Decision to name Amla Test captain not straight forward even for player

Historic day for South Africa as Hashim Amla is named national Test cricket captain in Johannesburg and becomes the first non-white player to hold the highest office in the sport.

The Durban-born batting maestro’s elevation should not be hailed as racial transformation working in South African sport nor, will it ease political agendas from the Department of Sport and Recreation.

Lets get one thing clear about Amla’s appointment as Test captain: this is not a gesture of “tokenism” in a country divided by political reform and interference.

This is deserved reward for years of success and his quality as an “elder statesman” within the team.

He is one of South Africa’s greatest cricketers; a batsman of the highest order and an impecable role-model as well as one of the calmest, coolest players around.

Amla has led before; the SA Under-19 team, the Dolphins and stood in for the injured AB de Villiers for two Twenty20 internationals and three one-day internationals against Australia, so he is no novice.

The general consensus is that De Villiers would be a more suitable captain, continuing with the Proteas’ style and philosophy instilled under former Test captain, Graeme Smith.

Smith led from the front, was the voice of the team, its backbone. He could be brash and never took a backwards step; a leader of men.

The 31-year-old is quiet, unassuming, calm and prefers to be in the background and will add something different to the side.

“It will be difficult for me to comment on what kind of captain I will be. Let the series come up and naturally my style and what I can bring to the party will come out anyway,” he said.

Cricket South Africa were concerned about handing De Villiers dual captaincy responsibilities of both Test and one-day international cricket.

The timing of the captaincy announcement and the decision to appoint the Amla implies that the original thinking was for the wicket-keeper to take the reigns.

However, the up coming World Cup and the workload of having to keep wicket as well as being considered a front line batsman, seems to have been a pivotal reason for the split captaincy.

Convener of the national selection committee, Andrew Hudson confirmed this by pointing out that the primary concern over the next year is the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

”We have a very skewed season ahead of us with 30 ODIs, including the World Cup. So this next season, the focus is on one-day cricket.”

Hudson offered the reason behind the decision as being a balancing act between Amla and De Villiers and their roles in both formats of the game.

“What AB has achieved with Russell [Domingo] in the one-day side and the gelling of that team going forward is something we did not want to disrupt.

“Hashim will compliment AB in terms of his style and what he wants to do with the one-day side, just as AB will complement Hash in the Test arena.

“AB will continue to keep wicket in Tests and that also gives us nice options,” he said.

Read what you will into those comments but it is clear this decision wasn’t straight forward and that Amla needed some persuading despite revealing that he had harboured thoughts on the captaincy after Smith retired.

“When Graeme retired, it came as a surprise to us, especially with him being a young person but we could also understand because of the pressures of being a captain for so long,” Amla said.

“At that moment, I felt with the group of senior guys we have in the team – myself, AB, Dale [Steyn], JP [Duminy], Morne [Morkel], and Faf [Du Plessis] – that if the team wanted, I would be available,” he added.

There it is. Issues over the two Test batting positions vacated by Smith and Jaques Kallis and the feeling that Quinton de Kock is not ready for Test cricket, the makeup of the Test team has dictated that Amla preside over the transition.

With a core of senior players, Amla understands that he will need time to settle into his new role.

“It took the previous team a few years before we found a winning combination – we hope it won’t take as long. But there will be some teething issues early on.

“We’ve got a senior group of guys, all exceptional cricketers and hopefully we’ll get to that point a lot quicker than before.”

 

Smith bows out a legend of the game

It had to happen someday. When the news came, it came with a thud, a thud not unlike the sound of Graeme Smith’s bat pulverising a hapless short ball; a back foot pull, slightly on the front foot, racing to the fence for four: Fetch!

The announcement of the retirement of South Africa Test captain, Graeme Smith has shocked and surprised in equal measure. Smith is going out on his own terms and that is admirable: too many players overstay their welcome; for records, money or sometimes because they don’t know the writings on the wall.

This can be detrimental to a team’s cohesion; hanging around can leave a mustiness, that despite opening the window, will not disappear. Delaying retirement can stifle the rejuvenation of the team, thereby undoing all the hard work it took to build in the first place. Smith didn’t let that happen.

