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Rohit and Kohli did not bat although they fielded during WA XI’s innings

Tristan Lavalette13-Oct-2022
KL Rahul made a patient 74, but India struggled on a fast WACA pitch against a strong WA XI attack in a 36-run defeat ahead of the T20 World Cup.After a tight 13-run win in their first warm-up on Monday, India’s batters other than stand-in captain Rahul were thwarted in their chase. Hardik Pandya was India’s second-highest scorer with 17. Regular captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli did not bat although they fielded during WA XI’s innings.Chasing 169, India’s openers Rahul and RIshabh Pant started slowly against effectively BBL champions Perth Scorchers’ pace attack. Pant struggled for fluency once again as he swung and missed at several attempted slogs against the accurate left-arm pace of Jason Behrendorff.Pant finally made contact but miscued to the deep, as India’s top order looked uncomfortable on the bouncy pitch. After being held back, in-form speedster Lance Morris came into the attack in the seventh over and showed why he might be the quickest bowler in Australia.Coming off a Player-of-the-Match performance for WA against New South Wales last week, Morris bowled sharply from the get-go and it proved too much for Deepak Hooda who holed out.After a brief counterattack, Pandya fell to the left-arm spin of youngster Hamish McKenzie to leave India at 58 for 3 with Rahul particularly sluggish. India’s required run rate grew out of hand with Rahul lacking support as his team-mates threw away their wickets.Rahul was the exception as he batted cautiously before opening up with a couple of sixes in the 18th over off Behrendorff to give India a sniff of an unlikely victory. But his dismissal in the next over effectively snuffed out the contest as India split their warm-up games in Perth.WA XI controlled the game throughout after electing to bat in sunny conditions. Their batting was strengthened by the inclusion of BBL star Josh Philippe, but the opener holed out to Arshdeep Singh in the third over.Much like in the first game, quicks Arshdeep and Bhuvneshwar Kumar conjured sharp bounce on a quick deck but wickets were harder to come by after that.Veteran spinner R Ashwin, who didn’t play on Monday, came into the attack in the sixth over and was promptly smashed by D’Arcy Short who combined with Nick Hobson in a blistering 110-run partnership.Hobson, who plays for Perth Scorchers and is an accountant in his day job, was particularly belligerent against the spinners and hit four sixes in his 41-ball knock.But his dismissal triggered a WA collapse with Ashwin getting into good rhythm after a tough start with wickets in consecutive balls to remove captain Ashton Turner and Sam Fanning, who starred in game one with a half-century but the 21-year-old unwisely tried to reverse sweep on his first ball.India were sharp in the field, marked by two direct-hit run outs, and well marshalled by Rahul although captain Rohit was still giving instructions.Kohli did not play in the two warm-up matches in Perth, much to the disappointment of locals, but did field and spent time at first slip and the deep. He also jogged laps before play.A strong crowd of 2500 fans attended with the AUD 5 entry fee going towards the WA Cricket Foundation.

Bangladesh captain gutted as crucial no-balls cost team a berth in Super 4s

Mohammad Isam01-Sep-2022Among Bangladesh’s several errors, Shakib Al Hasan rued Mahedi Hasan’s no-balls the most in their two-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka that knocked them out of the Asia Cup.Mahedi’s first no-ball allowed Kusal Mendis, who was reprieved on four occasions, to bat beyond the seventh over. Kusal, who opened the innings, top scored with a 37-ball 60 to lay the foundation for Sri Lanka’s chase of 184.Related

• Report: Mendis, Shanaka and Asitha put Sri Lanka in Super 4s

• Luck Index – How giving four lives to Mendis cost Bangladesh

• Fernando: SL merely lucky, or back to punching above weight?

His second no-ball came in the last over when Sri Lanka needed three runs off four deliveries. In a somewhat tragicomical turn of events, as soon as Asitha Fernando and Maheesh Theekshana ran two, they heard the buzzer that pointed to Mahedi’s no-ball. Soon enough, the giant screens flashed the replay and Bangladesh knew their fate had been sealed. This incident was particularly disappointing for Shakib as he reflected on the team’s performance under pressure, and their early exit from the competition.”No captain wants no-balls from their team,” Shakib said. “It is a big crime when a spinner bowls a no-ball. We bowled a lot of wides and no-balls today. We were not disciplined. We didn’t know what to do when we were under pressure. We knew Kusal (Mendis) plays spin really well, so if we could get him early, it would have set platform for our spinners to come into the game.”But till he was there, it was hard for our spinners to bowl. He was dropped on two, and then when he was out, it was a no-ball. The spinner bowling a no-ball is a big no-no. Our spinners usually don’t bowl no-balls, but today it was proven that we break down under pressure. We are losing in crunch moments. If we won 50% of the close matches, we would have a better record in this format.”What also hurt Bangladesh was T20I debutant Ebadot Hossain’s inconsistency in his final two overs, which went for 38. The penultimate over of the chase, especially, turned the tide Sri Lanka’s way as he conceded 17, including a no-ball and a wide. This undid all his earlier good work; at the end of his first two overs, he had unreal figures of 3 for 13.Ebadot Hossain had mixed returns on T20I debut•Getty Images

