Vernon Philander – Wicket-taking machine

26th, June, 2007. For the first time, I caught a glimpse of South African seamer, Vernon Philander in a one-day game. In that match, after bowling 8 overs for 37 runs, he almost went unnoticed. He wasn’t one of those giants from the land of Caribbean, who made the batsmen’s tribe scurrying for cover through brute force and sheer intimidation. With a whiplash action, he didn’t sprint to the crease to do billion devious things with a ball in hand. All we saw that day was Philander wheeling away eight nonthreatening overs of medium pace.

9th, November, 2011. After a string of good performances, Philander had quietly worked his way back into the South African team. As he ran into bowl on that picturesque Capetown ground, the men from Down Under must have thought of targeting the greenhorn, Philander. But they were in for a 440 volt red ball shock, as Philander ripped through their batting line-up, and took nine wickets in the game. Before the Ozzies could recover from their discombobulated stupor, they were macerated for just 47 runs; by the mighty Saffers.

Since then, Philander has never looked back, as he has 78 wickets to his name in mere 14 tests. Philander is also the second fastest to reach fifty test wickets. The fastest to 50 wickets played test cricket more than 100 years ago, and that in-itself tells you this Philander is once in a generation bowler.

What makes Philander such a daunting prospect for a batsman to face?

As a keen cricket enthusiast, what I have observed is, Philander keeps the seam bolt upright everytime. It helps him to swing the ball in the air and get prodigious movement off the pitch. When Philander bowls, it can also be noticed that the ball leaves his hand late. As a result, the batsmen just grope for the ball.

Vernon Philander’s bowling can be encapsulated by how he bowled at Lord’s against England last year. Critics will opine that English top-order showed poor technique. But for once, let us give some credit to the bowler. He certainly decapitated England with a virtuoso exhibition of swing/seam bowling.

The way he outfoxed the opposition captain Strauss was a sight to behold. Philander bowled a delivery that angled across Strauss before curving back into him, and Strauss had no clue about it. The relentless Philander again bowled a well pitched up delivery that tended to hold its line, and trapped Strauss dead in front. A classic case of the batsman being done in by some well thought out planning and perfect execution.

Allan Donald on Philander, “It is just the telling lengths he bowls consistently, he never goes away, he locks you away as a batsman.” Donald also said, “If there`s anything in the wicket that offers him a bit, then he becomes even more of a handful. Since 2007 when he was left out of the South African side he`s gone away and learned his game, he`s become a tremendous bowler.”

There is no real secret about Philander’s modus operandi, as he sticks to the tried and tested method of hitting the top of off-stump and using the bouncer as a surprise weapon. As he also has the great ability to move the ball in the air and off the pitch at will, it makes him a major threat. As a bowler, Philander beautifully blends insouciance with geometric precision.

Can Philander succeed on flat wickets?

The big question on every cricket fan’s lips is, can Philander be a major threat even on flat decks? He is still not a master at reversing the old ball, and neither does he get bounce like the metronomic McGrath. Recently on a true surface at Gabba, Philander struggled with a lack of seam biting from the surface.

Unless your name is Nostradamus, it is impossible to predict the future. All I can say is, it shouldn’t take much time for a skilful bowler like Philander to understand the nuances of reversing the old ball. Philander’s lack of pace works for him too. The batsmen are likely going to nibble at deliveries outside the off-stump, when they are trying to cover the movement at lesser velocities. The scary thought for every batsman is, Philander hasn’t yet peaked as a bowler.

Philander, as a role model

In many ways, Philander is also a great role model for the next generation of cricketers coming through the ranks. Unlike other quicks, you rarely see Philander snarling, growling, sledging and hissing at the batsmen. Just like a true zen master, this unassuming cricketer from Ravensmead concentrates on plotting the downfall of the batsman at the crease.

These are good days, to be a fan of the South African cricket team. If Steyn and Morkel don’t make the life of a batsman hell then, Philander will get you, with a probing line in that one square foot window outside the off-stump. When Saffa quicks thunder into the crease, you are bound to get your money’s worth, as with the the deadly trio, vicious bouncers, flying stumps and hypnotising the batsmen into making fatal mistakes outside the off-stump is the name of the game.