World Cup 2003 - South Africa Preview
By Dog - 3 Feb, 03
February 4 2003
In 1999 Gibbs dropped a ball, Donald dropped his bat, and South Africa’s dreams of World Cup glory were snatched away. This time around, the South African team must carry a far greater burden – the expectations of a nation.
For WC2003 the South African squad is a strong and well balanced one. Recently crowned Test champions (albeit controversially) the team carries confidence and form into the competition. Probably a team at its peak, the squad contains an outstanding blend of youth and experience, with Donald and Rhodes playing their fourth world cup and Kirsten, Kallis and Pollock their third.
Opening Batting
In Gibbs and Kirsten, SA have an excellent balance of attack and defence at the top of the order. Gibbs is one of the only SA top order batsmen capable of tearing an attack apart and Kirsten, a past master of rotating the strike and playing through the innings, makes the ideal foil for Gibbs’ strokeplay.
Middle Order
Since the departure of Daryl Cullinan, South Africa have struggled to fill the resultant hole in their upper order batting. McKenzie, Prince, Ontong, and van Jaarsveld among others have all tried and failed to establish themselves in the position. Far from an ideal one-day number three batsman, Dippenaar is the selector’s current favourite after some good innings against Pakistan in low scoring games. Solid defensively, but poor at rotating the strike, slow to get going and not the greatest stroke player in the game, Dippenaar could come in useful on low-scoring wickets, but for SA to set or chase a really big target he will either have to get out quickly or discover a side to his batting that he’s yet to show on the international stage.
Kallis is easily the classiest of the South African batsmen, and though he tends to play too defensively, he can score very quickly indeed when the mood takes him, as he recently showed with a twenty-odd ball fifty against Pakistan. An average of over 50 in test cricket is evidence of his class. If he allows himself to bat with freedom he could be a match winner in ODIs too. Rhodes is one of the most popular cricketers internationally, and probably the best shot stopper in the field the game has ever seen. Jonty will again have a huge role to play in the middle of SA’s lineup - not the most technically gifted batsman, he is capable of rotating the strike, creating shots out of nothing and turning singles into threes with his quick running. The World Cup will be the last chance for the world to see this genius and gentleman holding court at cover point, and that alone is worth watching.
Lower order
Lower order batting has traditionally been one of the strengths of the South African team, and this squad is no exception. Nobody needs reminding of Klusener’s destructive hitting in 1999, and though his form since has been less remarkable, nonetheless the mere sight of “Zulu” stomping to the crease invariably causes a flutter of excitement in the crowd, and a buzz of concern for the fielding captain. But the recent late over hitting by Boucher and Pollock has been almost as impressive. Add to that the big-hitting abilities of Hall, Boje and Petersen and you have the most explosive lower order of the tournament, quite capable of adding 100 plus in the last ten overs, given wickets in hand.
Fast Bowling
Watch Pollock bowl a couple of balls and you can’t help wondering why he’s rated as one of the best bowlers in the world. Watch him bowl a couple of overs, though, and you start to understand. Pollock grew from a mediocre young trundler to a world class opening bowler under the tutelage of the late great Malcolm Marshall, and it shows in his control and intelligence Opening the bowling with Pollock will be Ntini. The most improved bowler in World cricket over the past 18 months, Ntini oozes energy, enthusiasm and aggression. Possibly the only fast bowler in world cricket who runs back to his marker, that’s indication of how eager he is to get the next ball down the batsman’s throat. He’s won the hearts of SA crowds, and will be one of the icons of the competition.
With his run-up shortened and his pace limited in concession to ageing muscles and creaking joints, Donald’s “White Lightning” days are well behind him. However, if I may be excused for dredging out a well-worn cliché, he’s forgotten more about the art of bowling than most players ever learn. While no longer the spearhead of the attack, AD now plays a more versatile role coming on at first change, and his ability to find one last big effort will be crucial to South Africa’s hopes in WC2003. Needs to bowl well enough that his dubious talents as batsman and runner-between-the-wickets are not called for.
