Philander, Tahir add youth and flair to Proteas

Proteas took a leap of faith with the selection of fast bowler Vernon Philander and leg-spinner Imran Tahir to play the first Test against Australia at New lands.




THE Proteas took a leap of faith with the selection of fast bowler Vernon Philander and leg-spinner Imran Tahir to play the first Test against Australia at Newlands yesterday.

Not only did the pair earn their first caps, they are also both attacking bowlers. In an SA dressing room that has tended to value experience and consistency over youth and flair, that represents a significant departure from the norm.

The inclusion of Philander and Tahir marked the first time that a Proteas Test team has featured two debutants since Wayne Parnell and Ryan McLaren cracked the nod in the fourth Test against England at the Wanderers in Johannesburg last January, which was 11 Tests ago.

That, in turn, highlights a point that is particularly pertinent in the modern SA. Unlike Parnell and McLaren, Philander and Tahir are both players of colour although the latter hardly counts because he was born and raised in Pakistan.

Tahir’s selection has been perhaps the worst kept secret in South African cricket.

Philander’s was greeted with doubts and questions.

That is despite his 94 wickets in 19 first-class matches in the previous two seasons. In fact, no player at the moment with 250 first-class wickets to his credit anywhere in the world has a lower average than Philander, who went into the Test having claimed 251 scalps at 20,04.

The raised eyebrows did not escape the attention of former Proteas fast bowler Roger Telemachus.

"You’re only going to play Test cricket when you deserve to, and he does," Telemachus said. "It’s not about his colour. It’s about the skill, the knowledge and the passion he has for the game. I was selected because I was good enough; Vernon was selected because he is good enough. Transformation is all about giving a guy his opportunity because he is good enough."

Philander was good enough on the day to dismiss Phil Hughes, Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris. But there was no such happy beginning for Tahir, who rarely threatened the batsmen in six wicketless overs in which the runs flowed at more than one per ball.

Former Test batsman Peter Kirsten said Tahir was a victim of circumstances. "Michael Clarke and Shaun Marsh really batted well in the hour that he bowled, and unfortunately Morne Morkel wasn’t up to his usual good standard at the other end. I think Graeme (Smith) was probably forced to bring Tahir on too early. There was no real spin, and he over- pitched and got smacked.

"If the sun comes out tomorrow and the wind keeps blowing, this pitch will certainly turn on Saturday — perhaps even Friday afternoon."