Woe Is the Proteas Fast Bowling Unit

For much of the last 30 years, South Africa’s pace bowling unit has been a reliable and consistent force, posing a real threat to opposition teams in all formats of the game.

Think Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada. If there was a certainty about a Proteas team, it was the fact that it would show up with express pace. Bowlers who could consistently take wickets, stem the flow of runs, defend totals, and most importantly of all, strike fear into the opposition.

But with the ICC Champions Trophy set to begin next week, South Africa finds itself in a precarious position, heading into the tournament with serious concerns about the form, fitness, depth, and leadership of its pace bowling options. 

Drawn in a difficult group alongside Afghanistan, Australia, and England, the Proteas are staring at an uphill battle to qualify for the knockout stages. Their recent ODI record, particularly over the last 15 matches, does not inspire confidence, with an extended losing streak—including four consecutive defeats to Pakistan—exposing deep structural flaws in the teams’ selections and game day strategies.

Most troubling has been the decline of its once-feared bowling attack, which has struggled to contain opposition batters, particularly at the death. The bowling attack is now a glaring weakness. And I know many would say the team that failed to defend scores of 304 (against New Zealand) and 352 (against Pakistan) this week was a B-side. But the only pace bowlers who missed out and will make a return for the Champions Trophy were Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen. 

Rabada remains the leader of this bowling unit, but he has been overworked and has become somewhat ineffective due to a lack of consistent support in recent times. His economy rate has crept up, and without another frontline seamer maintaining pressure at the other end, he has been unable to produce the match-winning spells that were once his trademark. 

Adding to the Proteas’ woes is the growing injury list that has severely limited their bowling depth. Gerald Coetzee, one of the few bowlers capable of generating genuine pace, has been sidelined with a stress-related back issue, ruling him out of the Champions Trophy and forcing South Africa to rethink their attack. Anrich Nortje and Nandre Burger are the other two pace bowlers who struggle with consistent and serious injuries. 

But the broader concern is that South Africa’s ODI strategy no longer seems suited to modern white-ball cricket. While teams like England and Australia have built attacks that mix raw pace with clever variations, the Proteas appear stuck in a phase where their fast bowlers neither intimidate opposition batters or effectively restrict them from scoring. 

Their inability to take wickets in the powerplay has often left the Proteas playing catch-up, and their struggles in the final 10 overs, where they have consistently leaked runs at more than 10 per over, have been a recurring theme. This was particularly evident in their recent losses to Pakistan, where well-set batters had little trouble finding the boundary against a bowling attack that lacked both discipline and an edge.

The team’s struggles have also placed head coach Rob Walter under immense pressure, with growing calls for his removal. Walter’s tenure has been marked by questionable squad selections, a failure to develop a clear bowling strategy, and an inability to instll grit and a fighting spirit in a team that often looks directionless in pressure moments. 

With a batting unit that is stacked with match winners and game-changers, there should be optimism about the Proteas entering this competition and staking a claim for the trophy. But our opponents in the group stage are teams that can thrive against inconsistent and erratic bowling attacks. A turnaround is, of course, still possible, but it will require a level of discipline and adaptability that has been missing from the ODI side for some time. 

Analysis of the pace attack over their last 10 ODI games:

Kagiso Rabada:

Rabada continues to be the backbone of the Proteas’ bowling unit, combining wicket-taking ability with impressive control, having picked up 16 wickets in his last 10 games. His economy rate of 4.92 is outstanding in an era of high run-scoring ODIs. Crucially, he has maintained consistency, going wicketless in only one of his last 10 games. His strike rate of 31.88 is solid, though it highlights how heavily South Africa relies on him.

Lungi Ngidi 

Ngidi’s form is a significant concern. His economy rate of 6.46 is too high for a frontline bowler. Worse still, he has gone wicketless in two of his last three matches, underlining his struggles in high-pressure situations. His strike rate of 37.25 means he isn’t taking wickets frequently enough to justify the number of runs he concedes. Against teams like England and Australia, who thrive on attacking pace, his recent form makes him a major liability.

Marco Jansen 

Jansen has been the Proteas’ most productive bowler in recent ODIs, taking 19 wickets in 10 matches at an impressive strike rate of 25.23. His inconsistency is the concern though. He has had matches where he has been unplayable, but also outings where he has been taken apart (9.72 economy vs India, 8.07 vs Australia). His role in the attack will be crucial, but unless he finds better control and consistency, South Africa’s tendency to concede runs in key moments will continue to be a problem.

Wiaan Mulder 

Mulder’s numbers show that he is not yet a reliable bowling option at the international level in limited overs cricket. With only six wickets in 10 matches, an economy rate of 6.59, and a strike rate of 49.00, he’s neither a wicket-taker or someone that can control the scoring rate. Given South Africa’s struggles with bowling depth, the Proteas need their all-rounders to step up, but Mulder’s numbers suggest he is more of a liability than an asset with the ball at the moment.

Corbin Bosch 

Bosch has endured a bit of a nightmarish start to his ODI career, conceding 139 runs in just two matches at an alarming economy rate of 8.18. His bowling average of 69.50 suggests that he has struggled to make any real impact with the ball. His first outing against Pakistan in Johannesburg (9-0-69-1) was expensive, but his follow-up performance in Karachi (8-0-70-1) was even worse, with his economy ballooning to 8.75.