Visiting the world champions is a make or break tour for SA
Peter Robinson
Consider this for a statistic: in six previous tours to Australia, South Africa has never won a Test series. In 1952/53 (under Jack Cheetham), in 19963/64 (under Trevor Goddard) and in 1993/94 (under Kepler Wessels) South African teams returned with a share of the spoils. The other three sides, most recently in 1997/98 under Hansie Cronje, all lost.
So should it be any different this summer? Bluntly, the head says no. Even ordinary Australian teams are formidable opponents at home and this is a particularly good one, well-organised and confident.
So, should Shaun Pollock’s side bother to get on the plane on Saturday? The answer is an unequivocal yes, if for no other reason than this is an opportunity for the South Africans to make history.
During the 1993/94 tour South Africa played dismally to lose a one-day game in Hobart. Afterwards a grim-faced Wessels noted that Australia “makes or breaks players”.
Wessels has again been connected with Australia this week when the United Cricket Board turned down a request for him to accompany the team as a consultant. This was probably the right decision, if for no other reason than to give Graham Ford and Corrie van Zyl a chance to succeed or fail on their terms.
Briefly, then, these are the question marks against the South Africans: can Neil McKenzie, one of Jaques Rudolph and Boeta Dippenaar and, to a lesser extent, Justin Ontong survive against a disciplined attack that includes the world’s best spin bowler? Can Allan Donald produce it once more for his country and, if not, can Steve Elworthy step in the breach? Has Makhaya Ntini got it out of his head that he, more than most, needs to compensate for his lack of variety by putting one ball after another for hour after hour? Can Lance Klusener quell the suspicion that he’d prefer to avoid the new ball if possible?
Most importantly, can this side find the mental resolve to cope with all that Australia will throw at them (and when I say all, I mean everyone taxi drivers, waitresses, customs officials, barmen all of whom will be saying in one way or another: “Wait ’til Warnie gets ya”)?
If the South Africans can find answers to these questions, then this very good team could be remembered as a great one.
Peter Robinson is the editor of CricInfo South Africa