Selectors plan to drop Wessels and replace him with Cronje
CRICKET: Paul Martin
KEPLER WESSELS is to be removed as South Africa’s Test and one-day cricket captain and replaced by Hansie Cronje. This drastic and controversial step has already been decided on even though the selectors only meet officially in mid- September to announce the team that will visit Pakistan for a triangular series involving the two countries plus Australia.
The captaincy will then continue to be held by Cronje for the home and away series against New Zealand, according to high-ranking cricket sources.
The South African authorities are anxious to introduce a fresh look to the team in preparation for the World Cup, seen as a key yardstick of national cricketing prowess and a money-spinner through increased sponsorship. Wessels is regarded as inadequate for one-day cricket, though probably still worthy, judged purely on merit, of a Test place as a middle-order batsman.
The compromise solution would be to appoint Cronje the one-day captain while Wessels retains the leadership of the South African Test side this coming summer. But the experts consider this to be full of potential dangers. They fear it would undermine confidence, spark rivalry between the two captains, and lead to invidious comparisons and criticisms.
“No, we believe in one for all, and that means we look to the future,” said a leading administrator. “It will be explained to Kepler in a very pleasant and diplomatic way.”
The plan to drop Wessels as captain was agreed on even as the tourists had triumphed in the historic first Test at Lord’s. Defeat at the Oval has only helped to sharpen the executioners’ axe, while the poor batting form exhibited by the heir apparent has scarcely blunted their resolve.
“Cronje will come right as a batsman, and we cannot afford to put our captaincy plans on hold until he scores well,” another source explained. “The time for change is now.”
This assessment is not shared by many within the South African tour party. There is widespread admiration for the way Wessels has imposed his steely will on proceedings, and has used his unrivalled experience in Test cricket with two countries to plot team tactics on and off the field.
Occasional shortcomings perceived in his field- placing or bowling changes are considered to be relatively minor blemishes, though there was some disquiet that by refusing to open the batting at the Oval he had needlessly exposed Peter Kirsten to the hostility of Devon Malcolm’s new ball. His press conferences and speeches on this tour have been faultless.
Ironically, Cronje reveals himself to be less than enthusiastic about assuming the mantle of captaincy just yet. In an exclusive interview published today in the Weekly Mail & Guardian, Cronje points out that his poor run of batting form has dented his confidence.
He indicates he would like time to concentrate on overcoming his batting flaws, and implies that he would appreciate being able to do so for at least the three Tests against New Zealand in South Africa without the added burden of captaincy. Cronje’s wish, it seems, will not be granted.
Whoever leads South Africa in the triangular one-day series in Pakistan would, by the logic of the selectors and the powers-that- be, also have to be the Test captain for the New Zealand series, and for one-day cricket they apparently consider Wessels beyond the pale. In his interview Cronje makes clear that he feels no lack of confidence in captaining the country in one-day matches. But to split the leadership temporarily between the two men seems far too commonsense a notion for true experts to countenance.
Wessels recently stated that he would be wiling to serve under Cronje, and that his desire to captain the team was anyway waning. “It has its ups and downs, and I’m pleased I have had that experience, and when things go well it’s thrilling,” he said. “But it’s highly possible I will not do it again.”
For his part Cronje makes it clear he would value Wessels’ presence alongside him in any Test team he were to lead, especially while he finds his leadership footing.
Yet even here the selectors may not oblige. It is being strongly mooted that Wessels will not go on the tour to New Zealand, and that, despite his repeated role as sheet anchor in recent months after a top-order collapse, he may even be omitted for the home series.
The supposed inadequacy of Wessels’ batting in one-day cricket is, to say the least, not proven. In one-day internationals since 1991, yesterday’s contest not included, Wessels has struck more runs by far, 1 456, than any other South African, and his average of 34.66 runs per innings has been bettered only by Peter Kirsten.
That Wessels can bat attackingly has been demonstrated more than once, and indeed even in Test matches he has on occasions outpaced the bulk of his team in his run-rate. For instance, during the first Test South Africa played, against the West Indies, Wessels struck out bravely in the second innings, running up 74 in a total of 148.
Selectors, and the vagaries of cricket’s selection politics, have previously produced about-turns from dubious decisions, notably with regard to Peter Kirsten. But a leading source said: “Only a one-day century from Kepler on Saturday, or something like it, might alter our thinking, and even that I doubt.”