Australia v South Africa T20I: Tanveer Sangha makes huge impression on triumphant day for Aussie debutants

It was a big day for Australian debutants and none shone more brightly than young spinner Tanveer Sangha, writes DANIEL CHERNY.

Recent history suggests that the combination of an undermanned Australia playing in South Africa should be a recipe for disaster.

In 2016, an Aussie side without any of its frontline pace trio was smacked 5-0 by the ruthless Proteas in what would turn out to be a portent of a nasty home assignment against the same opposition for Steve Smith’s side.

More infamously, an emotionally battered Aussie XI sans Smith, David Warner, Cameron Bancroft and the injured Mitchell Starc, and featuring hastily convened ring-ins, capitulated in the fourth and final Test of the ball tampering series in 2018.

So when Adam Zampa was replaced by Tanveer Sangha – who wasn’t even in the Twenty20 squad – because of illness on matchday, things appeared a touch ominous for the Aussies. Their eventual XI for the first T20 international at Durban featured four debutants, a new captain, and just two members of the team that won the T20 World Cup in the UAE in late 2021.

It was high time and an ideal opportunity for regeneration in the Aussie T20 side given the injuries and workload concerns that had sidelined almost all of the team’s mainstays, but when blooding so many new players at the same time, selectors must have been holding their breath at least a bit.

They needn’t have worried. If the Ashes tour was widely and fairly categorised as close enough to the end of the line for a generation of highly-accomplished players, this was day one of a new era for the Australian team. And it was the perfect start.

Tanveer Sangha made a brilliant T20 debut for Australia in South Africa. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

A crushing 111-run victory was against the grain of what is now more than 30 years of nip-and-tuck history between the two teams since South Africa was readmitted to international cricket.

As Pat Cummins found out the hard way intermittently this winter, there is ultimately no substitute for individual performance when assessing the overall worth of a captain. In that vein, Mitch Marsh’s powerful 92 not out off 49 balls was exactly what was needed from the skipper of the fresh-faced side.

Combined with Tim David (64 off 28 balls), Marsh led his team to a total that was always going to be tough for the Proteas to scale.

With Australia brimming with seaming all-rounders, almost exclusively West Australian mind you, Marcus Stoinis has reached a spot in his career where he must perform consistently well to guarantee a spot in the Aussie white-ball XIs ahead of twin World Cups later this year and mid next year.

Without Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Cameron Green, Stoinis took the new ball and delivered with 3-18.

Matt Short touches gloves with captain Mitchell Marsh as Australia powers to victory over South Africa in Durban. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images/Getty Images

All of the debutants contributed. Matt Short (20 off 11) and Aaron Hardie (23 off 14) chipped in, while Spencer Johnson overcame some early tap to take a couple of late wickets. A player of his extreme pace seems perfect for cleaning up the tail.

It was the last of the newbies to be confirmed who made the biggest impression, however. Leggie Sangha’s 4-31 made for the best figures by an Australian T20 international debutant since Michael Kasprowicz in the first ever T20 international way back in 2005.

It was a typical licorice all sorts collection of wickets for a leg spinner, the first from a long hop but one from a delightful big-turner that had Tristan Stubbs stumped by Josh Inglis.

The esteem in which Sangha is held by Australian selectors was evident in how quickly they brought him into the World Cup frame despite a summer cruelled by injury, and on the back of this showing it’s clear why they rate him so highly. Surely he can’t be dropped now.

Of course, there are terms and conditions to this performance. South Africa was itself missing Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj. And one T20 in late August does not make a summer.

But in terms of early indications, this should provide significant cause for optimism.

Originally published as Australia v South Africa T20I: Tanveer Sangha makes huge impression on triumphant day for Aussie debutants