“Ebadot has never played a pressure game like this,” Shakib said. “He has a lot to understand. He brought us into the game after his first two overs. We thought it was going to be his day. You expect a bowler to have good rhythm and be positive when he has taken three wickets in his first two overs. It wasn’t to be. He can learn a lot from this game.”Our plan was to get their batsmen out. That’s exactly what we did. They needed 25 or 26 [25] in the last two overs. Eight [seven] wickets down, you back your main bowlers to defend those runs against their tail.”Looking ahead to the T20 World Cup, Shakib underlined the importance of having to identify the best fast bowlers. “This was an eye-opener to see how we bowl in pressure situations,” he said. “You can expect good 10-12 overs of fast bowling on this type of pitch. Only those who can deliver will be in the team.”It is simple math. We looked at four fast bowlers here, and we will look at more in the tri-series in New Zealand so that we have a clearer idea who can do well in Australia.”Shakib also spoke of the few positives from the tournament. Like how the move to bump up Mehidy Hasan Miraz to open the innings, in his first T20I in nearly four years, worked.Mehidy responded with a 26-ball 38, hitting two fours and as many sixes. Shakib said this was something they had contemplated against Afghanistan too, before going with regulars Mohammad Naim and Anamul Haque.”He has done well in our domestic tournaments, so we had faith in him,” Shakib said of Mehidy’s promotion. “Even in the first game, he was in the mix to bat in the top order. He didn’t play the first game. He showed his character today. He wasn’t nervous. He was playing after [more than] three years, so it wasn’t easy for him. You have to give him a lot of credit, the way he handled the pressure in the first six overs.”Shakib also asked for a bit of patience from everyone as his team tries to work out plans going into the T20 World Cup. For starters, he said, he was encouraged by the team’s attitude and body language.”I have returned to T20I captaincy with these two matches. We have a lot in mind when we make a new beginning. Our planning started with the game against Afghanistan, so there will be right and wrong.”We have a plan in place. We want to reach a goal slowly. But if you notice our attitude and body language in these two games, despite the poor approach in batting in the first game, I think we have improved from our last three or four series.”

Gulbadin’s miscalculation and costly overs undo spin quartet’s choke as Afghanistan stumble under pressure

