The true challenge for South Africa lies ahead - Part 1 – Opinion
South Africa have nailed the ‘chokers’ tag in Test cricket, surged to the top of the rankings and established themselves as the most formidable Test match outfit in modern times. This fact became a reality after the Proteas secured a 2-0 score line in the
three Test match series of the Investec Series of 2012. Few could dispute the credentials of this team or the potency and array of top quality players that it has at its disposal. Their captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GC-Smith-c1473 is also regarded as one of the finest captains of
all time in terms of overall win/loss ratios. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/HM-Amla-c1557 has cemented himself as the most graceful stroke maker in modern times. South Africa’s fielding has achieved cult status in modern
times and they are one side that neutrals can’t help feeling overwhelmed by. These attributes aside, many would believe that considering http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 as a champion side would be a touch premature. Despite their feat in the UK and their relentlessness, they
still have quite a few loopholes that they need to fix. One of them would be to rise to the occasion in ODI cricket and win games from nowhere.
Unfortunately for South Africa, there is no concept of an ICC Test championship, nor is there any Round http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mahbubul-Alam-c73802 affair in the longest version of the game. It has always been a bilateral affair with two teams battling it out in various backyards for supremacy.
Barring the 1999 Asian Test Championship (which was an attempt to instill a ‘World Cup’ like bonanza into the longest version of the game), Test series throughout the world have been largely bilateral affairs. This means that being world champions in cricket
is limited to the limited over format of the game only. It is sad, but perhaps an inevitable truth for a game that has undergone major overhauls since the days when http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kerry-Francis-Bullmore-Packer-c71015 managed to whirl an inflated wheel of fortune. Thus, for the Proteas, sitting
pretty with the Test No.1 tag will simply not be enough. Their impressive string of performances in the Test arena should act as catalysts for playing in a format that they have been consistent in.
South Africa is currently ranked second in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 with 121 points. Their current status of being one of the best ODI teams in the world is largely a product of performances in bilateral encounters rather than feats in global
tournaments. South Africa has thus, earned bad press for failing in major tournaments, and is much maligned because of this. The strength of their side has meant that they were always labeled as favourites by some of the most astute observers of the game,
and were backed upon to eventually grab a piece of silverware that had deserted them since 1998. Sadly, the script has always been the opposite, as time and again, the Proteas capitulated under pressure due to mental deadlocks and brain drains. Not many would
have the ability to explain Lance Klusener’s disastrous run out, Mark Boucher’s miscalculation or the fact that South Africa folded to just 172 in pursuit of New Zealand’s 222 in the 2011 World Cup Quarterfinal. It is astonishing to say the least.
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