Interim is the operating word in South African cricket these days. The big evidence is them having moved on from a traditional coach and his assistants and adopting a football like the approach of a team director. The thought is good but the appointments are interim, Enoch Nkwe and Corrie Van Zyl the team director and director of cricket respectively in an interim capacity.
These men were encharged with leading the proteas on one of their most difficult assignments, a tour of India. India these days is like the mighty Australian outfit of the 1990s and early 2000s. Everything is invincible about them.
The result of a 3-nil drubbing which was permanent damage, nothing interim about it. I would rather not get into a dissection of each match but let’s try and analyze why this happened.
Francois Du Plessis who has been one of our most successful captains after Smith was the one at the receiving end and as he has expressed a lot of things in his post-series comments.
1. A lower player pool to choose from – South Africa has lost so much talent to Kolpak as much as the downturn in the South African economy with the policy of B.E.E – Black Economic Empowerment. Now if we had retained these players the likes of Abbott, Olivier, Harmer, Roussow and more we could have seen a more seamless transition when our golden generation retired. Not to be.
2. Getting ex-South Africa players involved in some capacity with the national and provincial sides. It is no secret that the proteas can do a lot under the guidance of stalwarts like Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis et cetera but unfortunately CSA does not have deep pockets to afford them.
Well, I have a question here, national pride to help your country vs getting handsomely paid to do so? Anyway, their help is not to be.
3. Recently with the retirements of the golden generation the likes of Amla, Steyn, Morkel, Duminy, Tahir, and ABD, none of them have gone back to franchise cricket in SA, but are pursuing more lucrative opportunities in T20 tournaments abroad. If they would have, surely the upcoming lot could have benefited. Not to be.
4. Lastly the mental side of being a Protea. I have come to realize that when we start with a loss, instead of a fightback we continue to fall deeper in the hole and then there is no way out. Classic examples, the first world cup loss against England and then no way out with all other matches. Similarly showed some fight in the first test against India but after that our spine disappeared. Could this be a mental thing, do we need a good mental conditioning coach?
Again, right now no answers so not to be.
With so many not to be, the only thing to be is south Africa going south.
Well if we intend to have any chance to match England, forget winning, there is lots to ponder.
At least, admits all this darkness, the hopes of for 57 million South Africans with the possibility of the Bokke winning the Webb Ellis trophy. We certainly believe.
