Known as the White Lightning, Allan Donald (72 Tests, 330 wickets) spearheaded South Africa’s campaign when the country returned to the international fold in the early 1990s; from 1992 to 2002 in fact. After a stint with Bangladesh till the World Cup in India, the 57-year-old has been appointed to raise the fresh crop of fast bowling talent in South Africa.
Excerpts from an interview conducted on the first day of the second Test between South Africa and India at Newlands, Cape Town.
Q. Since its return to mainstream cricket, South Africa has been blessed with many fast bowlers, starting with Allan Donald. You have left a great legacy to follow. What is the reason behind the continuous supply of fast bowlers? Is it because of the pitches and overhead conditions that favour fast bowlers?
A. Well, back in the mid-90s in South Africa, every province had about five or six good fast bowlers, and so we were very blessed with some amazing guys who never played Test cricket. A guy like Rudi Bryson, a guy like Richard Snell (he played six Tests). They never had the opportunity to play because there were so many in front of them.
FILE PHOTO: Bangladesh’s fast bowling coach Allan Donald during a net practice session ahead of their match against Pakistan during the ICC World Cup 2023. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR/The Hindu
So, yeah, I mean, we have been incredibly blessed with a conveyor belt of terrific fast bowlers, and now, being back in the First-Class system (he has joined the Lions’ coaching staff in South African domestic cricket), for me it gives another chance to have a look at some young guns who are coming through.
Obviously, Nandre Burger is one, who, just over the last four years, has built himself up and found more consistency. Being a left-arm bowler, he brings in another dimension.
Q. What about the fast bowling combination of India? Pakistan has always been blessed with fast bowlers. India has realised that they need to have a good unit of fast bowlers in overseas countries like South Africa, Australia, England and New Zealand.
A. Yes, absolutely. I’ve taken great care in watching India bring through some young quicks and the one that has just taken six for 15 (Mohammed Siraj in the first innings of the Cape Town Test) is a revelation. I think when I was in Bangladesh, and when India played a Test series there and in Dhaka, the way he (Siraj) ran in every single ball was good to see. I think he’s got such a great attitude. He’s got tremendous skill and a massive heart.
We always talk about this white line fever, and this guy for me, just doesn’t take a backward step. And I think, partnering up with Jasprit Bumrah, and the two of them are just sublime, absolutely sublime. I know more and more will come through in India. There are many still sitting back home and knocking on the door. It’s fantastic.
I mean, jeez, India is so lucky to have such a vast variety of young guys coming through, not just batters, but fast bowlers. I look forward to seeing who’s going to represent and who’s going to be the next guy that’s knocking on the door so that we can see someone new.
Q. The third seamer in the side, Prasidh Krishna…he did not have a good debut, but the captain Rohit Sharma says he has the tools to succeed in this format. What are your thoughts about him?
A. I love watching him bowl. He has come from nowhere. He has got such an easy way about himself. Yes, he would have learned the lessons from the first Test match. It just looked that he was searching to find the right areas and he turned out to be a great back-up for Bumrah and Siraj, who did the bulk of the damage. And then you are sitting with someone back home like Umran Malik, the young guy that came on the IPL scene and bowled at 150 kmph. He is learning his trade and I just hope that he wants to play Test match cricket and not just the shortest format stuff. He is fun to watch.
Q. A few years ago, Brett Lee said he has seen the potential in Prasidh Krishna and Navdeep Saini, pointing out that they had a good run up to the bowling crease. He also said he went to a sprint coach and how sprinting is good for a fast bowler.
A. Lee was correct. And I had to learn how to run and I worked with a sprint coach in Birmingham (Warwickshire) way back early in 1994. And he taught me how to run properly, to sprint and get into the rhythm. It was just the best investment ever and Brett Lee is spot on.
You look at Lee and his running, same with Umran Malik and Mohammed Siraj…Bumrah is completely different. But you need to be a proper athlete in order to be a genuine (fast bowler); you’ve got all the paces and skills, but you also need to be a proper athlete. Absolutely.
Q. Kagiso Rabada - he is developing into a great fast bowler. He took a brilliant catch at the Centurion, he looks a superb athlete, and he’s close to taking 300 Test wickets.
A. Yeah, look, I can’t speak highly of Kagiso Rabada enough; he’s very freaky. If you watch AB de Villiers and what AB has achieved in his life as a batsman, Rabada does this with ease. That catch he took running to his left-hand side and driving or catching, it was just an amazing bit of outfield catching. He’s got everything going for him. He’s got great rhythm. He’s a fantastic athlete. He’s got tremendous skills. I look forward to watching him bowl a bit (after South Africa was shot out for 55). I think it’ll be fun to watch today regardless.
Kagiso Rabada in action during the second day of the second Test against India at Newlands in Cape Town. | Photo Credit: AFP
You can have all the skills in the world, the pace and everything that goes with it, but he’s got this mean hunger for success. And also, the competitiveness that he brings to every spell is second to none. I think that just sets him apart from a lot. Like a bit like Pat Cummins of Australia.
Q. What about Nandre Burger? He has a very good record in the domestic championships.
A. I saw him five years ago, and I was very impressed by him. Not many coaches were; they thought that he still had a lot to learn. He was one of those kids I saw for the first time, and on face value, I just liked him straightaway. Left-arm seam, had great release, swung late and he bowled in the mid 140s.
