Is the current South African pace attack the best ever?

Who needs a spinner, when you have the best possible fast bowling ensemble at your disposal? 47, 45 and now 49. First Australia, then New Zealand and now Pakistan. The South African attack has bundled out opposition for less than 50 three times in last 15 months. And on all three occasions, the services of the specialist spinner weren’t required. Just to put things in perspective, this feat was achieved just three times between 1970 and 2010. Being a South African fast bowler is the most enviable profile to have in world cricket right now.

Dale Steyn of South Africa runs in to bowl

While the quality of the attack in unquestionable, the variety in the pace department also stands out. Leading the pack is the most complete bowler seen in recent times – Dale Steyn. Swing, speed, control, aggression – the man has it all. In Morne Morkel, the Proteas have the typical tall strongly-built fast bowler, someone who extracts steep bounce even from a good length area and hits the bat hard and high.

Vernon Philander has had a dream start for SA

The latest addition to the attack, Vernon Philander, has had a dream start to his career. Consistently bowling in the right areas along with possessing the ability to move the ball both ways, he has taken 78 wickets in just 14 Tests at an astonishing average of 17.48. Try telling him that Test cricket is tough. Rounding off this pace battery is the old war horse Jaques Kallis. Although he isn’t quite the force he once was as a bowler, the 37-year-old all-rounder is still good enough to keep the pressure on and surprise batsmen with his pace in short bursts. This four-pronged attack is good enough for any international line-up in almost any conditions, especially in this age of Twenty20, where a hint of swing leaves people bewildered.

So it the current South African attack the best ever? While it will be almost blasphemous to think otherwise given their recent track record, the absence of a quality spinner in the squad is the only bone of contention. The detractors point out that there is no one to play the role that Shane Warne played in the all-conquering Australian side of the late nineties and early noughties.

In recent times, South Africa have had the likes of Paul Harris, Johan Botha and currently, Robin Peterson – spinners who are more suited to restricting the batsmen. There was the Pakistani-born Imran Tahir, who looked like giving Graeme Smith an attacking option, but after the Adelaide massacre, he may never play Test cricket again. Even though spin has never been a strength for the African nation, they would want this aspect to be taken care of, considering that they are the numero uno team in Test cricket.

In the last year or so, there have been the odd blips where Smith would have craved for a world-class spinner – just to add that different dimension. Instances such as the Headingley Test, where Kevin Pietersen owned the attack with his stroke play, or in Brisbane and Adelaide, where Australia piled on consecutive scores of over 500 come to mind. But for every such setback, there has been a Lord’s or a Perth Test, where the pacers have upped the ante and wrested back the advantage.

So that leaves the subcontinent – a region where South Africa haven’t had a Test series win against a major nation for quite some time. The naysayers argue that Philander won’t be snaking the ball around as much on dust bowls, and Morkel does tend to have the odd off day. If the spinner fails to threaten, the attack won’t be able to exert the sustained pressure that it is right now.

Does Morne Morkel(L) have the consistency to produce a match-winning display in unfamiliar conditions?

But despite their lack of resounding success, there has been enough evidence in the past that the subcontinent can be conquered even without a top-class spinner. Steyn himself has managed to conjure spells of the highest quality to set the foundation for victories in Ahmedabad and Nagpur. James Anderson’s recent show in India, and New Zealand’s victory over Sri Lanka, further strengthen the pace bowler’s argument.

While having an attacking spinning option is always welcome, there is enough fire-power at Smith’s disposal to sustain South Africa’s reign at the top of the charts for a very long period.

Post script: India, with uncertainty at top and inexperience in the middle order, are slated to tour South Africa later in the year. Steyn and Co, given their current form, would be looking to add a few more sub 50 scorecards to their CV come December.