The true challenge for South Africa lies ahead - Part 2 – Opinion
Continued from Part 1...
The 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2009 Champions Trophy failings, along with bizarre results in the World Cups of 1992, 96, 99, 2003, 2007 and 2011, are inexplicable for a side that boasted the talent and flare that South Africa had. For the Proteas, this in itself
means that there is still plenty to prove on the cricket field instead of sitting pretty with the number one tag in Test cricket. Their Test series victory over England however, and the fact that South Africa are currently the number one Test team in the world,
is pleasing to their bereaved supporters and symphonic to their passionate ones. As much as this is an achievement in its own right, South Africa would need to acknowledge the fact, that capitalizing on this http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Neil-Killeen-c79132 instinct, developing it and reverberating
it in colored clothing, is incumbent upon them.
What acts in South Africa’s favor is that genuine match winners have come to the fore when it is really required. Players such as Hashim Amla, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Morkel-c73528 and Vernon Philander have certainly managed to instill a winning attitude in a team
which has historically had all the talent but very little luck to go with it. Whispers of choking came to the fore for example, when England embarked on an heroic chase at Lord's, yet faltered after South Africa eventually played their cards right and seized
the initiative when the situation demanded it. Individual match winners such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Vernon-Philander-c2753 in the last Test at Lord's, helped assert South Africa’s dominance as a champion outfit instead of a competitive
one. Such performances had deserted South Africa since their debut in Test cricket in 1991, yet what is encouraging to note is that the mental deadlock which had plagued them had finally been overcome with ease.
The ODI series which follows and the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 are thus two important assignments that South Africa would need to consider and prepare themselves towards. The last time the Proteas were in England, they lost 4-0 to the Poms after beating
them comprehensively in the Test series prior to that in 2008. Their T20 records in global tournaments have been as abysmal as their World Cup records of the past, and for any key observer, it is possible to write South Africa off as improbable winners of
this year’s edition of the miniature world cup. The fact that South Africa has gained significant momentum in a format that is the ultimate test of nerve, wit, character and resilience, would serve this side well. On previous occasions in colored clothing,
South Africa had succumbed to outlandish pressure, when the going went tough for them, which probably was indicative of a lack of confidence or the ‘X’ factor that distinguished them from other teams such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. What was noticed in this Test series
was a hint at renaissance and defiance by overcoming mental deadlocks, by holding onto catches, batting with assurance and bowling with impunity.
The challenges are still monumental for a side like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 for the number one rank has meant that Smith’s boys achieved something
that was improbable. What needs to be seen is whether the same consistency permeates into the ODI and T20 format in upcoming encounters, which include the ICC World T20 of 2012 and the Cricket World Cup of 2015.
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