‘Legend’ and ‘greatness’ is bandied about too often in modern day cricket and often bestowed upon ordinary players. This will not be the case with the 33-year-old opening batsman. Smith’s achievements and grandeur will live long in the memory of anyone who saw him play.

However, few sportsmen have divided opinion like the Proteas’ skipper. His achievements are not wholeheartedly celebrated by a – critical – nation whom he served with distinction and valour, often derided in his own country and a scapegoat for the mob, when results went against the team and the fickle demanded answers.

Smith had (and still does) his detractors; those who chose to relentlessly call for his head when he was out of form; every quadrennium when the Proteas’ ODI team failed at a World Cup – and the biennial call for heads to roll regarding Champions Trophy and T20 failure.

Throughout his career, Smith took the beatings, the unflattering murmurs and sniggers at his ‘functional’ technique, his heavy bottom handed leg sided shots, the awkward forward defensive. Throughout, he remained defiant, fighting the demons, real or perceived.

Smith’s standing in the game will echo in the corridors of schools and homes and cricket ovals for generations. Handed the captaincy at 22-years-old, of a timid, shattered team still coming to terms with the aftermath of the Hansie Cronje saga, he set about building a cricket team for the ages: leading from the front.

His debut came against Australia in March 2002 at the age of 21, scoring 68 runs in the second innings against the greatest cricket team in the history of the sport. Although, he is best remembered for giving a detailed account of the on-field sledging from the Aussies. This would be the hallmark of the man, one of strength and unwavering belief in his ability, never taking a backward step.

Smith stood toe-to-toe with those intimidating veteran players and in doing so, set the tone for the change in approach of the South African cricket side.

Once established as captain, he would become so important that the opposition would target the left hander; his wicket dictated the match, the series. Get Smith, the rest will follow.

Smith molded the unit in his own image; a tough, unyielding, unrelenting team, a team he would lead to the summit of the world Test rankings. The high watermark of his captaincy was the Proteas to back-to-back away series wins in Australia and England.

Moreover, Smith is South Africa’s greatest and most successful cricket captain; 117 Test matches (109 as captain, a world record), 9,262 runs at an average of 48.49, 27 hundreds, as an opening batsman which is remarkable. Many will feel that Smith has a few more years left in him, some – bowlers especially – will be happy to see the back of him.

The cracks had appeared. His recent spate of dropped catches – the reflexes slowing with father time and his run of poor form, especially against fast bowling, had perhaps influenced his decision. After all, he had achieved almost all there is to achieve in the game and long periods away from a young family, played its part. But what a career.

His captaincy record is staggering: 109 Test matches; 53 wins, 26 losses and 27 draws; a win percentage of 49 percent. Impressive because his early record was poor and above all else, he had to deal with the small matter of Tests on doctored pitches in the subcontinent, the emergence of England and the great Australian team of this nascent century.

His career highlights include; the two consecutive double centuries against England in 2003 (277 at Edgbaston and 259 at Lord’s), the unforgettable 90 off 55 balls to set South Africa on their way to chasing down Australia’s 434/4 in the deciding match of the 5-game ODI-series in Johannesburg in 2006 – remembered as the greatest ODI ever played.

The 154 not out chasing England’s 281 at Edgbaston in 2008 to win the series, or the 108 in the second innings at Perth, later that same year, when South Africa chased down the second highest total in Test cricket history and in doing so, became the first international team to win a Test series down under in 16 years. These are the yardsticks by which greatness is measured.

His mental fortitude and bravery is encapsulated by his defiance in 2005 at the Wanderers, when he scored 67 off 89 balls, batting for two hours, trying to save the Test after being concussed during fielding practice, and in Sydney 2009, batting with a broken hand and a torn tendon in his elbow, attempting to salvage a draw.

All this will be lost to the Proteas, but time moves on and Smith’s legacy will be one of triumphs and success. Players of his ilk are rare and the game is all the better for that. Smith will bow out; his place in the pantheon of South African heroes indisputable, a colossus, whose like will live in the memory of all who love this great game and will not be seen again.

