Ashwell Prince has been South Africa’s batting star in the first two Tests against India, scoring 97 in a lost cause at the Wanderers before coming up with a matchwinning 121 at Kingsmead

Dileep Premachandran at Newlands01-Jan-2007

Prince: ‘I try and play one ball at a time. I try not to get myself out to a loose shot’ © Getty Images
Ashwell Prince has been South Africa’s batting star in the first two Tests against India, scoring 97 in a lost cause at the Wanderers before coming up with a matchwinning 121 at Kingsmead. A player capable of playing most shots in the book, Prince has reinvented himself as a Test player, opting for an attritional approach that’s been mighty effective even if it hasn’t always been easy on the eye. And on the eve of a Test match on home turf, he made it clear that that was how it would be for the foreseeable future.”Over the last few years, I’ve more or less sorted out the game plan that I need to take into the Test arena,” he said. “I try and be a little bit more tight, especially in the first hour or so. Later on, I can play a bit more freely. A lot has been said about my style recently, but I’m happy to play the way that I am.”In 2006, that new style fetched him 905 runs at 47.63, and three centuries. “Sometimes you feel like you want to play more freely,” he admitted. “But you the open yourself up to play a few more rash shots.” Prince has worked with Paddy Upton on his mental conditioning, and his approach is based on the very basic – “I try and play one ball at a time. I try not to get myself out to a loose shot.”Prince filled in as captain in Sri Lanka when Smith was out injured, and it was clear that he relishes responsibility. “If the team is under pressure, it takes a couple of partnerships to get out of it,” he said. “We have a thing in the team where if it’s your day, you have to take responsibility. That’s what I’ve been trying to do. When I feel good, and the wickets are falling around me, I take responsibility because I know that the next time, it will be somebody else.”He went for a duck in the second innings at Durban, a beautiful delivery from Sreesanth that angled away and took the edge to slip. “If anything, I prefer to get nought with a delivery like that,” said Prince, expanding on his batting philosophy. “Like I said, if I’m not playing a loose shot or throwing my bat outside off stump, then I don’t mind. Getting out to a good delivery when I haven’t settled at the crease, if I’m going to get outin any way, that must be it.”No team has made more than 328 in the two Tests, with South Africa’s batsmen troubled by an inexperienced Indian pace attack where only Zaheer Khan has played more than 10 Tests. “Sreesanth has been bowling quite well,” he said. “For the right-handers, with the ball swinging away, he’s been very dangerous. But he’s also got a few lefties out with the ball swinging in to get lbws. Every now and then, one has held its line or gone away.”Zaheer Khan has also been bowling well. He’s been getting the ball to swing. Those two guys have been the in-form bowlers. Having said that, the pitches at the Wanderers and Durban didn’t suit the spinners much. I think Anil [Kumble] might play a bit more of a role in this game.”For the moment, Prince is an integral part of the Test side, and a fringe player in the one-day scheme of things. And with a trip to the Caribbean mere months away, Prince admitted that it wasn’t always easy to stop thinking ahead. “At the moment, I’m not focussing much on one-day cricket,” he said. “This match is vital for the series, and then we have three against Pakistan.”At this stage, I’m not looking too far ahead. Obviously, every guy’s probably got one eye on the World Cup, but I’m trying to focus on one game at a time.”That attitude has served him well in recent times, and if India are to breach South African defences at Newlands, they’ll first have to get through a man whose batting now has a reassuringly solid Wall-like feel to it.