The West Indies won the first two World Cups, but were surprisingly beaten by India in the final of the third in 1983. It was not immediately apparent at the time — and the West Indies were to remain the dominant force in Test cricket through the rest of the decade and into the 1990s — but as Clive Lloyd relinquished the captaincy the golden age of West Indian cricket had begun to draw to an end. As the end of the century approached, the West Indies found themselves, unmistakably, in the second rank of cricket-playing nations.
Which is no reason at all to believe that South Africa should have a soft opening match as the 2003 World Cup gets underway at Newlands on Sunday. If anything, the South Africans might not have found a more awkward game to start their campaign if they’d asked for one.
A number of theories have been put forward to explain the decline of West Indian cricket during the 1990s, but beneath all of them lies the simple fact that the West Indies failed to adjust to a changing game. There have been any number of signs recently, however, to suggest that the slumbering giant might be about to reawaken.
To win a one-day series in India is a rare achievement. The West Indies managed this in November and they come to this World Cup better equipped and stronger mentally than they have been for some years.
For all the flair associated with West Indian cricket, what is often overlooked is the self-belief and discipline which characterised the great teams from the Caribbean. There is a good deal of evidence to suggest that both of this qualities have been rediscovered.
In 1998/99 and again in 2001 South Africa pretty much mopped up the West Indies, but in the last meeting between the two teams, in last year’s ICC Champions Trophy tournament in Sri Lanka, South Africa snatched a two-wicket victory in a match the West Indies should have won. The result was close enough to suggest that the gap between the countries is negligible and it might well be the case at Newlands on Sunday that nerve and character count for more than skill and preparation.
The South Africans seem to have had an excellent build-up to this World Cup through the summer (you can safely discount warm-up matches as being of very little real significance), but in at least one respect the series against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan left a key question unanswered. Only occasionally were the touring teams able to place any real pressure on the South Africans; and so how will Shaun Pollock and his team react at a packed Newlands and with the expectations of a nation that desperately wants to define itself pressing down on their shoulders.
South Africa have a team capable of winning the World Cup in terms of skill and experience and balance, but how ready they are to take this enormous step forward remains to be seen. Like it or not, the South African teams of the recent past have not looked comfortable under pressure and occasionally they have fallen apart.
This is the real challenge facing Pollock and coach Eric Simons: to fashion a team that is not afraid to win the World Cup and how well they succeed in this objective will only become apparent over the next few weeks.
Defeat at Newlands on Sunday would not rule either team out of the World Cup, but the side that wins will be up and running. Both South Africa and the West Indies could take some stopping if they get out of the blocks quickly.
At this stage it is not entirely clear how either side will line up on Sunday, but it seems safe to assume that South Africa will field much the same team that played against Western Province on Thursday, with Allan Donald coming in for Charl Langeveldt. Nicky Boje appears to have nailed down the spinner’s berth, but Lance Klusener will have to get into the tournament sooner rather than later if he is to beat off the challenge of Andrew Hall.
There has been some concern over the state of Jacques Kallis’ toe (a week ago we were worrying about Donald’s bum, but the truth is no team can expect to go through the World Cup at full strength for all matches). By all accounts, Kallis is pretty close to full fitness, but if he cannot complete his full quota of overs, South Africa will start the tournament with a fairly serious handicap.
The West Indies, meanwhile, have both Vasbert Drakes and Nixon McLean in their squad and it would seem to make sense to use both of them on Sunday. Like spinners, fast bowlers have to know what length to bowl in different conditions and the West Indies would surely be a better equipped team, at least for this match, with both Drakes and McLean on the field.
The other imponderable is how Newlands will play after a week during which the opening ceremony and its attendant dress rehearsals have taken place. These are not ideal conditions for pitch preparation, and it won’t just be the Newlands groundsman who has his fingers crossed on Sunday.
On Monday the rest of the tournament kicks off with Sri Lanka meeting New Zealand in Bloemfontein in a match of particular importance for the Kiwis. Having forfeited their match against Kenya, New Zealand almost certainly have to win two of their games against South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. They have little margin for error.
Also on Monday Zimbabwe play Namibia in Harare while on Tuesday two more of the big guns get into action at the Wanderers where Australia meet Pakistan. What this match might reveal is which Pakistan team has turned up in South Africa.
Canada play Bangladesh at Kingsmead, also on Tuesday, and on Wednesday South Africa play Kenya in Potchefstroom and India ease into the tournament against Holland in Paarl.
But it’s next Thursday, when the West Indies meet New Zealand in Port Elizabeth, but, more importantly, Zimbabwe are due to host England in Harare that will occupy the minds of most people. There’s a story doing the rounds that Andy Flower was recently asked to pick the biggest upset result of the tournament. Apparently he barely skipped a beat: ”England beating Zimbabwe.” It would be a pity if England felt themselves unable to respond to this challenge.