Jansen stars with bat and ball as Proteas stage series comeback

By any standard a recovery from 2-0 down in a series against Australia — even against an Australian team missing half of its starters — is not something for any Proteas supporter to sniff at.

A few days before they head to India for the World Cup, Temba Bavuma’s side gave itself a much-needed confidence boost with a 122-run win at the Wanderers on Sunday that secured the series 3-2. 

There may be a few injury concerns and question marks about the fast bowling but in at least one crucial area, Marco Jansen provided cause for optimism at the Bullring. He produced a proper all-round match-winning effort delivering career-best performances with both bat and ball. 

Much depends on the 23-year-old affectionately known among his teammates as “Plank”. South Africa’s top six batting is strong and all the batters have contributed at some stage in this series. However there are understandably some worries should they find themselves in trouble that South Africa could come up well short of a proper total.

That scenario did present itself in the first match of the series in Bloemfontein when the Proteas slumped to 100/5 midway through their innings. On that occasion, Jansen shared a 57-run partnership with Bavuma that, while ultimately insufficient in the context of the match, provided evidence of his ability to at least hang around. 

In the third match in Potchefstroom he scored 32 off 17 balls as part of a 67-run partnership with Aiden Markram that allowed the Proteas to post a total well beyond Australia’s reach and on Sunday there was more proof of how he’s able to use his long levers to accelerate the innings’ scoring rate in the latter overs

Jansen bashed his way to 47 off just 23 balls, with four fours and three sixes as South Africa again finished their innings in thrilling fashion. It may not have been 17 runs an over, as was the case on Friday in Centurion, but the home team still scored 113 runs in the last 10 overs, with Jansen and then surprisingly Andile Phehlukwayo, again playing in place of Sisanda Magala, prominent.

The latter, after taking 10 balls to reach eight, smashed 31 off the next nine balls he faced as South Africa posted 315/9. 

Markram’s 93, another well-constructed innings on a tricky pitch that offered the seamers plenty of assistance, and David Miller’s 63 were the highest scores for the Proteas. 

Jansen then turned the match decisively the home team’s way with the ball. After a dreadful opening over by Gerald Coetzee, Bavuma wasted little time in handing the ball to Jansen, a decision that bore fruit immediately.

David Warner scooped the second ball of Jansen’s over to Markram, who did well to hold onto the catch as he dived forward at point. Four balls later Josh Inglis bottom-edged onto his stumps. 

Those two wickets changed the momentum of the innings. Though Australian captain Mitchell Marsh continued to try to swing for the fences, Jansen got the ball moving and even though Marsh connected a few times, sending sixes into the open eastern stand, Jansen's decision to employ a short ball strategy earned reward. 

First Marsh, after scoring 71 off 66 balls, steered a bouncer angling across him to Lungi Ngidi on the third man boundary and then Marnus Labuschagne top-edged a pull to Andile Phehlukwayo after he’d scored 44. 

In Jansen’s next over, another short ball ended Alex Carey’s stay at the crease, thanks to an excellent diving catch by Quinton de Kock, who was playing in his last ODI on South African soil. 

Jansen finished with 5/39 and in the process confirmed that any talk about the Proteas not having a seam bowling all-rounder for the World Cup could cease.

South Africa head to India for the World Cup on Saturday, and it remains to be seen if Magala’s knee and Anrich Nortjé’s back will recover in time for them to join the travelling party.