Bangladesh vs South Africa 2015 2nd Test: Vernon Philander’s contribution vital for Proteas

Vernon Philander will have to work hard to make an impact in Asian conditions.

As South Africa get ready to take on Bangladesh in the second Test at Mirpur, they will have the impending Test series against India in the back of their minds. Not often do South Africa play a four-Test series and this time they will be playing one away from home, against India, who are reasonably strong at home. On tour of India, the challenge for South Africa will be far from easy. South Africa have class batsmen in their ranks but it is their bowling which needs to have more teeth to back up Dale Steyn. Nikhil Popat feels it is going to be the sternest test of Vernon Philander, who is yet to make his mark in Asia.

“He does not have the pace, but he has it in him to bowl good lines and lengths all day,” is how most former cricketers and experts say when inquired about Vernon Philander. Hailing from Bellville, Philander started off his career in a spectacular fashion. He had a superb domestic season of 2010-11, picking up 35 wickets at just 16.11. Philander was picked for the home series against Australia, and responded to it in grand fashion, claiming eight for 78 to bag the Man of the Match award. Such was the magnitude of his success that Philander took at least two five-wicket hauls in his first three Test series. Read: South Africa — The land of pace bowling riches

He was the second-fastest ever to 50 Test wickets in Test history, reaching there in just seven Tests in three series. The world looked rosy. Test cricket embraced him with arms wide open. But like everything, he got embraced rather more sternly than he might have expected. In his first three Test series, his average did not dare go beyond 16 but there was a pattern to it. The success was coming in conditions which were helpful to his type of bowling. Read: Vernon Philander: The stupendous success rate indicate the makings of a fast bowling great

It is not easy to have success in international cricket if you do not have skill to last all conditions. Philander, for now, seems to be one more product of the champions at home who could not make it big overseas. His numbers began to drop drastically. In Australia he averaged 49.75 and 51.71 from two tours. In unhelpful conditions of Sri Lanka, he averaged 76.00, and the same in Zimbabwe. On conditions which did not aid seam and swing, he was found wanting not having any other weapon to back up his line-and-length bowling. The table below reflects Philander’s Test performances across continents:

Bowling on flat, dry decks is an art, and Philander is yet to get it into his repertoire. He started off in the best possible fashion in helpful conditions, but is yet to make more than four wickets in any of the five Tests on Asian soil. It sounds harsh, but that is the standard he set when he burst on to the scene. He can look up to Steyn, by far the best South African bowler to have bowled in Asia (87 wickets at 22.75, strike rate 39.9!).

Philander has played just the five Tests in Asia, and his numbers (10 wickets at 33.00, strike rate 80.2) makes a sorry read. In the first Test against Bangladesh, Philander had decent figures of 20-2-40-2 in the only innings South Africa bowled. He kept the runs down and Bangladesh batsmen wilted under pressure of dot balls and threw their wickets away to squander a golden opportunity to build a huge lead. Read:Bangladesh aim to complete historic home season with win over Protea

India will not do the same. India will want to thrive on such chances by the opposition. Good bowlers have struggled to adapt to unfavourable conditions in India and have withered away. Philander will have to find that extra zing in his bowling to make a mark in Asian conditions, to ensure that he does not go the same way as bowlers who needed something from the wicket to make an impact.

(Nikhil Popat is a cricket lover and a PotterHead. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)

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