“Everyone shares knowledge among each other.” – Sarel Erwee on how South Africa are coping without their bowling coach.
Telford Vice | St George’s Park
WHAT difference does a coach make at elite level? It’s one of sport’s more unanswerable questions, and more so in cricket — where at least as many decisions are made on the field as in the dressing room. Given how prominent statistical analysis is becoming in the game, we may yet be able to measure that part of this piece of string.
For now, all we have are theory and supposition. So the segue on the subject offered by the curious circumstances of the St George’s Park Test is intriguing: what happens to teams when coaches are absent? Russell Domingo, Bangladesh’s head coach, isn’t at the ground. Neither is Charl Langeveldt, South Africa’s bowling coach.
Domingo, a Gqeberha native who still lives in the city when he isn’t in a Tigers tracksuit, travelled here from Durban the day before the squad to visit family and friends. And a good thing, too: he tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, and might well have taken a few players or other members of the support staff down that path with him had they been sat next to them on a plane on a flight of 90 minutes.
Confirmation that Langeveldt had contracted the same disease, along with Zunaid Wadee, South Africa’s security officer, was also had on Friday. Their symptoms were not serious, and they chose to drive together from Durban to their homes in Paarl and Cape Town. They were involved in a crash near their destinations, but were not badly injured.
Domingo, Langeveldt and Wadee are resting and recuperating at their respective homes, and expected to make full recoveries. Their experience triggered the more relaxed coronavirus protocols agreed between CSA and the BCB before the series, but no rules appear to have been broken. Less certain is whether the teams have been affected by the absence of their coaches.
Mominul Haque ignored Domingo’s advice to bat first at Kingsmead, a decision that doubtless led to Bangladesh’s dismissal for 53 in the fourth innings. This time, the choice was taken out of Mominul’s hands because Dean Elgar won the toss. But it would have been Mominul who decided to station himself at the unusual position of short mid-on on Sunday, when he took the catches that did for Sarel Erwee and Ryan Rickelton in South Africa’s second innings.
Langeveldt often has a noticeable positive effect on the bowlers he coaches, usually in a skill sense. When he comes on board, his charges are soon equipped with new deliveries and subtle variations to their existing repertoires. South Africa’s attack are unlikely to lose what Langeveldt has given them in the space of one Test, but his keen eye for detail wouldn’t have gone amiss.
How have South Africa made do without him? “We’ve got experienced guys in our team, experienced coaches as well,” Sarel Erwee told a press conference. “So everyone shares knowledge among each other, especially the bowling unit. Yes, we’re missing our bowling coach and we wish him well. But we’ve got other guys helping out and it’s going well so far.”
In contrast to Langeveldt, Allan Donald, his Bangladesh counterpart, tends to emphasise aggression, an argument that isn’t difficult to make on the evidence of the attitude the visitors’ fast bowlers have brought to this series.
Not that it’s helped the visitors much. Maybe coaches matter more when teams are well-matched, when the smallest advantage could be what wins games. That isn’t the case this time, with South Africa steaming towards a 2-0 series win.
Going into the fourth day, Bangladesh need 386 more runs to reach their target of 413, which would be the highest successful chase in a Test in South Africa and the third-highest in history. The most runs yet reeled in to win at St George’s Park is the 271/8 Australia made in March 1997. South Africa’s 215/5 against New Zealand in February 1954 is the only other instance of a target of 200 or more being overhauled in Gqeberha.
South Africa reached this happy place by piling up 453 — only their second effort of 450 or more in their last 19 Tests — and then keeping the pressure on to dismiss Bangladesh 236 runs behind. The follow-on was not enforced, and South Africa batted into the second hour after tea before declaring. Then, with Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer sharing the new ball, as was the case at Kingsmead, they sent the visitors spiralling to 27/3 in the 9.1 overs they faced before stumps.
Ripping turn from both ends to tentative batters under the glowing floodlights as the sunset draped itself over the sky to the west made for a dramatic spectacle. How did openers feel about that scenario? “We experienced it last week in Durban, and it makes your heart flutter,” Erwee said. “It’s not a nice period. We’ve got two world-class spinners, and it makes it even worse if you’re got to go face them.”
Erwee’s burgeoning partnership with Elgar is having a significant impact on South Africa’s performances. They have opened the batting only eight times, but already they have mounted two century stands and two more of more than 50. Six of the side’s other first-wicket pairs never scored as many as the 397 runs Elgar and Erwee have made together despite having as many or more opportunities to do so.
“We share a good relationship off the field, so you get to know each other and what makes each other tick,” Erwee said about Elgar. “Taking that off-field relationship onto the field makes you understand your partner better.”
Good coaches know better than to get in the way of the development of that kind of healthy bond. Maybe that’s the key to their role at this level: understanding when to get out of the way.
First published by Cricbuzz.
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