SA dream dies young, yet again

Rohit Mahajan
Tribune News Service
London, June 24

Last evening’s knockout has caused South Africa great anguish. After the game against Pakistan, Faf du Plessis looked like a man who’d seen a ghost — this is figuratively true, too, for he’s become the latest South African captain to be confronted with the cadaver of South Africa’s hopes.

No 100, only six 50s by their batsmen in a combined 77 innings across their seven games so far. Only one four-wicket haul in the seven matches. Not the performance they could be proud of. South Africa, ranked world No. 3 coming into the tournament, couldn’t put bat to ball, ball to pitch, hand to ball. Something went horribly wrong with them.

No preparation?

They’d come into the World Cup with an impressive record, on paper at least — 16 wins in 21 ODIs in the previous 12 months, a success rate of 76%.

This spell included a run of eight wins in nine matches immediately before the World Cup.

But the bare numbers don’t reveal the full truth: South Africa had been whipping Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Zimbabwe all this time: South Africa had an 8-2 record against Sri Lanka, 3-0 against Zimbabwe and 3-2 against Pakistan in the 12 months. The only top team they’d taken on was Australia, themselves in turmoil after the Sandpapergate scandal; captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were unavailable for selection due to being banned. The success rate of 76%, thus, wasn’t a true indication of South Africa’s form coming into the tournament.

Rest needed?

Du Plessis later agreed that the poor show “tainted” the legacy of classy players such as Hashim Amla, JP Duminy and himself. “Yeah, I’d be lying if I say no,” he said. “The fact that we are really underperforming chips away at me as well.”

He later said “unfortunately not everything is in my hands”, and if he could, he would fix everything with a “magic wand”.

“The one area where if I could have it definitely was having more players to rest before the tournament, but that’s something that’s not in my hands,” he said. Maybe, but maybe he did have something in his hands in terms of resting, and setting an example for the others by resting himself?

Du Plessis figured in 12 matches in the IPL, immediately before the World Cup. So did fast bowler Kagiso Rabada. Quinton de Kock played 16 matches, Imran Tahir played 17, David Miller 11, Chris Morris 9. Dale Steyn suffered from shoulder pain during his second game at the IPL.

If du Plessis really wanted rest before the World Cup, as he says he did want, why were he and so many other players of team going through the exhausting ‘play-travel-play-no-rest’ schedule of the IPL in the early Indian summer?