Rudolph: The joker in Kirsten’s pack?

As the year slowly grinds towards the next summer of international cricket, preparations have already begun for those considered to inhabit the “near selection” vortex of the national side. South Africa A have recently returned from a brief yet fruitful tournament involving themselves, a near full strength Zimbabwe and an Australia A side containing several potential Baggy Greens along with current Test opener Phil Hughes.

While the results were stop-start, where two wins against Zimbabwe compare with three losses to the Australians, the most significant observation that could be made was the return to the broader national set-up of a player once earmarked for great things. Jacques Rudolph, the man who had to endure his Test début being shunted first by the ICC, then the late Percy Sonn back in 2001/2002, captained the side and finished the tournament as the leading run scorer by some margin.

Having scored a double century on his protracted Test début against Bangladesh in Graeme Smith’s first series as national captain, Rudolph failed to achieve the consistency required to hold down a place in the national side, though his ability was never in doubt. In 2007, with an under-whelming Test average of 36.21 from 35 games, Rudolph packed his bags and went to English county Yorkshire as a Kolpak player. He subsequently flourished in Leeds, where the next four seasons saw him hit over 1 000 runs in first class cricket and amass an impressive 8 629 runs. He was meant to be there until the end of this year, but events conspired to have him return to the South African domestic scene last year.

His time in England seemed to make him a better cricketer, as he finished the SuperSport Series as the leading run scorer, amassing 954 runs at 59.62, including four centuries. He was also fourth on the run scoring charts in the MTN40, averaging a solid 38.30 from 10 digs. He has since returned to Yorkshire where he is still held in high regard until the end of the English domestic season before once more returning to South Africa for the coming summer.

With the Proteas set to begin their season earlier than normal against Australia in October, the A side’s travails against their Australian counterparts has shown that Rudolph is capable and ready to move back into international cricket. With new Proteas bowling coach Allan Donald accompanying the team to Zimbabwe, the recently anointed Gary Kirsten will receive a first hand report on Rudolph’s progress. Vincent Barnes, Donald’s predecessor and the man who took the A side to Zimbabwe, only had praise for the Titans batsman. Barnes said, “”He [Rudolph] played exceptionally well, did a great job leading and it’s obvious that he wants to play for South Africa badly.” Barnes believes that Rudolph is more focused then he was before and most pointedly, has “a massive calm about him”.

Anyone who has played cricket will know that the game’s greatest demons lie inside the minds of the players themselves and not just with the on-field conditions. Since cricketers have so much time to think, being a game of hundreds of moments, even the very best batsman come unstuck because they can’t acquire the mental calm to match their abilities. JP Duminy’s stagnant Test career is an example of that. After starting off brightly, he lost the control that saw him hit that breathless 100 at the MCG in only his second Test. Ashwell Prince is the current man in possession, but with Duminy breathing down his neck, the number six berth will be one of the most hotly contested of the summer.

Another position that will be under scrutiny will be the openers berth. Alviro Peterson will most likely start the season as Graeme Smith’s partner, but with the return of Rudolph, there is now a genuine Test-experienced replacement available if deemed necessary by the selectors.

Another scenario that has yet to come full circle is that of Jacques Kallis‘ replacement. Prince, at 34, isn’t a long-term solution and with Duminy the next in-line, there will be a spot opening up in that highly competitive South African middle order. Rudolph is 30, meaning that he can easily give four or five seasons of service to the Proteas’ cause, a long enough time frame to make him a serious candidate, form permitting, to replace South Africa’s greatest player (Barry Richards and Graeme Pollock come close).

Calmness is the hallmark of a fine batsman, with Kallis, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers all possessing this trait in abundance. With Rudolph’s return to the thoughts of the national selectors (if he ever left them at all), an extra layer of composure within the national set up is always welcome. I shall watch with interest this coming season to see how Kirsten and company go about their work.