and his career prospects. Vilas is a senior player at the Cobras’ franchise but does not play in any T20 leagues. A county deal may suit him best.

Dwaine Pretorius

Pretorius has only played three ODIs to date but, with Abbott no longer on the scene, he has a chance to add to his caps quickly. Players need to have appeared in at least 15 white-ball internationals in the past two years to be considered for a Kolpak deal. South Africa have four T20s and ten ODIs in their schedule before the end of March. He will compete for a place as one of two allrounders with Andile Phehlukwayo and Wayne Parnell and so may find it difficult to get a regular run. Pretorius travelled a long road to become an international cricketer and it may be too early in his international career to think of a Kolpak deal, which makes it even more important that CSA ensure he is given enough opportunity to succeed.

And a couple more worth keeping tabs on

Neither Theunis de Bruyn nor Duanne Olivier have played any international cricket yet but they are both on the cusp. De Bruyn is in the current squad for the Sri Lanka Tests as a reserve batsman and Olivier was added to replace Abbott for the third Test at the Wanderers. With the batting line-up settled, Olivier is the likelier of the two to debut there, but South Africa will think hard about whether they want to cap him just yet, given that they are unsure if he will get a long run.Coach Russell Domingo expressed reservation over handing out new caps if there is the chance of the player using it as a ticket to the UK. “So if Kagiso Rabada breaks a finger tomorrow and I ask Duanne Olivier to come and play a Test match, but bear in mind that Kagiso is coming back straight afterwards because he’s one of the best bowlers in the world, Duanne might say, ‘Well stuff that, when am I going to play again? I’m going to go and sign a Kolpak,” Domingo said.De Bruyn and Olivier, and later players like Aiden Markram and Wiaan Mulder, could prove key tests of how South Africa handles the current exodus. They have already lost five recent Test caps to Kolpak deals, robbing them of options for the national side and depth in domestic cricket. The plans they put in place to keep these players will be crucial to South Africa’s cricketing future.