Six months ago, Sky Sports advertised England's winter tour to South Africa, making a point of how the South Africans were "Number 1". We had many smiling school children, fishermen and Graeme Smith telling us about this. The less said about Stuart Broad's part in this advert, the better. Yes, despite having achieved nothing of note in many years, save for a series victory Down Under in 2008, the Proteas were No.1 in all forms of cricket. Then England rocked up and everything changed.
OK, so a 1-1 Test and 2020 series draw and a 2-1 ODI defeat against a vastly improved side does not sound too bad. However, heads have begun to roll after another dismal showing in a major competition, the World Twenty20 in the Carribbean last month. Keen follower(s) of this blog will notice how I predicted they would struggle with their one-dimensional bowling attack in that form of the game and I was right (for a change). The fact does remain that they have three world class seam bowlers and a couple of canny spinners, although Roelof van der Merwe has gone so off the boil that he should be left alone. It is in the batting department that things need freshened up and the roots of something fresh and new may just be beginning to grow.
Last year, Cricinfo asked readers and experts to pick an All-Time South African XI. The experts opted mainly for old-timers from the pre-international exile for being racist bastards years. However, the readers correctly chose six current or recently retired players in their XI, in stark contrast to the English equivalent where only Kevin Pietersen (easily a candidate for a South African XI) made the cut from the modern era. However, when you examine all six of these players, you realise that times are coming to an end for four of them and one is having his role drastically redefined as a result. Only the rapid paceman Dale Steyn remains as important as ever he was, although Morne Morkel is finally finding the consistency which could see him jump the queue for the role of leader of the attack. The taller of the two bowlers, Morkel has found alarming bounce and seam movement on West Indian pitches in the current bilateral series, whereas Steyn's extra pace has been to the liking of the flamboyant opposition. But he's far too good not to bounce back.
Shaun Pollock is long gone now, great player though he was. The accuracy at 80mph that he provided is no longer a need under the new regime - out-and-out speed is much more desired by the CSA selectors. His lower order batting isn't missed either - Johan Botha, Ryan McLaren and Wayne Parnell are all more than capable. Jacques Kallis bats serenely as ever, but is now little more than a reluctant bowler (the 91.5mph he was clocked at yesterday indicates a broken speed gun rather than a man with genuine menace). The keeping issue has also been changed - Mark Boucher, recently man-of-the-series against England in the Tests for some really gutsy knocks, has been discarded, with batsman AB de Villiers, a wonderful fielder, donning the gloves. So long as this doesn't affect de Villiers' batting (and it hasn't so far) then this will work out OK, but it's a poor way to repay Boucher for years of outstanding service, where he has rescued his country from many a dire situation and also become statistically the most successful keeper of all time.
Then we come to the captain. Graeme Smith looks far less relaxed these days than when he lounged in the Jo'burg sunshine uttering the immortal line "South Africa - Number 1". He is uncomfortable in the crease and has regressed to his old ways of shuffling across his stumps and shovelling everything into the leg side. An lbw candidate if ever there was one. His fielding is become increasingly unreliable and his captaincy lacks imagination. Is it time for a fresh start here as well? I would say not. To do to Smith what has been done to Boucher would be a step too far - his service for the country since a young age has been sterling. Class is permanent. Change has needed to be made in South African cricket, but some semblance of continuity must be retained.
So a new wave of icons enter South African sport. Not the footballers who will surely be shown up for what limited players are. But men like Hashim Amla, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Alviro Petersen, men who will carry the hopes and dreams of ordinary Saffers. Gone is Makhaya Ntini, the greatest icon the game has ever had in Africa. It is time for new heroes to be born. Hope they don't choke.
RM
OK, so a 1-1 Test and 2020 series draw and a 2-1 ODI defeat against a vastly improved side does not sound too bad. However, heads have begun to roll after another dismal showing in a major competition, the World Twenty20 in the Carribbean last month. Keen follower(s) of this blog will notice how I predicted they would struggle with their one-dimensional bowling attack in that form of the game and I was right (for a change). The fact does remain that they have three world class seam bowlers and a couple of canny spinners, although Roelof van der Merwe has gone so off the boil that he should be left alone. It is in the batting department that things need freshened up and the roots of something fresh and new may just be beginning to grow.
Last year, Cricinfo asked readers and experts to pick an All-Time South African XI. The experts opted mainly for old-timers from the pre-international exile for being racist bastards years. However, the readers correctly chose six current or recently retired players in their XI, in stark contrast to the English equivalent where only Kevin Pietersen (easily a candidate for a South African XI) made the cut from the modern era. However, when you examine all six of these players, you realise that times are coming to an end for four of them and one is having his role drastically redefined as a result. Only the rapid paceman Dale Steyn remains as important as ever he was, although Morne Morkel is finally finding the consistency which could see him jump the queue for the role of leader of the attack. The taller of the two bowlers, Morkel has found alarming bounce and seam movement on West Indian pitches in the current bilateral series, whereas Steyn's extra pace has been to the liking of the flamboyant opposition. But he's far too good not to bounce back.
Shaun Pollock is long gone now, great player though he was. The accuracy at 80mph that he provided is no longer a need under the new regime - out-and-out speed is much more desired by the CSA selectors. His lower order batting isn't missed either - Johan Botha, Ryan McLaren and Wayne Parnell are all more than capable. Jacques Kallis bats serenely as ever, but is now little more than a reluctant bowler (the 91.5mph he was clocked at yesterday indicates a broken speed gun rather than a man with genuine menace). The keeping issue has also been changed - Mark Boucher, recently man-of-the-series against England in the Tests for some really gutsy knocks, has been discarded, with batsman AB de Villiers, a wonderful fielder, donning the gloves. So long as this doesn't affect de Villiers' batting (and it hasn't so far) then this will work out OK, but it's a poor way to repay Boucher for years of outstanding service, where he has rescued his country from many a dire situation and also become statistically the most successful keeper of all time.
Then we come to the captain. Graeme Smith looks far less relaxed these days than when he lounged in the Jo'burg sunshine uttering the immortal line "South Africa - Number 1". He is uncomfortable in the crease and has regressed to his old ways of shuffling across his stumps and shovelling everything into the leg side. An lbw candidate if ever there was one. His fielding is become increasingly unreliable and his captaincy lacks imagination. Is it time for a fresh start here as well? I would say not. To do to Smith what has been done to Boucher would be a step too far - his service for the country since a young age has been sterling. Class is permanent. Change has needed to be made in South African cricket, but some semblance of continuity must be retained.
So a new wave of icons enter South African sport. Not the footballers who will surely be shown up for what limited players are. But men like Hashim Amla, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Alviro Petersen, men who will carry the hopes and dreams of ordinary Saffers. Gone is Makhaya Ntini, the greatest icon the game has ever had in Africa. It is time for new heroes to be born. Hope they don't choke.
RM
No comments:
Post a Comment