The Protean bowling power

Have you heard of a man who has a free license to kill? If not, read on.

The number one bowler in the world. A stellar professional who knows nothing besides bowling unplayable deliveries at a hypersonic speed and a captain’s trump card, who puts in everything to every single ball he bowls; a speedster capable of bringing life to dead pitches at will. In-swingers, out-swingers, bouncers, yorkers, slower ones: he has everything in his arsenal.

323 wickets in 63 tests at an exceptional strike rate of 40.8. He is a blend of aggressiveness and control. In an era where the art of fast bowling is dying, he has shown no signs of depletion and has stimulated fast bowling circles around the world, thus injecting new life into the world of fast bowling.

Yes you guessed right, it’s the Proteas’ biggest weapon, Dale Steyn. The first test between South Africa and Pakistan got over last Monday. South Africa won by 211 runs with a day and a half to spare. Steyn showed again why he is the king, ending with match figures of 11/60.

Before the series kicked off, everyone expected it to be close series, with the high minds of the game terming Pakistan as a team to beat, especially after they beat India in India. That appeared to be false claims on the part of the experts, as the Pakistani batsmen looked completely out of sorts against the South African bowlers in the first Test. They looked like deers caught in the glare of approaching head lights. The South African bowlers, led by Steyn, were all over them.

The trio of Steyn, Morkel and Philander demolished Pakistan brutally and it isn’t the first time in the last few months that they have done this. The trio have inflicted their supremacy on almost all batting lineups playing international cricket at the moment, starting with Australia (47/10). The hapless Kiwis also had their share of nightmares when they came in the line of fire, and were skittled out for a mere 45 runs.

Here’s a stat that will speak the obvious: since 1990, there have been 10 teams which have been bowled out for below the scores of 100. Out of these 10 instances, three have come in the last 18 months and have been triggered by this trio.

Vernon Philander, the 27 year-old bowling all-rounder, has been a sensation since he popped into this little club of South African bowlers. He reached 50 test wickets in just seven tests. What’s surprising is the fact that he does not look that parlous when stacked up against his senior partner Steyn. Yet, he has made batsmen look awkward against his seam bowling.

He has the unique ability to make the ball move both ways, thus making batsmen look vulnerable and uncomfortable. It’s just been 15 months since he made his debut, and he has already made a name of his own in the list of best bowlers in recent times. It wasn’t a surprise then, that he was nominated for ICC Cricketer of the Year and ICC Test Cricketer of the Year, last year.

The Proteas’ third blowgun is Morne Morkel. ‘Morras’, as he is known among his mates, is the one-change bowler for South Africa. He is tall, lean and radiates an abundance of vitality and energy. He carries a reputation of being the most worrisome bowler to face among batsmen at the moment. With his height, he generates a lot of bounce. Pace coupled with bounce prompts batsmen to get onto the back foot, which creates problems for batsmen to score. He has been on the international scene for quite some time now. Every now and then, he chips in with important wickets at crucial stages of the game, making him an undetachable force in the Protean bowling department.

Ever since cricket evolved, it’s been the batsmen who have earned the plaudits for achieving their fame. Bowlers have suffered to make their entity count. When you unfold cricket’s history, one finds that most greats of the game are batsmen. It’s not that bowlers have not done enough to label themselves as greats. It’s just that for a majority, runs count and wickets don’t. It is a grave irony of our cricketing world. These three audacious men look like breaching this tradition. For that, they deserve a 21 cannon salute from the cricketing world.