While Kallis will always be known as a batsman first and a bowler second, he is nonetheless capable of winning matches with the ball. Not the most economical or consistent bowler, he has the ability to bowl wicket-taking balls and can run through a batting team when conditions suit him. He does, however, need helpful conditions, and sometimes can be very loose.
Andrew Hall has yet to convert his domestic performances, where he single-handedly dragged Easterns (one of SA’s weakest provincial teams) to the 2002/3 SA first class championship, into international performances. Hits the bat hard, moves the ball both ways and never gives anything less than everything he has, but has yet to convince that he has the class to perform at ODI level.
Zondeki is a very, very promising young fast bowler. Will get a run against the minnows, but with very little one-day cricket behind him he lacks the experience to be a contender in the big games. Watch for his name in the future, but this world cup came two years too early for him. Langeveldt joins the squad to fulfil South Africa’s development objectives. Though a perfectly capable fast-medium bowler, Charl is not one who will keep Tendulkar, or Ponting, or Lara, (or even Hussein) awake nights worrying. Will get a chance only against the minnows, if that.
I am loath to even include Klusener in the SA bowling attack. After his knee surgery he’s never really looked like anything other than a part-timer. Bowling gentle off-cutters, he might do well on the slower grounds like Newlands and St George’s Park, but generally will be happy to get through five overs for around five an over to help make up the numbers.
Slow Bowling
As cricketers, Nicky Boje and Robin Petersen are practically identical, and it’s difficult to understand the selector’s decision to include them both in the squad at the cost of a reserve batsman of Graeme Smith’s class. (Smith averages around 45 in ODIs and is earmarked to be the next SA captain.) Both Petersen and Boje are solid, quick scoring batsmen (Boje has a couple of ODI centuries to his name, Petersen averages over 40 batting in the top five for his province). Both bowl steady but unspectacular left arm spin. Boje is slightly more conservative, happy to push the ball through and get through his overs at minimum expense, while Petersen flights the ball a bit more and is marginally more aggressive, but neither is likely to change the course of a game.
Wicket Keeper
In Mark Boucher, South Africa are very fortunate to have a quality keeper who is also capable of immense contributions with the bat. With the versatility to either stick around and rotate the strike, or to attack with big hitting, Boucher is almost worth his place in the team purely on his lower-middle order batting, and won’t let the team down behind the stumps.
Recent thrashings of Sri Lanka and Pakistan will have caused severe dents in the confidence of two former champions; teams that would otherwise have been considered real contenders. Now, most pundits consider it a two horse race between SA and Australia.
As a South African cricket supporter, World Cup memories are bittersweet. Our first memory is of WC1992, when finally the world was introduced to our heroes. Thrashing Australia and generally performing far above their abilities, the SA team swept through to a semi-final match against England. As the match built to a nail-biting finale, however, rain and ridiculous rulings delivered the ultimate anti-climax.
In WC1995 SA went in as the form team, and brushed aside all comers in the initial round, but then collapsed at the first knock-out stage to the dibbly-dobbly bowling of a makeshift West Indian attack.
Then came 1999 and THAT run out. I remember it vividly. As a lone traveller in London at the time, I made my way to the Springbok Bar in Covent Garden; a dingy underground cavern packed to the corners with ex-pats, all intoxicated on beer from back home and the sheer infallibility of Lance Klusener. One ball turned ecstatic cheers to morbid silence. Few SA fans will admit it, but the scars from that day run deep.
The South African cricket team have a well-earned reputation as chokers, as being unable to handle the pressure of a final, as being psychologically dominated by the arrogance of Australia. Pressure on the home team is immense, and there are many demons to be exorcised before South Africa can win the World Cup. They undoubtedly have the ability to contend the championship, but whether they achieve their potential depends entirely on whether they can handle the pressure or not.
As SA fans we hope for glory. We back every one of our players. But if we’re honest, deep down, we’re bracing ourselves for another kick in the knackers.