Africa-Press – South-Africa. Before the second Test at the ZA Chowdhury Stadium, the last time three or more batters made hundreds in the same innings for South Africa, was also against Bangladesh, in Bloemfontein in 2017.
In that Test Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis, Aiden Markram and Hashim Amla all reached three figures. The 575/6 decl. SA made over the first two days of the current Test is the second highest Test total by the Proteas since then.
In that season, Tony de Zorzi, then 20 years old, was still playing for the Titans domestically. In the Four-Day competition (then known as the Sunfoil Series), De Zorzi averaged 16.15 across 13 innings — he made one fifty.
A lot has changed for him and the Proteas since. Wednesday’s was a high point for the current generation of South African batting. Five of the eight front-line batters — including De Zorzi — have played less than 10 Tests. “We are quite young, we’ve had to learn and adapt quickly on the job,” De Zorzi said on Wednesday.
South Africa’s limited Test schedule creates pressure that young batters in England, Australia and India don’t face. Shukri Conrad has had to instil confidence by using SA A tours and even limited overs matches. Experience has had to be built differently than it would have been for Amla, Elgar and Du Plessis when they were coming through the system.
It’s not just a case of playing five seasons of first class cricket — there isn’t even enough of that in SA these days — rather young batters have had to rely on exposure they’re getting even in T20 leagues, to accelerate their growth in the Test arena.
“A lot of the young guys, like Stubbo, play around the world, so they come in with different types of experiences, not necessarily age. Wiaan’s been playing for a while, we are not old — like 30 or 40 — but we all have our own experiences which allows us to perform,” said De Zorzi.
Markram and Temba Bavuma, who has stayed with the squad in Chattogram despite not being able to play because of his elbow injury, have been sharing as much information as they can about Test batting. As has the coaching staff, with Ashwell Prince, the batting coach at the forefront of those talks. Even Kagiso Rabada has been roped in , because who better to learn about what bowlers are thinking, thank a bloke who’s dismissed Virat Kohli and Joe Root a total of nine times.
“Those conversations have allowed us to pick up information pretty quickly and allow us to implement it,” said De Zorzi.
The expectations that come with batting on a surface as good as the one in Chattogram, creates its own pressure, which De Zorzi had to manage in the more than seven hours he spent at the crease over the first two days.
“Most of it is a mental challenge, once you’re in, it’s about your decision making, your ability to stay focused and within the game plan and identify what is working on the wicket against certain bowlers and then sticking to that. You also need to be fit enough to do it….”
De Zorzi’s 177 was the top score in the SA innings, but he wasn’t satisfied. “The opportunity was definitely there to get a double hundred, maybe even more. It’s not often you have time in Test cricket nowadays where you can bat at one tempo for a long period.”
Fortunately, after De Zorzi was dismissed, Wiaan Mulder was able to drive home the advantage the South African opener had helped to create, with a maiden hundred of his own.
“This is the pinnacle for me,” Mulder said after scoring an unbeaten 105. “It’s why I get up in the morning… to score a hundred in a Test match. It’s been my dream since I was a kid. It creates a lot of positives for my game personally, but also for where this team is going.”
In the short term, that journey will involve winning this Test and with Bangladesh precariously placed at 38/4 at the end of the second day, the Proteas are favourites to win.
But the bigger goal is as important. Mulder mentioned the World Test Championship Final, but that is only one part. Creating a new legacy, especially by doing something for the first time since Amla, Du Plessis and Elgar did, is an even more significant part of that voyage.
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