Kagiso Rabada was at his passionate best as Miller struck two sixes to close the game. ©AFP
Even the pandemic couldn't stop the South Africans from shimmering on Saturday, and not only because of Sharjah's hellish heat. They lined up for the anthems not socially distanced, as the ICC says they should and as the Sri Lankans did, but properly shoulder-to-shoulder with arms linked. Their faces, as they sang, were of utterly serious men.
The heightened passion was also evident in the field, where they threw themselves around with the commitment of commandos and nailed the stumps more often than not with their throws. And between the wickets, where their running bristled with aggression.
It was always going to be thus. At least, it was after Tuesday, when Quinton de Kock set in motion a series of unfortunate events by refusing to play against West Indies in Dubai on Tuesday because CSA's board had instructed the team to take a knee. By Thursday
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