The Hindu : South African selectors draw flak

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 20, 2003

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Sport - World Cup

South African selectors draw flak

By Our Special Correspondent

Potchefstroom Feb. 19. The Proteas are down but not out, and are clinging on to the hope that the glorious uncertainties of the cricket will favour them in the coming weeks. As of now, Shaun Pollock's team is in an odd situation after having lost two of the three matches it played.

As the home team, and with the knowledge of everything that is required to win matches in the venues it was to play, pundits had predicted that South Africa would top Group `A' and take 12 points into the Super Six stage.

But ten days after the World Cup was inaugurated on February 8, what South Africa has achieved is just a ten-wicket win over Kenya. Not long ago, Australia's captain, Steve Waugh had called Hansie Cronje's team `chokers' because the South Africans failed to win matches in pressure situations. This happened at least a couple of time when Cronje took his team to Australia for the Test and tri-series. On the evidence available so far, in the three matches played here Pollock's team has not been able to deal with pressure; it happened when Brian Lara took control of things in Newlands and at `The Wanderers' New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming turned out to be the stumbling block.

Several reasons are being pointed out for South Africa's losses. First and foremost, the selectors have been blamed for picking a squad of 15, not on merit, but because of certain compulsions. Questions have been raised about the merit in the selection of Charl Langeveldt's and Monde Zondeki. It is argued that both are promising bowlers, but are short on experience. Clearly, South Africa has suffered because of the absence of good back-up seamers.

Allan Donald has turned out to be a spendthrift and Jacques Kallis has not fitted the bill so far. There are two left arm spinners in Nicky Boje and Robin Peterson, a case of luxury when the selectors could have gone for variety. Only Pollock and Ntini seem to possess the skill and class.

There was a great deal of anger and frustration when Donald gave away 32 runs against the West Indies. He was dropped for the next match against Kenya. The fast bowler expressed his displeasure by writing in a syndicated column that `he was not told why he had not been dropped for the match against Kenya' and that he's confident of proving himself against New Zealand and against other opponents.

Donald was anxious and tried hard on the flat pitch at `The Wanderers'. He was carted around all over and Craig McMillain had the audacity to hit him straight and high for a six. Donald has played 161 one-day Internationals and tries to keep himself fit for the World Cup. But at 36 he has been found wanting. The pitches at Newlands and `The Wanderers' were slow to make him effective.

And not everybody is convinced that Kallis has recovered from his toe injury and is fit to play. Kallis is a far better bowler. He has not looked the part though. Even while batting he has been very subdued.

Reacting after the defeat against New Zealand, former South African captain Clive Rice said: "We are miles off the pace. The batting is fine. But the bowlers have lacked depth, firepower and imagination. If the bowlers are not versatile, we are not in the same ball park as the other teams in the World Cup."

Rice was not impressed by Donald's bowling. "That he's not firing is a huge problem; whether he has run out of gas, I don't know, but he has been attacked, instead of he attacking the batsmen."

Former coach Bob Woolmer was more practical in his assessment. "The team has to sit down like Australia did at the 1999 World Cup. We have to win eight matches to win the competition. The players must forget about the Super Six and the semifinals. They must concentrate on every ball."

Obviously, both Pollock who has shared the new ball with Allan Donald for many years, and coach Eric Simons have been under immense pressure to play the `White Lightning' than allrounder Andrew Hall, who the selectors feel can be send in at any position to bat. Hall is also an effective seam bowler.

Former allrounder Adrian Kuiper feels that it's the end of the road for a great bowler like Donald. "There comes a time in everyone's career. He is bowling at half pace and does not have the confidence."

South Africa will attempt to correct selection follies it made in the remaining three matches--against Sri Lanka, Canada and Bangladesh. Hall should be a certainty and perhaps, left arm spinner Peterson might replace Boje. But even a victory in all these matches may not guarantee it a place in the Super Six.

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