On a day when Australia unveiled a 3rd former skilled within the teaching staff that can oversee their Twenty20 collection at residence to Sri Lanka subsequent month, South Africa have been tapping into the expertise of one in all their very own legends. However whereas Ricky Ponting was given the formal place of assistant coach, issues have been much less structured at Newlands the place Russell Domingo, South Africa coach, insisted that Jacques Kallis had merely come to “chill with the staff for the day” forward of the second Check on Monday (January 2).
The place Cricket Australia have been proactive in enlisting latest internationals with severe teaching ambitions, bringing the Hussey brothers, Justin Langer, Jason Gillespie and Ponting on board in numerous types this yr, there was far much less engagement in South Africa. Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher have consulted with the Proteas in recent times however by no means for quite a lot of days, and Domingo hoped that Kallis might have an impact throughout a equally brief stint on Sunday.
“He is most likely the best cricketer who has ever performed and he is in Cape City, so for us to not get him right down to follow is silly,” mentioned Domingo. “He is eager to return and watch and share his experiences with a few of the youthful gamers who’ve by no means met him earlier than. He is an iconic participant and I am certain they may need to make an impression in right this moment’s follow.”
Having sat in on South Africa’s staff assembly and hung out with particular person batsmen in what became an prolonged web session, it was clear that Kallis was doing extra than simply “chilling”. “He shared some concepts, and I mentioned that if there’s anybody who needs to talk to him about their sport, discuss to Jacques,” mentioned Domingo. “He is acquired all of the expertise on the planet. He is had ups and downs in his profession, highlights and lowlights, and he can share a few of that with guys who may be feeling that method.”
One participant struggling for his normal kind is Hashim Amla, who usually fell again on Kallis’ recommendation after they have been enjoying collectively. Three years after Kallis’ retirement, the pair was again in deep dialog as Amla took ideas from the 41-year-old, who has hinted at a training profession along with his roles on the Kolkata Knight Riders and Trinbago Knight Riders.
Kallis’ presence additionally allowed Domingo to replicate on every thing that the all-rounder had delivered to the Proteas as a participant – significantly as they ponder back-to-back Assessments in brief succession with out a fourth seam possibility of their assault.
“I used to be saying to him earlier that, pretty much as good a batsman as he was, we are able to all the time scrape collectively his runs, however to scrape collectively the 15 or 16 overs he bowled is just not that simple,” mentioned Domingo. “For those who take a look at England, they’ve Ben Stokes who performs that fourth seamer’s function, Angelo Mathews bowls 15 overs, Australia have Mitchell Marsh. So that’s one space the place he has been missed.
“But it surely has introduced a possibility for a spinner to step up, and as an alternative of the spinner bowling 10 overs, the spinner is now bowling 25 overs a day. His greatness most likely restricted the chance for a spinner, which is why it is nice to have somebody like Keshav Maharaj come alongside who has the boldness to bowl 25 overs a day and rotate the three seamers from the opposite finish.”
The excellent news is that Monday’s coaching additionally noticed Morne Morkel again in motion, with Domingo hinting that the quick bowler might properly be in a revised squad for the third Check on the Wanderers.