Smith loses the plot at the toss

“When you win the toss – bat. If you are in doubt, think about it, then bat. If you have very big doubts, consult a colleague – then bat.” W. G. Grace

The chance to lay down an early marker at the beginning of a Test Series is done one way: win the toss, bat; score big in the first innings and asphyxiate your opponent with ‘scoreboard pressure’.

Despite Grace’s warning, his advice still falls on deaf ears.

Graeme Smith joined Nasser Hussain and Ricky Ponting in the pantheon of poor judgements after he won the toss before the first Test at Centurion Park, and invited Australia to bat.

Widely regarded as the worst captaincy decision of all time, Hussain decided to bowl on a superb pitch for batting, in the first Test of the 2002 Ashes in Brisbane. At stumps on the first day Australia were 364/2 and England went on to lose the five-match-series 4-1.

Ponting made a similar error of judgement, which can be put down to bravado or arrogance, before the second Test of the 2005 edition in Birmingham.

During the warm-up before the start of day one, Glenn McGrath rolled his ankle playing touch rugby and was ruled out of the game. Ponting curiously put England in, describing his decision as “backing yourself”.

Michael Vaughan’s team won an epic encounter by two runs,  and ultimately, the series 2-1, regaining the Urn for the first time since 1987.

Lessons have yet to be learned, but the thinking behind those decisions are baffling, and can be traced to the muddled thinking of a scrambled brain.

South Africa’s mauling at the hands of Michael Clarke’s team was exhilarating to watch and all down to one man: Mitchell Johnson. England’s tormentor-in-chief, continued where he left off in the Ashes, with another Man-of-match performance.

The pre-series talk from the Aussie camp was ingenious and calculated. When asked if his bowling attack was stronger than South Africa’s on current form, Clarke said: Yup, I certainly do.

“From what I’ve seen from the Australian bowlers over a long period of time, I feel we have the best attack in the world.” he added.

It was a masterstroke and prompted a response almost immediately. “When you’ve played against Australia enough, you learn to sift through a lot of the bull – dot, dot, dot,” Smith said.

Smith won the toss and chose to bowl. It’s fair to discern that all the talk clouded his judgement. He attempted to stamp his side’s authority early in the series but it backfired.

What happened next was catastrophic; Australia played the Proteas’ pace attack comfortably. South Africa toiled; their fielding was amateurish, and the batsmen wilted under the duress from Johnson’s pace and aggression, losing by 281 runs.

South Africa lost the match at the toss and the tone for the series is set. The phoney war has turned into an unwanted bout of naval-gazing for Smith’s team.

The Proteas’ underestimation of Australia’s quality, has been brutally exposed and they will need to summon all their mental fortitude, to overcome the mental disintegration that engulfed this chastening defeat.

Captains everywhere should learn from Smith’s harsh lesson; when you win the toss – bat.

Proteas on the cusp of greatness

South Africa ended 2013 as they started it: top of the ICC Test Rankings, after a superb 10 wicket victory over India at Kingsmead. The Test will be remembered for the retirement of Jacques Kallis and the way the bowlers turned the match on the fifth day, on a substandard pitch, which offered little throughout the game (the less said about the ground’s curator, the better). Beating a good Indian team must not be taken for granted, but put into context of the team’s recent results, both sides evenly matched, making the win more remarkable. 

While the great Australian side of the 90s and early part of the 21st century slowly burnt out, England, under Andy Flower, and an India in flux, briefly threatened to claim best team in the world status. When Andrew Strauss’ team completed a 4-0 home series whitewash, over MS Dhoni’s hapless team in 2011, England overtook India to sit top of the pile. How quickly things change: looks can be deceiving. England have gone on to fail against any side that has had the temerity to stand up to them, and India can only win on favourable pitches at home.

We then have South Africa. The Proteas have come a long way from the team that was always competitive but not good enough to be bracketed with the best sides of recent generations. As England has found out, one swallow doesn’t make a summer; beating mediocre opposition at home, flatters to deceive. Led by Graeme Smith, the team turned a corner in 2006, after a 2-0 series loss in Sri Lanka. Since then Smith’s team has completed 25 Test Series’, winning 17, drawing 7 and losing 1. Phenomenal.

