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Series win a boost for Jet?
03/05/2005 21:32 - (SA)
Johann de Jager
St John's, Antigua - South African national cricket coach Ray Jennings says he thinks he has done what was expected of him and that the touring team's series victory over the West Indies could count in his favour when a decision is taken about a new fulltime coach.
The name of the coach will be announced soon.
South Africa played four Tests against the West Indies.
Jennings said the results were better, several players caught the eye and he as coach felt rewarded.
He named captain Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince and Monde Zondeki. The bowling performance of both Makhaya Ntini (13-132) and André Nel (10-88) (in the second and third Tests) which clinched the series, could also be attributed to the coach, who encouraged the bowlers.
Jennings said on the tour to India (the first time he accompanied the squad as coach), the bowlers could get reverse swing, but (especially) in the second Test at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad the bowlers produced reverse swing after hard work in the nets.
The coach said this was one of the aspects they worked on before the series and the outcome showed the fruit of their labour.
He said the players were also playing with passion which they lacked previously and the aggression of the bowlers was very important.
Intense heat and different pitches
Smith said he was pleased to note that the bowlers were not disheartened by the pitches and the weather.
They were in paradise at St John's in Antigua, but faced totally different conditions in Guyana. They had to come to grips with the intense heat and the different pitches.
The coach referred to the placid ARG pitch at St John's and said it was inappropriate for Test cricket. It was "heaven on earth" for the batsmen, which did not make any sense.
The seamer Monde Zondeki said he was pleased he could end his tour on a high note. He has not been selected for the one-day international series against the West Indies and returns home on Wednesday.
Zondeki ended the massive 331 run second wicket partnership between Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan, managed to get Brian Lara's wicket and eventually got rid of Gayle with his score on 317.
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