There is a very different feeling to this tour than any other in the past two or three years and it is not just because the players have to order their breakfast in French. Political tensions are, for now, locked firmly away in the offices of the Department of Sport and Recreation and have not crept anywhere near the team.
It was never clearer than on Monday when a rousing 54-run thrashing of Pakistan contained more bubble and zest than Shaun Pollock’s team showed in four months last season.
”The United Cricket Board has gone out of its way to reassure the players and allow us to concentrate on playing the game without worrying about off-field issues,” Pollock admitted. ”It makes a big difference when you can concentrate on playing the game on the field.”
Omar Henry and Gerald Majola have exuded an almost paternal care for the players on tour. The selection convenor and chief executive have done more than anyone to erase the negativity that occasionally swamped the squad six months ago and their mere presence at net sessions and in the team hotel reminds the players that their careers are in the hands of firm but sensitive leaders.
The host city, however, is far less straightforward. The charming Cap Spartel hill that overlooks the Tangiers cricket stadium is dotted with magnificent mansions. There is a lot of money here, the conduit between Africa and Europe where the ”agricultural” produce of Morocco’s Atlas mountains makes its way to Holland’s tea bars, among other destinations.
Poverty and pickpockets provide another prominent side of life as does the ”old city”, the Medina with its magnificent market sprawling through a maze of narrow streets and alleyways. Powerful smells of cumin and lamb targine cooking slowly above wood fires hang in the air while the men sit quietly sipping mint tea and smoking. The women are shopping, cooking or trying to control small children.
South Africa’s cricketers have had limited opportunity to explore but when they have, they have, for the most part, preferred to rest in their luxurious casino resort hotel.
One who is different is Graeme Smith: ”I’m not at varsity so I regard this, travelling and seeing the world, as my education as a person. It’s fascinating.”