The Report by Varun Shetty29-Jun-2019As it happenedImad Wasim reaped the rewards for managing to scrape through a tough period of batting, hanging on till the end to feast on the nervous, generous medium pace of Gulbadin Naib as Pakistan kept their semi-final push well afloat with a three-wicket win at Headingley. Imad’s unbeaten 49 and his crucial partnerships with Shadab Khan and Wahab Riaz saw Pakistan through their last 11 overs, a period where they had to contend with Afghanistan’s spinners on a turning pitch and get more than run-a-ball with just four wickets in hand.It seemed like neither team particularly made the extra push for control. Pakistan had Afghanistan 57 for 3 and resorted to defensive bowling. Afghanistan recovered only to hand the game back in two overs. And then, Pakistan replicated them in the chase until they looked down and out, staring at a shattering loss. Then they were handed 28 of the easiest runs over 10 balls from Naib, who went for 73 in 9.4 overs.This undid all the good work by their spin attack, which on the day had turned into a four-pronged one after seamer Hamid Hassan hobbled off early in the innings with an injury. Filling in for him was experienced allrounder Samiullah Shinwari, who last bowled for Afghanistan in March against Ireland.ALSO READ: Fans evicted after clash in the standsThe conditions almost exclusively helped spinners, and Shinwari benefitted, much like Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammed Nabi, and Rashid Khan had. His figures read a creditable 8-0-32-0. With 46 required off five overs and Imad struggling to pick the spinners, Gulbadin’s decision to bowl himself over Shinwari cost them 18 in the 46th over.Imad had his luck – he was deemed not out on an lbw call when on 1 with Afghanistan without a review, and a splice at extra cover was completely fluffed by a spinning Asghar Afghan off the second ball of the 46th over – and made use of it, picking up two more boundaries, before Wahab smote Rashid for a six and a four despite a hairline fracture on his right hand. By the time Naib returned for the last over, only six were required.Pakistan’s top order hadn’t been particularly responsible about the way they set out to chase this target. Fakhar Zaman, trapped in front by a Mujeeb carrom ball, looked fairly certain he hadn’t got an edge on the ball, but chose to review anyway. As early as the second ball of the innings, that loss of review set the tone: a little pressure, and Afghanistan could put Pakistan to the test.Nabi’s spell, arguably one of the best of the tournament, was built on this motif. As he has done notably for a while, Nabi used those old-school offbreak tools, dip and drift, to keep Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam planted in the crease and pushing with hard hands. That was until Imam could resist no longer and stepped out early to one that didn’t drift and instead floated wide of him. He had no chance to come back in even as Ikram Alikhil took his time to gather and break the stumps.If that was rash, then Babar’s dismissal in Nabi’s next was to top it. Having dragged Pakistan to a win against New Zealand in what he called his best innings, Babar was guilty of being over adventurous on Saturday. He chose to sweep a full, leg-stump ball and was, both, through it too quickly, and out of shape as Nabi bowled him around the legs.Pakistan were forced into conservation, with Mohammed Hafeez and Haris Sohail in the middle with ideal games for such a strategy. Boundaries were only sought – and successfully – off the odd short balls handed to them, and all seemed well. That was until Hafeez added to his collection of ordinary shots against spin this tournament by chopping a short ball straight to backward point. Shortly after that, Sarfaraz Ahmed, who had already survived because of a dropped chance, ran himself out looking for a second run that wasn’t there. But one captain’s misdemeanour was eventually balanced out by the other’s.This was much the pattern through Afghanistan’s innings as well. They were handed a rather gentle welcome when Pakistan, with three in-form fast bowlers, opened the bowling with Imad. Naib lapped it up, getting himself in with three boundaries, until Sarfaraz brought Shaheen Afridi into the attack. The impact went both ways. Shaheen’s over went for 14, but he had Naib and Hashmatullah Shahidi caught off consecutive deliveries – off the outside edge and leading edge respectively.Afghanistan have lost at least three wickets every time they have scored at close to five an over in the opening 15 overs in this tournament, and that was the case once again. A free-flowing Asghar took on Shadab and pretty much anyone who felt a sense of discipline bowling to the patient, watchful Alikhil at the other end.It was Shadab who got him in the end, with a piece of ingenius strategy: he brought in a silly point and prompted Asghar, whose forward blocks are bottom-hand dominant, to step out and swing at him again. Only on this occasion the line was off stump, the pace was quicker than when he had hit him over midwicket, and the turn was minimal but just enough to hit off stump.In the next over, Alikhil, who had played 65 balls for 24, went against his brief and holed out to long-on. Afghanistan’s lower order, with some big hitters, was then forced to patch up the innings which was doomed to peter out into a middling 220s score. Nabi, Najibulah Zadran, and Shinwari all made it to points where they could have taken off, but then Afridi and Wahab were around to stop them every time they tried. It was perhaps the only sense of order in an otherwise chaotic display from both teams.

Trego top scores, Somerset to contest title decider after comprehensive win in the North

