HAVING discussed the Australians last week, it is only logical that we shall now have a look at the South Africans who have given a good showing in their recent assignment against Pakistan. They are likely to come out at the head of the other group, and will definitely start off as one of the pre-tournament favourites alongside Australia. This, indeed, is the status they had enjoyed at the last World Cup in England. As we saw in the case of Australia, there has been almost no change in pre-tournament favourites, and it is some reflection on the way top teams have maintained their superiority in the game over the last four years.
Recent encounters between Australia and South Africa have clearly established that the latter, at best, is a distant second to the former, as even the home advantage did not work in their favour when they last played host to the world champions. But once the World Cup gets under way, all the past will be forgotten in a hurry. In terms of One Day cricket, every day is a new day, and one has to make a new beginning.
For the South Africans, playing at home will prove to be a double-edged sword. The proposition may work in their favour, but it has equal potential of going against them. The South Africans are known to choke in tight situations, and the pressure of home crowd expectations may well cause a flutter or two. The team management will do well to mind its steps in this regard.
With Allan Donald now only a shadow of his former destructive self, the South African bowling has lost its bite a bit. Though effective, it does not appear to be really threatening or menacing enough to cause anxious nights in the camps of its rivals. While Makhaya Ntini has come a long way in the last few years, he can still be hit around the park by batsmen of above-average ability. Even Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis are not quite in the same league as, say, Glen McGrath or Jason Gillespie of Australia. Besides, their only spinner of any worth and repute, Nicky Boje, has the tendency to bowl a lose ball every now and then, which keeps releasing the pressure on the batting side.
When it comes to the batting lineup, the South Africans are much better, starting off with Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten, with Kallis and Jonty Rhodes to follow. Their biggest advantage over the Australians is the presence of several all-rounders in their fold as compared to the empty slot in the Australian outfit. Pollock, Kallis and Klusener are all well recognized and much-feared names in the cricketing world, but even Boje and Mark Bautcher have batting skills that are much more than moderate. Apart from these all-rounders, the main strength of the South Africans lie in their team spirit, their fielding skills and their penchant for doing basic things right. For instance, their bowlers keep their head, and bowl within the stumps, their batsmen run their singles hard, and their fielders cover each other well in the field. If they maintain it under tight situations, they will be a tough proposition to face.
In the context of the group, the South Africans are almost sure of a place at the top, with Sri Lanka, West Indies and New Zealand having to fight among themselves for the second spot. As far as the group stage is concerned, only the South Africans themselves can destroy their progress to the knock-out stage of the tournament. From then on, it will become anybody’s game.
HAVING discussed the Australians last week, it is only logical that we shall now have a look at the South Africans who have given a good showing in their recent assignment against Pakistan. They are likely to come out at the head of the other group, and will definitely start off as one of the pre-tournament favourites alongside Australia. This, indeed, is the status they had enjoyed at the last World Cup in England. As we saw in the case of Australia, there has been almost no change in pre-tournament favourites, and it is some reflection on the way top teams have maintained their superiority in the game over the last four years.
