When Vernon Philander first went to New Zealand, he was expected to head Down Under quite literally. Having taken 30 wickets in his first four Tests at an average of 13.23 at home, Philander was flying high and many thought foreign conditions would send him in the opposite direction. How wrong they were.
By the time the trip was over, Philander had added another 21 wickets to his name and claimed them at an average of 15.47. He became the fastest bowler to 50 Test scalps in over a hundred years and the quickest South African to the milestone. The surfaces seemed to suit his subtle seam movement just fine, which is what South Africa hope will give them an edge over New Zealand in the three-match ODI series which starts on Tuesday.
“I am very excited to see a guy like Vernon back,” AB de Villiers said ahead of the first ODI. “He has been bowling very well in the nets and we know the kind of skill he has got, especially on wickets we will face in New Zealand.”
Philander missed out on South Africa’s most recent fifty-over outing – the triangular series involving Zimbabwe and Australia – with a hamstring injury but now that he has recovered, he will slot straight back into the starting XI. He expects to start with the new ball and has also been preparing to bowl at the death, an area where South Africa still have a vacancy.
“I’ll be looking to strike upfront but then maybe also at the end of the innings,” Philander said. “That’s something I have been working on as well. I went out to equip myself with those (death-bowling) skills in case I should be needed.”
Yorkers and slower balls are two of the things Philander has been preparing to deliver at the death but his main focus will be on refusing to panic when the opposition attempt to turn it on. “It’s about staying calm,” Philander said. “A lot of the time the emotions run away with you, you get caught up in the chase and you do too many things. So it’s about staying calm and executing well.”
Bowling with discipline contributed to Philander’s success at Test level and he does not see why it cannot do the same in shorter formats. “In the ODIs in Sri Lanka, I had the freedom to bowl my Test lengths but with a bit more intensity,” Philander said. “That’s the only real change. The intensity creeps up a bit playing one-day cricket but it’s not going to make a massive difference to who I am. It’s probably just going to enhance my game a little bit more.”
Adding more to his repertoire is important for Philander because although he is integral to the Test side, he has played only 15 ODIs. Less than half of those – seven – have been in the past year so it’s fair to say he is still trying to establish himself in the shorter formats and has identified a niche he can fit into.
Since Jacques Kallis’ retirement and even with Ryan McLaren as a regular, South Africa are still searching for a second lower-order all-rounder and Philander’s batting could provide that. “I’ve been comfortable with the bat for the past year or so,” Philander said. “It’s been going really well and I’ve been working relatively hard at my batting.”
Philander’s confidence at the crease has been evident in two of his Test fifties, where he has both partnered a set batsman like when he was alongside JP Duminy at Lord’s in 2012 and marshaled the tail, like he did against India in Johannesburg. Philander believes he can do the same at ODI level.
“Because there are some games you are going to come in with a couple of overs left and some games you are going to come in with a lot of overs left, preparing mentally is key for me,” Philander said. “I am gearing up for when I have to try and form partnerships but also for batting with the tail when I have to make sure you collect 50 to 100 runs and try and up the tempo.”
With Wayne Parnell ruled out of the first match with a shoulder niggle, Philander has at least one opportunity to make the role his own. Parnell should be fit for the other two matches in the series, something Philander will take note of especially because de Villiers has warned his team that no one is safe. “Any of the XV can find a spot in the main XI,” de Villiers said. “I can even go further and say there are 20 to 25 guys in South Africa that can walk into this XI, that I know are good enough and that I’ve seen perform under pressure.”
That player pool will all be monitored over the next four months, as South Africa decide on their World Cup squad, something Philander would dearly love to be part of. Given what New Zealand did for his Test reputation, he has no reason to think it cannot have the same effect on his ODI ambitions.
