The South African team is on a winning streak but now the players have to prove that they can win away from home as well
CRICKET: Jon Swift
THERE can be no doubting national cricket coach Bob Woolmer’s intentions as the 16-strong South African side prepare to leave for the one-off Centenary Test against New Zealand next month.
“We have,” says the erudite Englishman in his relaxed public school accent, “learnt to win on home soil. Now we have to learn to win overseas.”
It is a telling comment from the former England player whose introduction to the national team was a humiliating one-day series whitewash in Pakistan and a staggering collective collapse which cost the team the first Test against Ken Rutherford’s New Zealanders at the Wanderers.
Then things started to happen. The victories at Kingsmead and Newlands signalled the return of Hansie Cronje’s men and the first three-test series this century to be won from a position of one down.
But it all really culminated in the emphatic 324-run victory over Salim Malik’s Pakistanis at the Wanderers. The side — which has sputtered and faltered too often in the past for it to have been considered anything but the norm — at last began to add some application to the abilities.
Of note at this point is the failure of Dave Richardson with the bat. A royal pair of two first-ballers was totally out of character and a blemish on the otherwise impeccable record of the man who has so often turned the game from his position low down in the order.
But such are the vagaries of the game of cricket that surely this had to happen somewhere along the line. Sad though, that this should follow a maiden century and Man of the Series accolades in the series against the New Zealanders. There can, in truth, be no criticisms of Richardson’s continued contribution to the cause.
But in Richardson’s failure was perhaps born the newfound strength of the South African side. Woolmer identifies it as “everyone doing his bit”, and in this he is right. The base had at last been laid further up the order — and indeed lower down given the magic of the rapid-fire Fanie de Villiers 66.
The batsmen — all of them — had done their job. The first innings dismissals of Rudi Steyn — caught behind by Moin Khan off the thigh pad for one — and Daryll Cullinan’s duck by the same route from a nonexistant touch, only fuelled the fire. Umpires are only human and any number of TV replays cannot alter the record books.
This spirit and determination is perhaps South Africa’s greatest asset. We will need all of it in the single Test on Auckland’s compact Eden Park, a track that historically would not point to aiding our dependence on a seam attack.
Convenor of selectors Peter Pollock underlined this in announcing the touring squad and leaving a desperately unlucky Steven Jack at home. “The wickets in New Zealand are generally slowish,” he said. “We decided we couldn’t take both Donald and Jack on tour.” In this, the selectors have done their homework. It still doesn’t mean that one shouldn’t feel desperately sorry for Jack.
Still Pollock and Co have produced a balance in their deliberations which strikes a good medium between the requirements of the single Test and the three one-dayers — and a possible fourth if South Africa makes the final — as well as between the seam and spin needs and the imperative of making all-rounders available for the limited overs internationals.
The batting too has a solid look about it and the welcome return of Andrew Hudson is fully justified on the back of his provincial results. He remains one of the few batsmen in this country of true world class.
In this regard, John Comins’ largely self-inflicted wounds cost him the trip and will undoubtedly provide the stylish Boland captain with some introspective moments. One hopes he will soon be back lending his unique brand of serenity to the top of the South African batting.
The anticipation of the trip to New Zealand cannot but excite. And who knows, we might indeed be at the beginnings of the learning process of winning away from the comforts of home tracks, home crowds and home comforts.
The squad: Hansie Cronje (captain), Craig Matthews (vice-captain), Cary Kirsten, Rudi Steyn, Andrew Hudson, Daryl Cullinan, Jonty Rhodes, Mike Rindel, Dave Callaghan, Dave Richardson, Brian McMillan, Eric Simons, Fanie de Villiers, Allan Donald, Clive Eksteen, Pat Symcox.