Olivier’s ‘incredible effort’ impresses Faf

Cricket365
October 9, 2017

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was impressed with the way Duanne Olivier bowled in the second innings of the second Test against Bangladesh in Bloemfontein.

Olivier, playing in only his fifth Test, bowled 10 overs unchanged at the start of the day on Sunday and troubled the tourists’ batsmen with his hostile pace and bounce.

That spell set the tone for the Proteas as they ran through the Tigers’ batting order to dismiss them for 172 and wrap up an innings and 254-run win inside three days.

Although Olivier only had one wicket to show for his efforts – with Kagiso Rabada taking 10 in the match – Du Plessis hailed the Knights paceman who was playing on his home ground.

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Du Plessis said of Olivier after the game: “That’s what you want to see from young bowlers. You want to see improvement, that they can learn quickly at the highest level, because the guys that can learn, you can stick with them,”

“The way he bowled today was a fantastic effort. To bowl 10 overs on the trot of short-ball work takes incredible effort, so I have to take my hat off to him. He was our best bowler today.”

The 25-year-old Olivier, who has taken 17 wickets in his five Tests, was only playing because of injuries to Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn.

Du Plessis said it was important for the Proteas to create depth in the seam bowling department and that the younger players have the quality to step up when they are needed.

The Proteas skipper continued: “There is a difference in our top four seamers, they are world class, best-in-the-world kind of bowlers. So if you judge guys according to them, there would be a gap.

“For me it is important to see how we can make those guys get better for the time when they need to step up into the team.

“These guys that played the last two Test matches will be looked at for the future so it’s important for them to see that there is some work to do, but they have the quality.”