“He was pap.” – a source on Duanne Olivier’s condition before the Centurion Test.
Telford Vice | Centurion
THE mystery of Duanne Olivier’s controversial absence from the first Test between South Africa and India in Centurion has been explained, albeit belatedly. Olivier was left out despite being the highest wicket-taker in the provincial domestic competition, and even after Anrich Nortjé was ruled out of the series with a hip injury. Was Olivier punished for going Kolpak?
But CSA said on Monday Olivier had recently recovered from Covid-19. It is understood he should be fit for the second Test at the Wanderers, which starts on January 3. On Sunday, selection convenor Victor Mpitsang was asked by reporters from several publications why Olivier was not picked. To one, he offered nothing more than season’s greetings. To others, he did not reply.
Cricbuzz has learnt that Olivier tested negative for the virus before the squad went into camp on Saturday. Even so, his bowling was not up to his usual standards during preparations for the first Test — “he was pap [flat]”, in one source’s estimation — and he was told his return to Test cricket would be put on hold. By all accounts, Olivier was relieved to be given time to get back to his best. He is also dealing with minor problems with his left side and hamstring.
Despite his first-class success, Olivier’s selection in the squad raised eyebrows. In February 2019, after he had taken 48 wickets in his first 10 Tests, he rejected the promise of a two-year CSA contract to sign a three-year Kolpak deal with Yorkshire. While he was there, he was asked whether he was interested in qualifying to play for England. He said he was; a reasonable response considering he thought he had ended his international career.
The Kolpak era was over on December 31, and several of the affected South Africans have thus been rendered eligible for international selection. One of them, Wayne Parnell, broke the ice when he played in an ODI against the Netherlands in Centurion on November 26. But the prospect of Olivier’s comeback has not been universally welcomed — his loyalty is being questioned in myopic quarters.
On Monday, the reporters who had asked Mpitsang why Olivier wasn’t playing were given a statement by the South Africa team manager’s and told to attribute it to the selection convenor. “Duanne Olivier is healthy and well, but did return a positive Covid-19 test result a number of weeks ago, which forced him to quarantine and took time away from his training ahead of the current Test series against India,” the statement read. “This did take place while he was away with the intention to spend time with his family and his work loads were not where the selection panel would have wanted them to be by the time he entered the team bubble ahead of the first Test match. He picked up a hamstring niggle during the two-day, inter-squad match at the start of the camp and the selectors did not want to risk him unnecessarily when there are two more Test matches to think about.”
So, instead of Olivier being named to play his 11th Test in Centurion on Sunday, Marco Jansen made his debut. “Statistically, Marco Jansen was the standout performer with the ball against India A in their recent tour to South Africa and the selectors backed him to take on the senior India team and do well,” the statement read.
Jansen took six wickets at 31.83 in the three four-day games the countries’ A teams played in Bloemfontein in November and December. But Glenton Stuurman — who is also in the Test squad — took seven at 27.14 while Lutho Sipamla, a puzzling omission from the Test squad, claimed nine at 33.11. So how Jansen was the “standout performer” in “statistical” terms in the A series is difficult to fathom. But Cricbuzz has learnt that feedback from the two selectors who were in Bloem to watch those games, Mpitsang among them, was that the 21-year-old, 2.06-metre tall left-armer was the most impressively threatening of the home side’s fast bowlers.
Hence Jansen deserved his chance, and though his return of 0/61 from the 17 overs he bowled on Sunday are not the figures that a young man in a hurry would want from his first day at the highest level, he showed glimpses of the quality that has earned him 62 wickets at 22.88 in 18 first-class matches. Had Quinton de Kock held the chance gleaned from Mayank Agarwal, Jansen’s day might have panned out differently.
“Every player who has been selected for this Proteas team is believed and backed to be capable of representing the national team and give a performance of the highest level,” the statement read. “The absence of one player does not take away from the quality that another brings to the set up.”
Understood. But if the questions had been answered when they were asked, a controversy could not only have been avoided but would also not have grown into a conspiracy theory.
First published by Cricbuzz.
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