David Hopps12-May-2019There will be no Lord’s final for Alex Hales, not that even the most ardent county cricket follower would claim that was adequate compensation for missing out on a place in England’s World Cup campaign. Instead, Hales was part of a Nottinghamshire side shouldered aside by Somerset in an emphatic manner that will bring delight in the south-west.Somerset have reached Lord’s the hard way. Since finishing third in South Group courtesy of a must-win floodlit tie against Surrey at Taunton on Tuesday night, they have seen off Worcestershire in the play-offs by 147 runs and now Nottinghamshire, this time by a margin of 115.Hales’ dismissal for 54, as he fell to his favoured square cut, was the fourth Nottinghamshire wicket to fall, on 135, in a sequence of four wickets for 25 in 45 balls which changed the complexion of the match. Craig Overton ran jubilantly into the off side, pursued by the rest of the Somerset team, the importance of the wicket apparent. Sometimes you don’t have to just take a wicket, you have to kill a suspicion that fate is not on your side.Somerset now contest the final of the last 50-over competition that will actually mean something and it is good that a county which still treasures the county game will be represented. In 2020, it will be denuded by running in direct competition with The Hundred. The most powerful counties will contest it while most of their squad are on loan elsewhere. Results will be devalued and statistics misleading. One giant-sized work experience scheme to give professionals who remain unsold in the auction for The Hundred something to do.In Restaurant Six, Trent Bridge’s acclaimed new fine-dining restaurant and bar, the view of the cricket below became ever-more discouraging. One of the imaginative offerings of Dan Warren, Britain’s bartender of the year in 2018, is the Grass Cutter cocktail which evokes the smell of freshly-mown grass. Long before the end, it was the sort of day to put some extra gin in it.Trent Bridge hosts so many big scores that no first-innings score ever feels safe. But Somerset’s 336 was a challenging total, disguised by several bad dismissals. The pitch was central (even if one of ropes was brought in more than necessary) and the ball did not purr onto the bat quite as conveniently as normal. Steven Mullaney termed the total “chaseable,” but conceded that Nottinghamshire had been outplayed in every department.For Somerset to reach 182 for 1 by the 29th over was a considerable achievement. If Tom Banton’s edge against Jake Ball, on 1, had not fallen just short of Matthew Carter at second slip, the outcome might have been different. But Banton, Azhar Ali and Peter Trego all made fifties, the admirable Lewis Gregory held the later stages together with 37, and the Overton twins made merry with 46 off 30 late on, their stand once again having the appealing atmosphere of a bit of a singalong at the end of something more serious.Peter Trego pulls on his way to top-scoring for Somerset•Getty Images

Banton, after his century against Worcestershire, had to deal for the first time with national acclaim – most obviously in the form of Michael Vaughan’s Twitter feed. Vaughan told his 1.08m followers that Banton’s style reminded him of Kevin Pietersen. As Vaughan remarked, no pressure there then.It is an apt comparison. Banton might have been influenced by Jos Buttler, who studied at the same school, but there are definite reminders in his long-limbed sweeps and reverse sweeps. Tall and elegant, he can rarely have played more methodically until he burst ahead with 24 off Matthew Carter’s second over, striking the offspinner over the ropes three times.He fell for 59, flicking at a ball from Harry Gurney to be caught at the wicket, the only success for Gurney who had only just returned from a stint with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, stood in for Darren Pattinson, who has a sore side, and Stuart Broad, not released by England, and went for 86 in 10 overs.Alongside him, Azhar progressed furtively. His 71 from 70 balls was shorn of excess, a shrewd assessment of the nature of the pitch, until he swung and missed at Jake Ball. There was a similar run-a-ball contribution from Trego, who played with great responsibility for 73 until he was run out, sold down by the river by Gregory’s push into the leg side and change of heart over a single. George Bartlett’s second-ball duck, making room against Mullaney, suffered for the vaulting ambition of youth. Ball’s well-disguised slower balls helped him to 4 for 62 and Luke Fletcher, although wicketless, was also on the money.Nottinghamshire perished with Hales, although the unsung Ben Slater played well for 58 until he worked Jamie Overton to short midwicket. When Ben Duckett reverse-swept to deep square, the bowler, Roelof van der Merwe, jumped to attention with the ball in the air as if the Duke of Edinburgh had suddenly walked onto the square and requested an audience.There were still 11.4 overs remaining when the end came, Fletcher’s demise at long-on after a hard-hitting but futile 43 allowing Somerset to celebrate their second complete performance in 48 hours. For Tom Abell, already a much-loved Somerset captain at 25, a Lord’s final now lies ahead.

Clear and sunny weather awaits the teams in Dublin after the first T20I was cut short by rain

Srinidhi Ramanujam19-Aug-20232:01

Takeaways: Is Bumrah World Cup ready?

Big picture – India batters will want a proper hit

Jasprit Bumrah’s comeback was the main talking point in the rain-hit opening T20I in Malahide, but now the focus quickly shifts to the batters from the two sides.India batted 41 balls with openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal consuming 39 of those before rain stopped play. The likes of Gaikwad, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Sanju Samson will be keen to make noteworthy performances, if they get a chance, with an eye on the next T20 World Cup that is less than a year away. Among them, Samson – who is also in contention for the Asia Cup – will want to impress the selectors with the squad to be announced on Monday.Related

• Bumrah and Prasidh's promising comebacks good news for India's World Cup plans

• Jasprit Bumrah strikes twice in first over on his comeback

• India finish just ahead of Ireland in rain-hit contest

For Ireland, it was the lower order that helped them to a modest 139 in the first T20I. The top six, which scored just 64 runs between them with Curtis Campher scoring 39 of them, will have to step up against the quality Indian bowling on Sunday if they want to level the series. Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling and Lorcan Tucker were all among runs in the T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier in July and will be expected to put up a fight here.

