Dropping the ball for sports gamblers: why the Proteas are so poor
The Proteas’ embarrassing batting display in Australia dragged the side back into the past while also giving South African cricket a glimpse into its future.
The Proteas were woeful with the bat Down Under. Their clash with Australia was a one-sided contest that awakened memories of the Aussies tormenting South Africa in years gone by. The Proteas failed to reach the 200-run mark in the first Test and lost the second Test by an innings and 182 runs.
In the third Test, they might have produced a gutsy display to salvage a draw, but they suffered the embarrassment of a follow on and even after batting for two innings they failed to reach Australia’s target of 475. This is made worse by the fact that the Aussies declared that total with six wickets in hand with Usman Khawaja looking devastating on 195*.
Not exactly bowling the betting options over
The performance of the tour to Australia has taken SA cricket on a tailspin, forcing it to do some soul searching. Even though the results have been humbling - it could have been worse if it wasn’t for the strong bowling line-up. The 2-0 series loss not only exposed the country’s batting malaise, but also showed South Africa where things will go if there are no drastic changes made on the running of domestic cricket.
There are layers of why the Proteas find themselves in this position. The boardroom controversies haven’t helped. But the main reasons are a mixture of failing to prepare for life after the golden generation to a domestic cricket set-up that isn’t competitive or rigorous enough to produce soldiers who will go and fight until the end for the Proteas instead of just wilting.
Lacking in leadership
The loss of players like Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Jacques Kallis would put a strain on any team. Add the departures of Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn and you have lost once-in-a-generation talent. It’s not just what these players brought with the bat and ball that you lose, but it’s also their leadership - something the current side lacks. When they have their backs against the wall, they have struggled to pick themselves up in a dressing room thin on strong leaders.
A strong leader is essential in these trying times as they would help deflect the noise that’s due to boardroom politics and other negative headlines. Dean Elgar has struggled to show that. He talks a good fight but, when it comes to delivering with the bat, he is nowhere to be seen which puts him under a bigger microscope. That makes things worse, which could be why his best in Australia was reaching 26, in a run that included a duck.
Elgar is no doubt a brilliant character. You don’t get compared to Rambo if you aren’t a warrior. But that Rambo spirit disappeared the moment he took over the captaincy role. As one of the experienced players in the team, it’s important that Elgar raises his hand not only in performance but also how he carries himself. Without a strong leader, the batting side collapsed.
Cricket in the red – for players, fans and punters
The main problem though of why the Proteas find themselves in this position is because of how domestic cricket is structured. It’s so fragmented and divorced from the Proteas that the players in the two different set-ups could be living in two worlds. The gap between first class cricket and international level is massive, and in South Africa there isn’t a lot of effort put in place to bridge that gap.
South African batters don’t play enough red ball cricket. Without strong and consistent competition, the Proteas will simply not produce world beaters. It’s that simple. The country has the fortune of having pitches that react differently, which means if our players played more red ball cricket across the country, they would be able to do well anywhere in the world.
Instead of making the most of this advantage, those in power have chosen to cut costs and limit travelling across the country by staging some tournaments on similar pitches. This season’s four-day cup, following the restructuring of domestic cricket, will see players get tested in different settings across the country which is a step in the right direction. But playing seven matches a season is not enough as is the case with the tournament due to Cricket South Africa’s financial constraints.
“It is key for us, we have to play more four-day and first-class cricket,” the Proteas’ batting coach Justin Sammons said after the Australia collapse. “How they [Cricket South Africa] balance that is up to them. The more games you play, the better you are going to get, and the more lessons you are going to take.
“It is an important focus area for us as a country in how we look after the First-Class system and four-day cricket in future. It’s going to be a tricky balancing act. It’s the way the world is going. We need our guys playing as much cricket as possible.”
It’s time to bet on our past
There’s no doubt that there’s talent in the country, you can see that by the number of players who struggle to make the cut to the Proteas, migrate abroad and find themselves playing for England and New Zealand. The problem is that South Africa doesn’t nurture its talent well.
With the batting crisis engulfing the country, a proactive organisation would have roped in the experienced batters we had in the past to steady the ship and share their experience with the current bunch. Before they are snatched up by our international opponents.
This is a national problem and needs all the stakeholders in cricket to rally together to save it. If not, the once proud Test team we had will be a thing of the past and South Africa will be relegated to a country that produces exciting cricketers who light up the Indian Premier League and do very little for their country.