Nel credits Jennings for aggressive approach

Andre Nel, the South African fast bowler, credits his former provincial and national coach Ray Jennings for making him a stronger bowler. Nel had approached Jennings for advice after a slump in form, and believed he had returned a fitter and better bowler after a couple sessions with his mentor.

"Ray and I didn't even do a lot of bowling. We watched videos of my action and we talked a lot," he told the South African website news24.com. "He's the guy who knows my bowling the best and he saw small things I didn't notice. Injuries have played a big part in my recent performances. I tried to bowl too quickly to make up for whatever was wrong.

"I tried to bowl from a position too close to the wicket and that resulted in my balance being off-kilter" Nel, 29, continued. "I've started releasing the ball from a wider position and forced myself to stamp down harder, with the result that my speed has returned. I don't think I was aggressive enough in my approach. I held back a lot and tried to bowl economically over the past few months. It's important to remember to take wickets; it's another way to limit runs, especially early in an innings." It was under the tutelage of Jennings at Eastern Province that Nel was called up to the South African side in 2001.

He was also confident of his role in the one-day side with India due to tour next month and the World Cup looming next year. "I've always had to exercise control to try to put teams under pressure after replacing Shaun [Pollock] and Makhaya [Ntini] in the attack," Nel admitted. "However, I'm not that kind of player. I like to get into batsmen's faces and that's why I've now been told to try to bowl faster and take wickets. I think I'm now the fittest I've been in many years and I'm excited about my bowling this season. If I'm not selected, I'll at least know I've done my best."

Nel returned figures of 2 for 20 in eight overs during South Africa's first warm-up match against Saurashtra, and one for 17 against the MCA President's XI, in Mumbai this week.