Form guide

Ireland LLWWW
India WLWWL

In the spotlight – Gaikwad and McCarthy

Ruturaj Gaikwad survived a mix-up with Jaiswal in the second over of the chase to remain unbeaten on 19 before rain stopped play. He had a successful IPL season where he scored 590 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 147. With the team management making him the captain for the Asian Games, scheduled for September end, Gaikwad will be hoping to get some big scores before heading to the tournament.1:16

Bishnoi: Can’t take Ireland lightly in T20s

Barry McCarthy provided a reminder of his batting prowess in the opener, scoring an unbeaten 51 off 33 from No. 8 to lift Ireland from 59 for 6. The allrounder had also finished as the joint-second-highest wicket-taker for Ireland with nine wickets from five matches in the recent T20 World Cup Europe Qualifier.

Team news – will India continue with Arshdeep?

Ireland are unlikely to make changes to their playing XI despite the loss in the first game.Ireland (possible XI): 1 Paul Stirling (capt), 2 Andrew Balbirnie, 3 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 4 Harry Tector, 5 Curtis Campher, 6 George Dockrell, 7 Mark Adair, 8 Barry McCarthy, 9 Craig Young, 10 Josh Little, 11 Ben WhiteArshdeep Singh hasn’t been as effective of late as he had been in the first bit of his international career, though there was the 3 for 38 in the win over West Indies in the fourth T20I. But he returned 1 for 35 in the first T20I against Ireland – and gave away 22 in the final over as McCarthy smashed two sixes and a four – and India do have Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar in their line up.India (possible XI): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Rinku Singh, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Arshdeep Singh/Avesh Khan, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Jasprit Bumrah (capt), 11 Prasidh Krishna.

Pitch and conditions

The average first-innings score in T20Is in Malahide is 161. Teams batting first have lost 10 out of 17 T20Is here. It is expected to be sunny and pleasant throughout the day.

Stats and trivia

• Balbirnie has scored 286 runs in 13 T20Is at a strike rate of 138.8 in Dublin, the most for a batter at this venue.
• Only six times have India won a men’s T20I by a margin of fewer than five runs. Two of those have come against Ireland in their previous two meetings.

Quotes

“Ireland have been playing well, you can’t say that any team is big or small in T20 cricket. In this format, in one over everything can change, just like the last over in this game. If those two wickets didn’t fall, there would be a difference of 10-12 runs. It was because of Sanju and Ruturaj we finished the match. So Ireland have been doing well in this format.”

England will play a Test at Colombo’s R Premadasa stadium for the first time when they tour in March

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2019England will play a Test at Colombo’s R Premadasa stadium for the first time when they tour in March. Galle and Colombo will be the host cities for the two-Test series, with points going towards the World Test Championship.Although there had been some concerns about the security situation in the country, following a series of bombings over Easter earlier this year, New Zealand toured Sri Lanka in August and former Test captain Kumar Sangakkara told ESPNcricinfo that the situation had “improved dramatically”.”It’s safe, it’s secure, Sri Lanka is completely back to normal and we’re looking forward to welcoming more and more visitors from around the world,” he said. “England is touring next March and from a UK perspective that is very significant, because we get a huge amount of followers that come and enjoy the country while watching great cricket.”The tour will begin with a three-day warm-up match in Katunayake, followed by a four-day fixture at the P Sara Oval in Colombo, before the teams move on to Galle for the first Test, starting on March 19. The second Test will be held a week later at Khettarama, which most recently hosted a Test against Zimbabwe in 2017.On their last visit, in 2018, England secured an unexpected 3-0 whitewash in Sri Lanka, the first time they had managed such a feat in Asia. Sri Lanka currently sit higher in the WTC table, however, with 60 points to England’s 56.England itinerary
March 7-9 – Tour match v SLC Board President’s XI, Katunayake, CMCG
March 12-15 – Tour match v SLC Board President’s XI, Colombo, P Sara Oval
March 19-23 – 1st Test v Sri Lanka – Galle, Galle International Stadium
March 27-31 – 2nd Test v Sri Lanka – Colombo, R. Premadasa Stadium

‘It’s not about egos or anything like that, it’s about sending your best team to the World Cup,’ South Africa coach says

