Peter Robinson cricket
There_s no getting away from the record: since a hiccup in Nairobi in October,
South Africa have swept aside any and all opposition placed before them. Other
than achieving a perfect, 100% success rate, very little more could have been
asked of, or provided by, Shaun Pollock and his South African team.
It_s been a remarkable summer for the South Africans, not least because they
entered it with the backwash of the Hansie Cronje affair still lapping at their
heels. It_s worth noting that as the current side has moved from strength to
strength the calls for Cronje to be forgiven and reinstated have fallen silent.
Which is not to disparage Cronje_s record as captain, rather to point out that
in a team game no one is irreplaceable.
In less than 12 months Pollock has grown immeasurably as a captain and a player,
and his progress has been mirrored by his team.
South Africa, make no mistake, are a formidable Test and one-day outfit.
But are they the best in the world, particularly given their results over the
past couple of months compared with those of Australia?
This is largely an academic question at the moment, but it will become relevant
at the end of the year when the two countries meet in back-to-back home and away
tours.
If they have any sense _ and this seems a particularly sensible team _ the South
Africans will barely have given Australia a thought as they trawled through the
Caribbean, but no doubt they will pay keen attention to the Ashes series later
this year.
In the meantime, it may be worth noting that while the West Indies are by no
means the most formidable opposition available at the moment, their disintegration during the one-day series has been forced upon them by the South
Africans.
The revolving-door policy by which the West Indies have chosen their opening
batsmen, the selection of a third seamer, Kerry Jeremy, who did not get a bowl
in Wednesday_s game in Barbados _ these are signs of a team that has no idea how
to compete with its opposition.
Since wobbling in Jamaica, the South Africans have won by massive margins _ eight wickets, 132 runs, eight wickets and seven wickets. The South Africans
have been tough, resilient, efficient and they haven_t given the West Indians a sniff.
There_s an argument to be made that the cricket played by the South Africans in
the one-day series has been predictable. On the other hand, if the results have
been equally predictable, then who_s to complain?
The fact is that the South Africans have evolved a pattern within which the individuals seem comfortable. This is not a new development, rather one that has
unfolded gradually over a number of years.
The progress of those inside the current team, however, has been most impressive.
It might be stretching a point to argue that Herschelle Gibbs has been infected
by responsibility, but his form has been quite outstanding in the Caribbean. You
cannot but suspect that his six-month ban from the game has convinced him of how
much he has to offer and how much he stands to lose.
Pollock_s captaincy, too, has been remarkable. Apart from his own development as a player, particularly as a batsman, he has shown himself to be a shrewd and
inspiring leader.
His handling of Justin Ontong, for instance, has been exemplary. Pollock has
nursed his young offspinner carefully, gradually giving Ontong increasing responsibility. He could not have asked for a more thoughtful introduction to
international cricket.
We cannot know with any certainty whether or how much of a role Gary Kirsten and
Allan Donald will play in the 2003 World Cup.
What we do know, however, is that players like Ontong, Justin Kemp, Boeta Dippenaar and Neil McKenzie, not to mention Mfuneko Ngam, are beginning to make
their marks on the game.
Success in a team sport is a process and it is up to Pollock and his team to
build on what has already been achieved.
Over the next two years South Africa could come to dominate world cricket. Greatness beckons the current team. All they have to do now is grasp it.
Peter Robinson is the editor of CricInfo South Africa