What makes this record astonishing is that very often, the Proteas were playing a series to determine the number one ranking; as of 31/12/13, they have played 3 fewer Tests than Australia, 6 fewer than India and 8 less than England. Determining greatness can be as intangible as clasping the wind, but South Africa can include in these results, winning back-to-back series’ away in England and Australia, both at their best or near it, as their high watermark. Something else which sets them apart; the pitches in South Africa have often suited the opposition, and playing away from home, competing on heavily ‘doctored’ wickets, tailored to the home team, they have found a way to win.

The rise of one of the best pace attacks in the world, coupled with  batting of the highest order, reflects in the results. Smith, Kallis, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis, have dominated opposition bowlers, often making them as impotent as James Anderson without swing. Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander continually bowl the opposition out, and backed up by excellent fielding, this team is on the verge of immortality.

The years leading to 2006 were littered with batting collapses and many awful seam bowlers, quota farces, and some internal political factions. Move forward and the character of is one of immense resolve and fortitude, in a relaxed, calm environment. Saving the Lord’s Test in 2008 and successfully chasing 281 at Edgbaston in the 3rd Test, to win the series, set in motion the belief that no situation was too dire, that it could not be overcome. Playing more positively has been the most influential reason behind this.

This character can be summed up on many occasions; the second highest run chase in Perth 2008, followed by the dismantling of the Aussies on Boxing Day in Melbourne; the Innings and 12 run humiliation of England at the Oval in 2012, after scoring 637/2d. Du Plessis batting for 7 hours, on debut in Adelaide in 2012 to save the match, then have the bowlers rip through Australia in Perth, to win another series away. Winning the 2nd Test in the UAE against Pakistan to save the series. Almost chasing down 458 in Johannesburg, but winning the series in Durban, from an unlikely situation, because of a devastating all round bowling performance.

Add to those all the other mighty performances sprinkled around those special efforts, and the beginnings of greatness are within touching distance. The forthcoming series at home to Michael Clarke’s resurgent team, is the next step in the journey, that will define Smith’s team and judge whether they will go down in the pantheon of cricket lore. History beckons and only a win will do.

India in South Africa Test Series	2006/07		South Africa	2-1 (3)
Pakistan in South Africa Test Series	2006/07		South Africa	2-1 (3)
South Africa in Pakistan Test Series	2007/08		South Africa	1-0 (2)
New Zealand in South Africa Test Series	2007/08		South Africa	2-0 (2)
West Indies in South Africa Test Series	2007/08		South Africa	2-1 (3)
South Africa in Bangladesh Test Series	2007/08		South Africa	2-0 (2)
South Africa in India Test Series	2007/08		drawn	1-1 (3)
Basil D’Oliveira Trophy (South Africa in England)	2008		South Africa	2-1 (4)
Bangladesh in South Africa Test Series	2008/09		South Africa	2-0 (2)
South Africa in Australia Test Series	2008/09		South Africa	2-1 (3)
Australia in South Africa Test Series	2008/09		Australia	2-1 (3)
Basil D’Oliveira Trophy (England in South Africa)	2009/10		drawn	1-1 (4)
South Africa in India Test Series	2009/10		drawn	1-1 (2)
South Africa in West Indies Test Series	2010		South Africa	2-0 (3)
Pakistan v South Africa Test Series (in United Arab Emirates)	2010/11		drawn	0-0 (2)
India in South Africa Test Series	2010/11		drawn	1-1 (3)
Australia in South Africa Test Series	2011/12		drawn	1-1 (2)
Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series	2011/12		South Africa	2-1 (3)
South Africa in New Zealand Test Series	2011/12		South Africa	1-0 (3)
Basil D’Oliveira Trophy (South Africa in England)	2012		South Africa	2-0 (3)
South Africa in Australia Test Series	2012/13		South Africa	1-0 (3)
New Zealand in South Africa Test Series	2012/13		South Africa	2-0 (2)
Pakistan in South Africa Test Series	2012/13		South Africa	3-0 (3)
Pakistan v South Africa Test Series (in United Arab Emirates)	2013/14		drawn	1-1 (2)
India in South Africa Test Series	2013/14		South Africa	1-0 (2)