Image Credit- AFP
There’s something menacing about him. He tosses the
ball in relentlessly, reaching upwards of 145 kph. He frequently causes it to
skid off the pitch even faster, forcing hitters into uncomfortable poses. When
he rejoices, he has demons dancing in his eyes and forehead veins that
protrude. Remember how Dale Steyn used to do that? That aura is only enhanced
by his headpiece.
In his maiden World Cup, Gerald Coetzee, at 23, is the
fastest bowler to take the most wickets in the middle overs. In five matches
between overs 11 and 40, he has taken ten wickets, exceeding expectations for
someone on his debut senior tour of India. Even though they have played one
more games than Coetzee, the next best during this round only has eight
wickets. Only Mitchell Santner (11) and Adam Zampa (13) have taken more wickets
overall than Coetzee at this stage.
If Sisanda Magala or Anrich Nortje had been available
for selection and fit, Coetzee might not have played. South Africa has also had
to cope with Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi’s niggles during this World Cup.
However, Coetzee has grasped the opportunity to make a name for himself with
outstanding performances. Among his middle-over victims are Mohammad Rizwan,
Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
The way that South Africa’s attack, under any
circumstances, is enhanced by Coetzee’s formidable point of difference was
demonstrated in Chennai with the defeat of Rizwan and the gradual softening of
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. Once Rizwan had begun to hop, Coetzee managed to
get one to launch like a rocket from a short distance away, and he had him
top-edge it from behind. Babar was rendered helpless when Coetzee struck a
bouncer into his armpit during the same over.
Coetzee’s natural reaction to a batter is aggression,
but he has also been honing his defensive techniques to become a more
all-around bowler. He was vulnerable to bowling from around the wicket in the
MLC, for example, and used a slower dipper to dismiss Aaron Finch.
Lower down the order, Coetzee can also deal some
damage with the bat. He had top-scored for South Africa A in a List A match
against Sri Lanka A in Pallekele earlier this year after being dismissed for 42
against an attack that included Dilshan Madushanka, Dunith Wellalage, and
Lakshan Sandakan. He made 77 off 89 balls.
“Batting is something Gerald works very hard
on,” Morkel says. “I believe that he can become a proper No. 8 and
win games with power-hitting but also play the ball around the park. I’ve
worked a little bit with him on the batting with JSK and also at the MLC.
There’re still technical things he needs to get a hold of, but from a talent
point of view, I believe he can be a proper package.”
That version of Coetzee will be even more scary.