Donald says he was impressed by Burger five years ago, when many coaches didn’t really believe in his abilities. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES
He’s one of those guys who really just puts everything into every single ball. I’m just glad he’s knocked on the door and has been rewarded for doing pretty well in domestic cricket this year. I think he’s definitely improved on his consistency in areas; he has been more patient with it from where he was before when he was little bit more scattergunnish, trying too hard to get wickets quickly; it cost him a lot of runs. But I think this time around I’ve seen a guy that now is ready for the big exam. The fact that he’s landed an IPL contract is just wonderful. It is a great reward for hard work and showing patience.
Q. No one talks about express fast bowlers these days, like you, Lee and Shoaib Akhtar were.
A. Why guys are not consistently bowling at 150 kmph, it’s an easy one for me. It’s because we haven’t played so much cricket like the guys who are playing now. I think it’s the volume of cricket they play. Rabada dropped off to the 140s two and half years after he came in. So, it’s just the volume of cricket these guys are playing now. I think to keep that pace up in every single format is almost impossible. I just think the volume [of cricket being played] is far greater than we ever had back in our days.
Q. India has been playing in South Africa since 1992, and hasn’t yet been able to win a series. What do you think is the reason?
A. I genuinely think South Africa is a tough place to bat. In Australia, you get to true bounce with the ball coming on to the bat really nicely. You get value for shots in South Africa. But I just genuinely think that South Africa is not an easy place to come and bat with the ball nipping around a bit longer and the bounce not so consistent. So, I think that’s pretty much been the trend. If you go back to when we played at Newlands (in the 1996-97 series) and when [Mohammad] Azharuddin and [Sachin] Tendulkar scored centuries and were involved in a big partnership, that was the flattest wicket I’ve ever seen at Newlands. But the pitches have changed and they have really changed and that’s why it’s tough for teams to come here and win.
Q. Jasprit Bumrah… he is playing a Test series after a gap of 18 months. He had issues with his back. Can he be the same force as he was before the injury?
A. I spoke to him during the World Cup actually and he was really happy with where he was. He talked passionately about his cricket and that he loves the format and its mystery, and the hard graft about Test cricket and the creativity about being a fast bowler when the wickets are flat.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah delivers a ball during the second day of the second Test. | Photo Credit: AFP
Look, I’m just a massive fan of him and who’s not? Jasprit Bumrah is a phenomenal fast bowler and it is great to see him back. It’s great that Bumrah is fit and the game needs him. And yet again, this morning (first day of the second Test), he was just sublime, so it’s awesome to see him back. What a great guy.
So, for the first time when I actually met him was during the World Cup in India. So, we had a long conversation on one of the practice evenings; it was just awesome to catch up with him. And he’s just a free wheeling guy talking about his experiences. But yeah, it’s great to see him back.
Q. Danny Morrison once described Bumrah’s run up, ‘It’s here and there!’
A. It is. It’s very, I mean, it’s absolutely unique. You could see that he’s obviously done this when he was a kid, playing backyard cricket or whatever it is. Or school cricket. He worked his run-up out for himself. It’s a bit of a stutter. I think Danny Morrison was right. But when it actually comes to that last few 10 metres of sprint, he is hard. And all of a sudden he has hit rhythm for the first time. And then, of course, the late release is quite incredible. And the control that he has over the outswing and the inswing is quite a thing to watch.
But in a way, it’s like a golf swing. You can have the worst swing in the world, but the last foot all the way down towards the ball and you are smashing it 350 every single time. No one’s going to care. And that’s exactly what good Bumrah does. It gets done.
Q. How difficult is it to return after a back injury for a fast bowler? Bumrah, Prasidh and Hardik Pandya have recovered, but?
A. It’s a big thing…because when we do screening from a young age, we do lots of video analysis on young kids when they come through the system, to make sure that biomechanically, they are absolutely fine, and they’re not going to get hurt or injured seriously. So, doing the correct screening from a young age is incredibly important. Look, I think Hardik puts his body through a lot every single delivery. I mean, it’s not a nice thing and also one needs to look at how strong these guys are these days. Hardik has spent a lot of time away from the game, building his body back up. And strength and conditioning is a major, major factor these days.
Q. What’s been the effect of Twenty20 on fast bowlers?
A. I think it [T20 cricket] has [affected fast bowlers], and in another sense it hasn’t, because when I say it has I just think that guys are thinking much quicker on their feet now. They figure things out much quicker, using angles on the crease much better. Siraj did that this morning (first day of the second Test). How well he came wider of the crease to the right hander to try and swing it away from there. He got [David] Bedingham with a ball that just stood up a little bit slightly wide of the crease. The bounce rate these days has increased through the roof. Guys are bowling a lot more bouncers now, they are so much aggressive. Their mindset and the approach to Test cricket is so much more aggressive because they have to adapt these days to flat pitches. So, I think that their mindset is fantastic. I love such a mindset. I have always been that fan of being ultra-attacking.
Twenty20, I think, really has improved bowling. I think it has given guys a lot more ammo to free-wheel if you wish and not worry about just bowling well. We know how England are playing now; reinvented cricket and come out swinging. So, you just need to be absolutely spot on and fight fire with fire. So yeah, I just think Twenty20 cricket has a big hand in taking Test cricket where it is today.
Q. Pat Cummins is having a whale of a time against Pakistan. As bowler-captain, Australians had apprehensions, but he has turned out to be very successful.
A. I just heard the commentators talk about him and you can see that the team is right behind him. They really enjoy him being their captain. I think in tight situations he’s always there to protect the team. With the ball he’s just crazy good at the moment. I have great respect for him. He made his debut at the Wanderers and now he is captain of Australia and doing so well; winning the World Cup, winning the World Test Championship and winning the series against Pakistan. And he’s getting a bag of wickets. So yeah, it is just that at the moment he is the most valuable cricketer on the planet. He is just sublime to watch.
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