Quote:That is a brilliant display of Crease Occupation. Straight out of the Playbook 

Quote:It makes picking a side difficult because although there are enough players of colour coming through - the franchises have their own transformation requirements of five players of colour with two black Africans, which they are meeting - finding the right players in the right positions is not as simple as colouring by numbers.

Currently, the options available in terms of black African players in the Test are Kagiso Rabada, who played all but one match on the India tour, and Temba Bavuma, who played when Rabada did not. Both had strong showings and demonstrated the success of the transformation plan - it's not about picking players who are not good enough to fill a quota but it about how you decide between players who are good enough. In some countries that decision is made on something as subjective as which player the chief selector or the captain feels has more potential. In South Africa part of that decision is made with transformation guidelines in mind.

At this point it means that when both Philander and Steyn are fit again to play alongside Morkel, Rabada may be left out unless South Africa play four quicks, and there will be no space for Kyle Abbott at all. That will also mean Bavuma will start, but since there is no space for him in his regular spot in the middle order, he will have to open. Luckily for South Africa, Bavuma showed that he could.

He seemed more assured than the man he replaced, van Zyl, but it is not known how he will fare at home on what are bound to be spicy pitches against the England attack. Given that neither van Zyl nor Bavuma is actually an opener, South Africa may want to pick someone more accustomed to the role.

If they do that, their choices are limited to Stephen Cook or Andrew Puttick, and so far, the selectors have said age is the main obstacle to their selection. Cook is 33 and Puttick 34 so the suits have a point, but Cook topped the first-class batting charts last season, Puttick was the fifth-highest run-getter the season before, both average over 40, and between them have played 310 first-class games. That kind of experience should not be scoffed at.

Both Cook and Puttick are white so including one of them would mean re-looking at balance either by making a space for Bavuma lower down, possibly putting JP Duminy's spot at risk, or including Rabada by breaking up the Steyn-Morkel-Philander triumvirate. Whichever way you look at it, it leaves South Africa in a tricky situation and the players know it.