Firdose Moonda16-Feb-2020The one person South African coach Mark Boucher is sure of ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup did not even play in the series against England, which ended on Sunday. South Africa lost 1-2 and head straight into another rubber against Australia on Friday, where they could sport a very different squad that could even include AB de Villiers, who Boucher indicated is a shoe-in for the tournament later this year.”He’s a discussion in the media and in the public but he is no discussion for me. I have had chats with him and we will probably know pretty soon what’s going to happen with him,” Boucher said. “Like I said from day one when I took over, if we are going to a World Cup, I would like to have our best players there.”If AB is in good form and he is raring to go and he makes himself available for the time we have asked him to be available; if he is the best man for the job, then he must go. It’s not about egos or anything like that, it’s about sending your best team to the World Cup to try and win that competition.”ALSO READ: Ice-cool Morgan hands England 2-1 series winDe Villiers retired from all international cricket in May 2018 but attempted to make a comeback for the 2019 50-over World Cup, which was blocked by national selectors. At the time, it was explained that the refusal to let de Villiers back was because he had snubbed a request to play in two ODIs leading up to the tournament. This time, de Villiers will be part of South Africa’s build-up, although it is not clear how many matches he will be required to play.South Africa have a two-month break after the Australia series, which includes three T20Is and three ODIs and will be followed by a white-ball tour of Sri Lanka and a visit to West Indies that includes five T20s. Early indications were that de Villiers would return to the national side after the IPL but with Australia bringing a full-strength squad, de Villiers may be convinced to come back earlier so South Africa can settle on combinations.South Africa are expected to announce their squad on Tuesday, with Faf du Plessis and Kagiso Rabada, who were rested for the England series, likely to be back.That will give South Africa further options to consider as they look to refine their playing group for the T20 World Cup, after Boucher conceded that he still has vacant spots in this team. “A couple of questions have been answered – maybe in a positive way, maybe one or two in a negative way but least the questions have been answered and we are getting an idea of which positions are filled,” he said.Although Boucher did not reveal exactly which places had been claimed, a quick glance at the series suggests the openers have sealed their spots. Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma, who has just five T20 caps to his name, got South Africa off to three strong starts with stands of 92, 48 and 84 and finished as the first and second top-scorers for their team.Though South Africa had some middle-order challenges, Boucher was “very happy with the batting,” as a whole. That suggests Rassie van der Dussen, Jon-Jon Smuts, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen, who only played the final match, have all done enough to remain in contention for the T20 World Cup.The performance of the attack was less satisfying for Boucher, with South Africa failing to defend 222 at SuperSport Park. “The bowling has, at times, been very good. We’ve got wicket-taking ability but as a unit we are not hitting our straps enough and there are a couple too many soft options. If we can clean that act up then I think we are going in the right direction,” Boucher said.In particular, he wants to work on bowlers’ skills, especially the yorker but stressed that it is difficult to focus on that in between matches because of the tight travel schedule. “We did speak about trying to nail more yorkers but it’s difficult to train those sort of things because we play, we travel, we play, we travel,” he said. “I don’t think the skill is where it should be and that’s something we need to work on. We are looking at a camp that we can put together so that we can work on particular things with our bowlers and our batters.”While Lungi Ngidi, who defended seven runs off the last over in East London, is unlikely to have been the focus of Boucher’s comments, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Beuran Hendricks and even Dale Steyn will want to take notes so they know what’s expected of them as South Africa head into their next assignment. Rabada and Sisanda Magala, who has spent the series working on his fitness, are the other options South Africa will consider.Overall, Boucher has assessed his first full series as national head coach as “tough,” but no different to what he thought it would be when he took the job in mid-December.”I knew it was going to be tough,” Boucher said. “I don’t want to get emotional about the whole thing. You’ve got to try and be practical and look at where we are as a team and understand that there is a lot of hard work to do.”With regards to our Test cricket, we are a long way off the mark so we need to work nice and hard there, especially on our batting. In one-day cricket, we are a very young side and I was pretty happy with the way that went. We are in a stage now, I don’t like to call it rebuilding, but we are looking at opportunities for guys to stand up and take responsibility for a position that they could own for a long period of time. If there is a chance to give guys opportunity, then I think we must.”Despite a number of debuts – South Africa handed out five in the Tests and three in ODIs – the team has not won a series since March last year, which speaks to the dire straits they find themselves in. But for Boucher, this time seems to present possibilities for new heroes, and maybe for a veteran like de Villiers, to come back.