South Africa’s cricketers will rarely have more compelling excuses to fail than they do right now — which is one of the reasons they will almost certainly destroy a disparate Pakistan team during their five ODIs and two Test matches in the weeks ahead.
Another reason is that they are a very good team indeed.
Others are that there are more clear-thinking, level heads in the squad than almost ever before and the nucleus of the squad which carried the team through much of the past decade has been whittled down to two — Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis.
As much as Mark Boucher and Herschelle Gibbs may still have the desire — and indeed the ability — to play in the next World Cup in four months’ time, coach Corrie van Zyl has recognised that newcomers like David Miller and Colin Ingram could never develop their full potential as people and cricketers in the presence of such long-time legends.
The problem with every South African team since the glorious hotch-potch of passionate part-timers and grizzled professionals of 1991 reached the semifinals of the World Cup is that they have all been expected to match that achievement.
And they have expected it of themselves.
The weight of expectation has led to plummeting performance levels and the allegation/accusation of choking, which is pretty much what it was.
Equally, history very strongly suggests that Proteas teams can count among the most dominant of all time when confronted with inferior opposition in unthreatening conditions and without the pressure of expected success — witness the recent demolition of Zimbabwe.
So, when people started providing excuses before they had even landed in this Gulf state, you could be certain they won’t be needed. Lack of any preparation and acclimatisation time, unfamiliar surroundings, security implications and match-fixing distractions are all irrelevant to this team.
The very reason the two teams are here in the first place is reason enough to feel a little spooked. The fact that terrorists claimed the lives of six security personnel and wounded several of the Sri Lankan team on the last tour of Pakistan turned the country into an immediate “no play” zone and this is their latest temporary home.
The drive into Dubai city from the airport is one of the strangest in the world. A huge, pristine highway is lined on either side by palm trees and lush green grass and flower beds — the result of the world’s best desalination technology. But look a little closer, and a little beyond the palm trees, and you will see that they extend no more than a few metres from the road. Beyond that is dry, bare desert sand.
The feeling that all is not as it seems extends to much of life here, on and off the sports field. There is a huge expat community of European middle-management workers and an even greater one of Asian and Far Eastern labouring classes. Indeed, on some forays into the city it can be difficult to see where the local population fits in — or what they do.
They can’t all be men and ladies of leisure, surely?
It is an hour-and-half’s drive from the emirate of Dubai to Abu Dhabi, on what used to be one of the world’s fastest and most dangerous highways. It has become less so in recent years with the proliferation of speed cameras, but they don’t have much effect on those with a couple of hundred million dollars in the bank and a collection of really, really fast cars.
Meanwhile, back at Cricket South Africa headquarters, excitement is mounting as the opportunity to remove doubt and restore reputations draws nearer. The first scheduled meeting has been held of all the role players in the internal financial inquiry to resolve suspicions of irregularity in the processing of staff bonuses and expenses.
One key “witness” is CSA’s former chief financial officer, Don McIntosh, who was given a R1-million bonus by chief executive Gerald Majola for being tournament director of the ICC Champions League and IPL. But he is on an extended camping holiday in deepest Namibia with his young family and fears were growing that he may not be able or willing to be a part of the inquiry.
But the opposite appeared to be the case when the Mail & Guardian caught up with him by SMS.
“Hello from Helmeringhausen. Cell reception not good — have said I will be available in person as soon as I am back but will definitely be available on phone in meantime” was his reply.
The sooner CSA can clear this up the better. Then we can all concentrate on trying to make head or tail of this tour to the United Arab Emirates.