Gordon Parsons, the bowling coach of the bizhub Highveld Lions, performed what he thought was a fair imitation of Albie Morkel in the nets at the Wanderers earlier this week. You knew it was supposed to be Albie Morkel, because Parsons said, loudly: “Albie Morkel!” Then he over-stepped by about two metres so he might be as fast as Morkel.
Jean Symes, the man to whom he was bowling, launched Parsons’ Morkel ball out of the nets and on to the roof of the west stand of the Wanderers Stadium, where they will play Morkel and the Nashua Titans in the final of the Ram Slam T20 Challenge final today (2.30pm).
Symes has developed a reputation as a batsman for the squeaky bum overs of 20-over cricket, a man who can chase an attack and thump them silly, or who can rescue an iffy situation with poise and calm. On Thursday, he was swinging freely, the bat making the pure ‘thwack’ sound that comes from a ball belted hard and sweetly, his personal net session a flurry of big shots.
He was not bothered as to what role he would have to play today, whether it would be the ruthless enforcer or steadier of the innings. What would come, would come.
“At the end of the day it is still another game,” said Symes.
“Like we’ve said from the start with our season and our campaign, we are going to take it one game at a time. We’re going to focus on that game for the day. We’re not going to look too far ahead. We’ve been in the situation before where, if you come in at the death where the pressure is on you, and if you have a calm head, if you stick to the game plan as much as you can, and you back your skills to execute what you want to, it can go either way. T20 is a funny game as is cricket in general. Anything can happen.”
Shahid Afridi scored 86 against South Africa in the one-day international at the Wanderers last month, hitting seven sixes and five fours. It is unlikely that Symes or the Lions would be playing like that today, he suggested – but then again …
“Afridi is that sort of player who can be very destructive. He can work, but it can backfire quickly, and he’s a big wicket. He comes in and plays from the start. I’m sure a lot of boys have the ability to do that, but we take the more conservative route of getting yourself in first and then backing yourself to go on from there. If you have a base and a platform to play from it obviously helps a lot.”
The top four wicket-takers in the T20 Challenge this season are all from the Lions, with Hardus Viljoen (15 wickets), Sohail Tanvir (14), Arron Phangiso (13) and Chris Morris (12) the men in charge. Imran Tahir has 10 wickets. Symes has chipped in now and then with the ball, but he wasn’t too sure his left-arm orthodox would be needed on what is expected to be a hard and bouncy Wanderers track.
“I don’t know. It depends on how the game is going and who is batting for them. They’ve got … er … I don’t think they have any left-handers at the moment unless Jacques Rudolph plays, but he’s lower down the order and you don’t really want to bowl any of the spinners to him. Our spinners can wrap him up quickly, but with our batting attack, with our seamers and spinners, then we can do it without me even bowling.”
The Titans have employed Herschelle Gibbs for the last few games of the T20. Titans coach Matthew Maynard, who announced on Friday night he would not be continuing as coach after this match, said Gibbs had not been brought into the team just for his runs, which was apt as Gibbs scored a duck against the Warriors in the qualifying game this week. Maynard has all of his Proteas to call on for today, including AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Morné Morkel and Rudolph.
It will be, said Maynard, the best attacks in the competition up against each other. The impact of the Proteas could be a double-edged sword, said Alviro Petersen, captain of the Lions. “It’s going to be a difficult game for us,” said Petersen. “They’ve got a power team. They’re dangerous at this time of the season because of the internationals coming back, but it can disrupt their pattern of play because the guys who were (in the team) get sidelined now. They have to try and build momentum once more. Hopefully coming here (today) we’ll hit our straps early on and put them under pressure. They are a tough team to beat under any conditions. They’re probably a little bit the favourites, I think.”
The Lions are marketing the final as ‘All or Nothing’ on their website, the ‘Battle of the Big Sixes’. Symes can hit a ball a fair way. He may be called on to do so again. - Sunday Independent