Telford Vice's Blog, page 14

Nearly 27 years since South Africa won an ICC white-ball trophy

They have batting to burn, but they could be burned by their pace bowling options.

Telford Vice / Cape Town

SHAUN Pollock feigned shock a few weeks ago when he couldn’t find South Africa among the names of the winners engraved on the Champions Trophy. And so he shouldn’t — the South Africans have never won the competition. But they did win the 1998 ICC Knockout, the forerunner of what will reach its eighth incarnation in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates from Wednesday until March 9....

South Africa hit for six sixes, but Walter keeps calm

“For those who are going to be in the Champions Trophy, it’s good prep. And there’s plenty of learning for the younger guys who’ve not been to Pakistan before.” – Rob Walter

Telford Vice / Cape Town

AND then there were six. Consecutive losses by South Africa’s men’s ODI team, that is. There are several other sixes in the mix, none of them of the best for Temba Bavuma’s team.

The latest defeat, inflicted by Pakistan in Karachi on Wednesday, was the most emphatic yet. The home side won ...

Breetzke’s singular success marred by South Africa’s collective failure

“Once I go to bed tonight and get on my phone and chat to my family, I think it will settle in. But at the moment I’m just disappointed with the loss.” – Matthew Breetzke

Telford Vice / Cape Town

FOR a while on Monday, Matthew Breetzke had Lahore’s limelight all to himself. He did, after all, make the highest score by a debutant among all the 3,037 men who have played ODIs.

Breetzke’s 150, which came off 148 balls with 11 fours and five sixes, broke a record that stood for 13 days sho...

Cape Town end SEC’s dominance

“There’s no AB like Adi Birrell!” – a poster in the crowd.

Telford Vice / Wanderers

SUNRISERS Eastern Cape and Mumbai Indians Cape Town met in this year’s SA20 opener at St George’s Park on January 9, and again at Newlands 20 days later. Cape Town won both games. And there these two teams were again at the Wanderers on Saturday: in the final.

Plenty went down before Cape Town were able to raise the trophy in triumph, and displace the two-time champions. But, for the first eight balls,...

Smith’s SA20 army marches on

“Still got it, Graeme.” – a passerby

Telford Vice / Wanderers

A familiar figure stood square and solid on the tarmac and stooped through the open front passenger window of a car in a queue waiting to get into the Wanderers on Saturday. He had a phone in his left hand and an earphone plugged into his right ear, and he seemed to be using both — and talking to the driver in the car — simultaneously.

He said his goodbyes to the driver and started walking away, still talking into his devic...

Grandpa Birrell vs Prison Break

“I sat in my room and watched Netflix a lot.” – Rashid Khan on what he’s been doing since his last match.

Telford Vice / Johannesburg

SHOULD Mumbai Indians Cape Town beat Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 final at the Wanderers on Saturday, some of the credit should go to Lincoln Burrows, Michael Scofield, and the rest of the characters of Prison Break.

The US television crime drama, which endured for five seasons from May 2006 to May 2017 and featured a movie, centres on Burrows bei...

SEC slow train hits top speed as SA20 final looms

“It’s probably a unique situation where a franchise has the feeling that it’s a team and we all want to win, including the guys on the bench who haven’t played.” – Tony de Zorzi

Telford Vice / Centurion

WHEN Sunrisers Eastern Cape were beaten by Mumbai Indians Cape Town at St George’s Park on January 9 in the opening match of this year’s SA20, nobody blinked.

So what? They had lost their first completed game in 2023 and 2024, and won the title both times regardless. 

When they went...

JSK wired differently, thanks to Fleming

“I won’t say I’m proud, but I’m satisfied with how we hung together in what’s been a pretty tough season.” – Stephen Fleming

Telford Vice / Johannesburg

“SEE you next year,” Stephen Fleming told reporters on his way out of a press conference in Centurion on Wednesday night. Minutes earlier, Joburg Super Kings, the team Fleming coaches in the SA20, had been eliminated from the running for a place in this year’s final.

The decider will be played at the Wanderers on Saturday, and will fe...

SEC work towards another final as JSK whistle into the sunset

“On the bus before every game he eats a triple-decker pizza and drinks a full-fat Coke.” – Aiden Markram on Marco Jansen’s pre-game routine.

Telford Vice / Centurion

WHO knew the humble whistle could be a weapon of mass annoyance? Anyone, presumably, who has been to a Super Kings game in Chennai, Texas or Joburg, the franchise’s three homes. Or even in Centurion, where the grass banks resounded with shrill, shredded shrieking on Wednesday.

Centurion is not quite 36 kilometres from the...

Rashid makes magic, and a world record

“It’s a proud feeling topping the table when you’re from Afghanistan.” – Rashid Khan

Telford Vice / Cape Town

IT’S an intriguing list, and as of Tuesday at St George’s Park it has a new leader. When Rashid Khan cleanbowled Dunith Wellalage, he became the world’s leading wicket-taker in men’s T20s.

Khan speared the flatfooted left-hander’s guard with what, to a right-hander, would have been a jagging leg break. It clattered into off stump, and the LEDs lit up the night.  

That took ...