If the essence of what makes international sport so compelling could be identified, stored, and then taken in tablet or liquid form at the appropriate moment by its combatants, we would all be guaranteed a steady stream of gut-wrenching, eyeball-popping intensity whenever we bought a ticket. And how marvellous that would be! Guaranteed excitement and tension not seen since the days of gladiators fighting to the death in Roman coliseums.
Actually, maybe that’s why the Romans stopped all that. There are only so many slaves a lion can eat and even the most addicted to the macabre have to become bored by yet another arm being ripped off.
Imagine if South Africa played in Test matches every month in which 23 wickets fell in a day and great teams like Australia were bowled out for 47. It would be marvellous for a while, but would then very quickly go the way of the Indian Premier League – mundane, irrelevant and completely forgettable, even for those who want to remember.
There is an old saying about Test cricket: “There is nowhere to hide.” Many people refer to it without considering what it means. In limited overs cricket there is always an end in sight. Batsmen and bowlers who are struggling can, to a degree, “hide” until their tormentors have either finished their allocation of overs or have been dismissed. In Test cricket, there is no such enforced limitation. It is the single most important reason why the best cricketers prosper in the longest format and those with limitations, physical or mental, are found wanting.
And it is exactly the reason why selectors value experience so highly when choosing their starting XI.
Australia have lost a number of highly cherished records in recent years, the most important of which was their undefeated record on home soil against South Africa stretching back just less than 100 years. The next record for them to protect is never having lost in South Africa since the end of isolation in sport. The motivation for that is immense. Strong characters will be required and, following the debacle at Newlands, hurtful questions have been asked among the touring squad.
That was never more obvious than when 18-year-old fast bowler Pat Cummins innocently declared himself “ready for Test cricket” just a few days before the Wanderers Test. Little did he know it but it was a poisoned barb in the direction of proven matchwinner, but painfully out-of-form, Mitchell Johnson. His declaration of confidence was an innocent statement of intent, but it would have hurt. The tourists were fortunate to have the selection decision taken out of their hands when Ryan Harris was declared unfit and there was no choice but to play Cummins. The men to capitalise on the uncertainty of the tourists are obvious — Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis with the bat and Dale Steyn with the ball.
South Africa’s bowling spearhead knows only too well his ability to intimidate and shape the course of important contests. He just doesn’t always know how he does it.
“There were times during the first Test at Newlands when I ran in as hard and fast as I’d ever done in my life, determined to bowl at 150km/h and more. The match situation seemed right and I wanted to respond. But it came out at 135km/h, and I had no idea why,” Steyn recalled afterwards.
“But then something ‘clicked’ and I was bowling as fast as I have ever bowled. I saw the look change in the batsmen’s eyes. I knew they weren’t happy or comfortable. Suddenly I was back to my best, the ball was coming out seriously fast and I was influencing the Test match. You can’t always manage the fine line between ‘good’ and ‘your best’. Maybe I just need to focus on the moments that matter most in the game. But I also respond well to the ‘personal’ stuff. If a batsman gets up my nose, that often helps,” said Steyn.
It also helps if Steyn, the highest ranked bowler in Test cricket, senses discomfort in his opposition. “That’s the best thing ever. Just one sign, one flicker that he’s uncomfortable, then I’m away,” Steyn said.
Shane Warne has made a mini-career out of playing poker since his retirement from cricket. The key to success in that occupation is to disguise your true emotions so completely that your opponent has absolutely no idea whether you are in a heightened state of elation or nearing the pits of despair. That quality has always been critical to success in Test cricket.
Even fast bowlers in the heat of battle cannot afford to boil over completely. If they do, it is inevitably they who feel the lack of hiding places rather than the batsmen.