http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 – the finest team of its generation – Opinion – Part 1
They may still have a long road ahead in the limited-overs form of cricket, where they have hardly done themselves any favours in avoiding the ‘chokers’ tag, but the current Proteas unit is arguably the finest team of its generation.
Their performances in the recently concluded Test series say a lot about the nature of their cricket, but in short, one needs to applaud a job well done. In a period where cricketers have to play extensively, all around the world, South Africans barely complain.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 is still struggling to find balance regarding their priorities, whereas the Aussie and English boards have put sizeable efforts in entertaining a particular format in a particular way. Then there is South Africa, who quietly go about their business,
making their presence felt everywhere, be it IPL or Champions League T20, or Big Bash, but do not run away from the real deal.
They seemed determined to get hold of the Test mace when they travelled to England, and seemed at ease with shifting gears when the need arrived. In Australia, their task appeared harder and unachievable at times, but they shrugged off everything that was
thrown at them, and took the field with a sense of purpose every time.
It seemed a wrestling match, where a big giant threw punches at will, and hardly broke a sweat, but ultimately, in his mind, was worn down by the opponent , who then hit the sucker punch to clinch the title, much to the dismay of the home fans, all of whom
could do nothing but stand and admire.
They certainly deserve to be where they are, and can finally dedicate their ranking to their fans, once they battle New Zealand and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 in next year’s Test series. For now, they do not only have the finest attacks, but a fantastic squad, which has quality
written all over it.
As always, their strength lies in their bowling personnel. In order to win a game over the course of five days, one needs to take 20 wickets, and South Africans can say that they have the pace arsenal to do so.
Head of the pack is http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DW-Steyn-c1409. He is dangerous, he is quick and more importantly, he is clever. In the lead up to the Perth Test, he said he was determined to give his best after "two Tests where I have not done too well."
He had taken just five scalps in the opening two affairs but was charged up to have a final crack at the Aussies. He sprinted in his usual way, but the swing was back, and the accuracy was impeccable. He ended up with seven wickets in total and victory never
seemed in doubt.
After watching his batters post a below par first innings total of 225, he ran in to dismiss http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Clarke-c1978.
In the fourth innings, he made timely breakthroughs before fittingly, finishing things off. While his stature as the leader of the attack is untouched, special mention needs to be given to his bowling partners in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Morkel-c73528.
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