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| February 20, 2007 | Tuesday | Safar 2, 1428 |
Rhodes could be Proteas’ secret weapon
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 19: Jonty Rhodes, once hailed as the world's best fielder, could be South Africa's secret weapon at the 2007 World Cup.
Since being appointed fielding coach six months ago, Rhodes has lifted the standard of South Africa's fielding to exceptional heights.
The involvement of Rhodes, who played in South Africa's previous four World Cups, is one reason why coach Mickey Arthur believes his team have left nothing to chance in their preparation.
South Africans have become used to being disappointed at the World Cup but Arthur believes 2007 could be different.
Arthur says the 2007 campaign has been built on three pillars – trust and respect for each other, clarity of the roles of each player and ‘incredible hard work’.
South Africa, who have replaced Australia at the top of the international one-day rankings, have been labelled “chokers” after past failures but Arthur and captain Graeme Smith believe that proper preparation will overcome any potential jitters.They are one of the form teams going into the World Cup.
Their success has been built on seam bowling backed by outstanding fielding, together with a long batting line-up packed with hard-hitting all-rounders.
The lack of a high-quality spinner is a concern but Arthur is confident that a seam-based attack can prosper in the Caribbean.
With five Super Eight matches – three in Guyana and two in Grenada - scheduled to be played on new pitches, Arthur has been gathering as much intelligence as he can.
“Our information is that they will not be dissimilar to the pitches we have in South Africa,” he says.
“If that is the case, it will suit our bowling attack.” Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini, who will share the new ball for South Africa, have played a crucial role in putting pressure on opponents by taking early wickets.
Depending on conditions, they will be followed by two of strike bowler Andre Nel and swing bowlers Andrew Hall and Charl Langeveldt, with left-arm spinner Robin Peterson only likely to play if the pitch offers exceptional help to spinners.—AFP
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