Neil Manthorp Cricket
As far as rankings tell us anything, South African cricket lovers will find it very hard to keep a self- satisfied grin off their faces when they see the latest list of the world’s top 10 all-rounders in one-day cricket.
Four of the top six are South African, including Hansie Cronje who is the 43rd most successful bowler in the history of the short game in case you thought he was just a batsman. Who has taken more one-day wickets, Darren Gough or Cronje?
Speaking of grins, very few can match the toothy smile that Cronje produces on his own face when he reflects on a total of 101 wickets to add to his 4 825 runs. He is, of course, a batsman who bowls. There are three other players in the South African team who lay more credible claim to the title “all- rounder”.
Shaun Pollock is the bookmakers’ favourite to be the leading wicket- taker in the tournament, Jacques Kallis is rated alongside Sachin Tendulkar to be the leading run-scorer and Lance Klusener is joint favourite to score the fastest 50 (Shahid Afridi and Sanath Jayasuriya are also tipped but conditions, surely, will preclude such dynamic innings in the first 15 overs). Now, bookmakers might have a shady reputation, but they’ve certainly done their homework in this case.
Cronje threw a morsel of intrigue to the waiting English media when he said during the airport “arrival conference” that the three all-rounders “had a bit of rivalry going” and one tabloid gobbled it up before excreting a “Rivalry divides SA team” story the following day.
“There’s no rivalry. We are there for each other and we know that if one of us can have a really good game then we’re probably going to win. If there is any rivalry then it is purely to spur each other on, not to knock each other down. The rankings are nice, but they mean nothing unless we live up to them in the next six weeks,” Klusener says quietly, but with conviction.
At least he will be safe from prying tabloid hacks; no one would ever believe the softly spoken, humble humorist was the same man that caused such carnage and destruction on the field.
“There is no rivalry at all,” says Kallis. “If you look at the success South Africa has had you can see it is largely because we have those four players who can all bat and bowl. I’ve worked especially hard at my bowling over the last year and it’s a good feeling to know that I can still contribute if I fail with the bat. But I still think of myself as a batsman who can bowl, though. I probably always will.”
“No rivalry. Not at all … not that I’ve ever noticed, anyway!” Pollock laughs. “On these wickets, against good bowlers, you can find yourself three or four wickets down quite early but with our depth it means we don’t panic and we usually recover to make a respectable score.
“It’s the same with the bowling. You’re bound to have a bad day every now and then and you need someone to bowl some of your overs for you. We have seven front-line bowlers so no one feels under pressure; no one is forced to get through their overs if things are going badly. I don’t think there’s much doubt that we’ve got more options than most other teams.”
A legitimate question, given the amount of attention they are already attracting, and how much it will increase as the tournament progresses, is “Will they be affected?” None of the three has ever “cracked” under pressure before, but this is the World Cup. Fortunately for South Africa, only Pollock has the disposition to realise the significance and ramifications of a match situation while it is actually in progress. The two “Ks” are simple fellows, more likely to be affected by nerves watching a replay of themselves 24 hours later than at the time.
“The attention won’t affect me. I’m not one for statistics or reading newspapers. All I want to do is carry on playing the way I have been; it’s my job,” Kallis says bluntly. Klusener concurs completely: “It certainly won’t affect me. There’s been a lot of talk but now is the time to prove our ability. This is where it really counts.”
While Pollock’s role is settled -take the new ball and bat at number seven (or eight), Kallis and especially Klusener are prepared for compromise and flexibility. Kallis knows he will bat at number three but his ability to swing the ball at considerable pace might see him partnering Pollock at the start of the innings. It will be a huge responsibility.
“I’m comfortable doing the job. I did it in New Zealand for a couple of games and I actually enjoyed the challenge, but I doubt if I’ll do it in more than a couple of games. A lot depends on team selection and also on the opposition and the conditions.” Unfazed. Undaunted.
Klusener, of course, could bowl anywhere. He might even be given the new ball himself. His batting position is no less flexible, with Cronje as keen to see his characteristic, thrilling bludgeoning as everyone else in South Africa. The captain is even prepared to sacrifice his own number five spot should a sufficiently good platform be laid for a “Zulu assault”. Barring a miraculous heat wave to bake pitches, though, we are unlikely to see Klusener at the top of the innings.
“It’s going to be difficult in the first part of the innings with the ball swinging and seaming around. The main scoring is going to have to be done at the back end of the innings. I don’t think it’s going to be a tournament for pinch hitters. If we were playing on the subcontinent then I’d love to get in early, but here I’d probably prefer to hide away down at the bottom of the order and give it a blast from there,” he says.
Pollock, the thinker, sums up what the three all rounders mean to each other. “I learnt a long time ago that this game is all about confidence. A couple of rough decisions, a lucky wicket or two and your belief can be affected. But when one of us is having a bad trot we can gain confidence from each other. You don’t always have to pick yourself up single handedly. You’re never alone in this team.”
For all the confidence exuded by the team, and even more by their supporters, the campaign could be severely affected at the first hurdle. India are gaining more support by the day and their odds are being chopped hourly.
The pitch in Hove is a batting gem (“I averaged about 120 here during my career,” Bob Woolmer remembers with affection) and the outfield is fast. With Sachin Tendulkar fit and raring to go after an enforced injury lay-off, and with Mohammad Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and Robin Singh to follow, India have the ability to knock much of the wind from SA’s sails.
The second match is equally dangerous. Symbolically, Sri Lanka are represented by a lion; and they are very badly wounded. Badly beaten and heavily criticised in the last six months, they may decide to throw caution to the wind against South Africa in Northampton – which is traditionally an awkward batting venue – and then anything could happen.
The third match will produce as close to World Cup final atmosphere as it will be possible to experience before June 21 itself. Already a sell-out, the Oval will be buzzing as England – who might already be under pressure if the opening game against Sri Lanka goes against them – square up to a side who clearly intimidate them.
Four days in Amsterdam will be a fine reward if the opening three matches go well. But it will be like trying to have a party in a cemetery if the team has stumbled. The match against Kenya will not produce a shock, however, and neither should the final group match against Zimbabwe at Chelmsford in Essex.
Only three teams from the six in group “A” progress to the second stage. Surely India will survive. Could the hosts, possibly, not make it? South Africa … it’s unthinkable thay they won’t be there. Sri Lanka, the defending champions – no room at the inn this time? But Zimbabwe are positively bursting to burst some big bubbles. They couldn’t win twice, or even three times, could they?
The prospect is already mouth-watering enough to disrupt sleeping patterns. Roll on the World Cup…let the action begin!