Philander promises no let-up
“There are no dead rubber games for us,” insisted Vernon Philander on the eve of the third Test. © BCCI
Vernon Philander, who has made a grand start to South Africa’s
ongoing Test series against India, wanted no let-up from his side, with a
3-0 whitewash beckoning. Philander took nine wickets at Newlands and
one at SuperSport Park, while scoring important runs from No. 7 in both
games.
“It is just another game of cricket we want to win,” said Philander on Monday (January 22) at the Wanderers Stadium, with two days to go for the last Test. “Each and every single game we play, this series might be won, but we want to win this game. The emphasis is on preparation today and tomorrow for the last Test. There are no dead rubber games for us. We will prepare as well as we can and be ready for Wednesday.”
This will be Philander’s 50th Test, and he has developed into a handy seam-bowling allrounder, with 183 wickets at 21.95, and a batting average of 24.41 with seven half-centuries in 66 innings. Philander has been batting at No. 7 in this series, and doing the job very well, but he said it wouldn’t matter if South Africa opted to pick another batsman in the XI and thus push him down to No. 8.
“It wouldn’t change things whether I bat at No. 7 or No. 8. I’d still have to contribute with bat and ball,” he said. “It won’t make a massive difference to me as a player. I see myself as an allrounder. You always have to put pressure on yourself, take a sense of pride in what you do. It’s a bigger responsibility at No. 7, so I like to take on the challenge. It worked perfectly well in England, in conditions different from home. I’m enjoying this challenge and hopefully, I can score a lot more runs.”
Having won the series in Centurion last Wednesday, the South Africans took a four-day break, and Monday was their first training session since then. “It’s always hard work playing back-to-back Tests,” pointed out Philander. “A three-four-day break suited everyone well. We are refreshed and ready to get ourselves back up and going for the last one. We took time out and spent time with families, and now we’ll make sure we are ready for this one.”
South Africa have been going in with a four-man pace attack in each of the first two Tests, and Philander said that as long as everyone in the attack knew their roles, it could work well. “It helps if you understand the role you play. You want to keep it as tight as possible, want to bowl them out as cheaply as possible. That’s the aim of every cricket game. The role of every bowler in a four-pronged attack is different. You deliver what’s required of you.”
The newest member of that attack is Lungisani Ngidi, man of the match on debut in Centurion. “He is a phenomenal talent,” gushed Philander. “He has pace and bounce. The way he went about his business and the manner in which he stayed calm, asked a lot of questions of me and Morne Morkel at mid-on, it was wonderful to see that we have so many bowlers pumping in the pipeline as well. Wonderful talent, long may it continue.”
While Philander hadn’t seen the pitch yet, he said Wanderers always had “pace and bounce”, while explaining his more containing bowling role in Centurion. “The role always differs on different types of surfaces. I play with an understanding of my role in the side. Last game, I had to keep it tight from one end.”
“There are no dead rubber games for us,” insisted Vernon Philander on the eve of the third Test. © BCCI“It is just another game of cricket we want to win,” said Philander on Monday (January 22) at the Wanderers Stadium, with two days to go for the last Test. “Each and every single game we play, this series might be won, but we want to win this game. The emphasis is on preparation today and tomorrow for the last Test. There are no dead rubber games for us. We will prepare as well as we can and be ready for Wednesday.”
This will be Philander’s 50th Test, and he has developed into a handy seam-bowling allrounder, with 183 wickets at 21.95, and a batting average of 24.41 with seven half-centuries in 66 innings. Philander has been batting at No. 7 in this series, and doing the job very well, but he said it wouldn’t matter if South Africa opted to pick another batsman in the XI and thus push him down to No. 8.
“It wouldn’t change things whether I bat at No. 7 or No. 8. I’d still have to contribute with bat and ball,” he said. “It won’t make a massive difference to me as a player. I see myself as an allrounder. You always have to put pressure on yourself, take a sense of pride in what you do. It’s a bigger responsibility at No. 7, so I like to take on the challenge. It worked perfectly well in England, in conditions different from home. I’m enjoying this challenge and hopefully, I can score a lot more runs.”
Having won the series in Centurion last Wednesday, the South Africans took a four-day break, and Monday was their first training session since then. “It’s always hard work playing back-to-back Tests,” pointed out Philander. “A three-four-day break suited everyone well. We are refreshed and ready to get ourselves back up and going for the last one. We took time out and spent time with families, and now we’ll make sure we are ready for this one.”
South Africa have been going in with a four-man pace attack in each of the first two Tests, and Philander said that as long as everyone in the attack knew their roles, it could work well. “It helps if you understand the role you play. You want to keep it as tight as possible, want to bowl them out as cheaply as possible. That’s the aim of every cricket game. The role of every bowler in a four-pronged attack is different. You deliver what’s required of you.”
The newest member of that attack is Lungisani Ngidi, man of the match on debut in Centurion. “He is a phenomenal talent,” gushed Philander. “He has pace and bounce. The way he went about his business and the manner in which he stayed calm, asked a lot of questions of me and Morne Morkel at mid-on, it was wonderful to see that we have so many bowlers pumping in the pipeline as well. Wonderful talent, long may it continue.”
While Philander hadn’t seen the pitch yet, he said Wanderers always had “pace and bounce”, while explaining his more containing bowling role in Centurion. “The role always differs on different types of surfaces. I play with an understanding of my role in the side. Last game, I had to keep it tight from one end.”
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