It all started so promisingly.There would be 18 or 19 South African players competing in the Indian Premier League at the start of the tournament who would give the national selectors (if there were any) a sofa’s eye-view of the very best of Proteas talent in the build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup.
Slowly but surely, however, the wheels have fallen off. Graeme Smith didn’t last two games before another of his poppadum fingers gave way and Justin Kemp didn’t make it through his fourth game before injury struck. Poor old Wayne Parnell never made it on to the field at all.
AB de Villiers and middle-order partner JP Duminy have been ignominiously dropped by the Delhi Daredevils, there is no place for Mark Boucher in a powerful Bangalore starting XI, and Charle Langeveldt has played just three games for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Morney Morkel has played just twice for the Rajasthan Royals, bowling seven overs at an eye-watering cost of 66 runs. At least Roelof van der Merwe can point to a respectable analysis of 2-27 from four overs in his solitary game for Bangalore.
Of those who have enjoyed significant game time, Herschelle Gibbs has 237 runs from eight innings at a modest average of 29.6 and a very un-Gibbs like strike rate of just 119, whereas Albie Morkel has a respectable total of 164 runs from seven innings at an average of 32 and a strike rate of 150. His bowling remains as suspect as ever, however, with each of his 33 overs costing almost nine runs each.
There are — or were — other South Africans involved in the IPL who did not crack the Proteas squad for the T20. Yousuf Abdulla has played just twice for the Kings XI Punjab whereas Makhaya Ntini has not been required once by the Chennai Superkings.
Rusty Theron made a fine first impression for the Kings XI playing five games and conceding just seven runs to the over despite repeatedly being asked to bowl at the death. Injury has struck him down, too, although he will be fit for the start of the tournament in their Caribbean in 10 days’ time.
Of the starting pack of 18, only Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn have made the kind of impression that their reputations merited. Kallis wears the Orange Cap of the tournament’s leading run scorer, having passed 500 at an average of over 70 and with six 50s in 11 innings. He has also taken eight wickets in 41 overs, which have cost 8,4 runs apiece.
Steyn is bowling “as fast as I ever have” but it is his economy rate and ability to bowl dot balls at crucial moments that has done most to take the Royal Challengers franchise to the brink of the semifinals.
Cricket South Africa was so proud of the size of its contingent at the beginning of the IPL that it issued a press release proclaiming that its Proteas stars would be fine-tuning their games during the megabucks Indian marathon ahead of the ICC’s event. It hasn’t quite worked out like that.
But Kallis and Steyn aren’t worried about the apparent lack of form and fitness of their colleagues: “It would be better if everybody was playing and performing to their ability. I’m not saying that this situation is ideal, but at least they are all involved in the 20-over format and I know everybody has been training and working hard physically,” Kallis said.
“I know guys like AB and JP will be frustrated at not playing but, at the same time, they will be raring to go when we join up in the Caribbean … The ICC T20 is completely different to the IPL. Representing your country against other countries is what you grow up dreaming about as a boy and the IPL will be a distant memory when they land in Barbados.”
Steyn shares that opinion: “Bouch and Roelof are obviously disappointed about their lack of games but they are also philosophical about the situation. You can only play four internationals in every starting XI during the IPL and Bangalore has nine or 10 on their books. They both know that being left out is more of a tactical thing than a reflection on their form.”
South Africa face their umpteenth challenge at an ICC event where they are ranked among the favourites. Or are they? There is a distinct feeling among many observers that South Africa are now perennial chokers and will not win an event attended by the rest of the world. Perhaps that is what they need to change that perception.