CRICKET
Peter Robinson
So this is how the weekend went: on Friday news broke that Mfuneko Ngam had suffered yet another stress fracture, this time of his right tibia; on Saturday Allan Donald pulled up with a stomach-muscle strain; on Monday Nantie Hayward announced his return to international cricket with a fair bit of pace and, more importantly, impressive control.
Two steps backwards, then, but one forward. Hayward’s comeback unquestionably lifted South African spirits, both on the field, as Shaun Pollock was quick to point out, and off it where much of the country’s fast-bowling resources seemed to be spending more and more time.
It would be nice to think that the latest ailments befalling Ngam and Donald are only temporary setbacks, but the truth is that the problems probably run deeper. It now seems we might never witness the much- anticipated pairing of Ngam and Donald at the highest level; if one or the other does somehow make it on to the field against India which seems unlikely or against Australia before the summer is out, then the odds do not favour both of them getting there at the same time.
In one fairly obvious sense, Donald’s continuing struggle to get fit and stay fit is the lesser concern. He has served his country magnificently, he has been the premier South African bowler of his time and what we might be seeing is simply a man whose body is suggesting that it might be time to take it easy. If this is the case then we can but wish him well and hope that South African cricket finds some way to make use of his vast stores of experience and expertise.
Ngam, on the other hand, cuts an increasingly tragic figure. Even the South African team physiotherapist Craig Smith seemed to have lost count of the number of stress fractures the Eastern Province youngster has suffered. “Four? Maybe five,” offered Smith the other night.
Whether the problem lies, or lay, with his diet at a younger age, or whether it is genetic, is not clear. He will be subjected to another barrage of tests, but to what avail remains to be seen. It can hardly be said that Ngam’s recovery from his thigh fracture and shoulder operation was rushed. If anything, the medical team in charge of his recuperation were overcautious only to have their, and his, hopes set back again.
If Ngam is never able to realise his potential it will be an enormous loss on all counts for South African cricket. As the game, and all sport, in this country struggles to come to terms with the baggage of its past, Ngam broke the mould. He was not a black player or a quota player or an African player or a development player. He was simply a young man blessed with a talent for bowling very fast. This is what made him exciting and this is what makes his story such a sad one.
Injury, of course, is the cackling imp that lurks in every fast bowler’s locker. Since readmission South Africa has seen Brett Schultz, Richard Snell, Steven Jack and Aubrey Martyn all cut down before their time. Some are fortunate. Vince van der Bijl did not miss a game during his career (although he did not have quite the same workload as the modern bowler) while Courtney Walsh went on year in and year out, defying both time and gravity.
And there are those who come back. Denis Lillee survived a crippling back injury to become the greatest fast bowler of modern times, perhaps of all time, but the list of those who slip into early retirement is far longer.
Which brings us back to Hayward. Towards the end of last summer Hayward bowled an over in a Standard Bank Cup semifinal that seemed like it would never end. As he tried to correct he went from wide on one side of the stumps to wide on the other. It was excruciating to watch. It must have been hell to endure.
His problems, it has transpired, had to do with his heart and his head, rather than with muscle and bone. He has returned in what appears to be an excellent frame of mind and within three balls on Monday night he was up around the 145km/h mark. That’s sharp, very sharp and it is what South Africa will require this summer. He should have his first serious look at the Indians at Kingsmead today. They should expect to see a fair bit more of him before they go home.
Peter Robinson is the editor of CricInfo South Africa