South Africa - Undoubtedly the best in Test cricket

This team has caught my eye off late. Agreed, they have been called ‘chokers’ over the years. However, when it comes to Test cricket, they have been extremely consistent under the second half of Graeme Smith‘s leadership, which is into its 10th year! South Africa’s persistence had finally been rewarded by the ICC rankings in August 2012, in which they are now comfortably placed at the numero uno spot. Makes me wonder though, can this team be as great as the West Indies of the 80s and Australia of the 2000s?

The architect of the team’s success is none other than Graeme Smith. He was chosen as captain despite having played just 8 Test matches for his country by mid-2003. Then aged 22, Smith faced an uphill task when it came to dealing with senior members in order to resurrect the team’s fortunes. Initially, many thought that Cricket South Africa was drunk while making this decision, but what a masterstroke it turned out to be eventually!

Smith now is the most successful captain in this format of the game, with 49 wins in 101 Tests, including two series wins in Australia and England, which are considered as the most difficult places to tour for any team. His ability to come out with flying colours while batting under pressure, especially in the fourth innings of the match, and despite not being 100% fit at times, is laudable indeed.

But Smith could not have taken his team to the top alone. It is said that a captain is as good as his bowlers. Clive Lloyd was, when he had the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts and Michael Holding. Ricky Ponting was too, when he had Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne. Currently, Smith has that kind of a bowling attack which can easily match Lloyd’s and Ponting’s. Dale Steyn is the spearhead by far, who has such intensity in his bowling that in any conditions, this man is feared by any batsman no matter how good he is!

Steyn’s ability to swing the ball at an average pace of 145 km/hr is legen – wait for it – dary! He could already be considered as an all-time great bowler, and it would not be a surprise, given his fitness that he can play for another 5 years easily. His partner, Morne Morkel, has also developed into a fine pacer having the ability to generate tremendous bounce more than anything else thanks to his height, unsettling a batsman right from the beginning. In this way, Steyn and Morkel complement each other perfectly, with no team really figuring out how to deal with them yet.

And if both of them are ineffective on a given day, that’s not a problem. Vernon Philander comes to the rescue. He has had a spectacular first 14 months of international cricket, having already taken as many as 87 wickets! He just sticks with the basics, focusing mainly on the off stump line as he relies more on his seam position rather than pace to be lethal.

It remains to be seen if Philander can perform his magic in the Indian subcontinent, but as of now, he is also an integral part of this Protean pace attack, which in Allan Donald’s opinion, is the best he has ever seen. South Africa, though, has never been the land of spinners, but if they can produce a world class one in the near future, the team’s reign at the top could get extended. Johan Botha and the Pakistani import, Imran Tahir, have been less than impressive while Robin Peterson is more of a batting all-rounder in my opinion.

Then, of course, Jacques Kallis‘ all round ability comes to the fore. Being the fourth pace bowler, Kallis has 288 wickets to his name and the ‘golden arm’. He is someone Smith never hesitates to turn to, when he is in desperate need of a wicket. He has dropped his speed considerably over the years due to the workload he suffers as a batsman, but his intelligence makes him a dangerous prospect even today. He, by far, is the greatest all-rounder of all time, with over 13,000 runs to his name and like wine, he just gets better with age! There is no stopping the big man from Cape Town.

This brings us to the batting line up of the side. Smith and Kallis have loads of experience and runs accompanying them, but fortunately, the team does not rely on these two to deliver all the time. Smith seems to have found an ideal partner in the right handed Alviro Petersen to open the batting. Petersen may not be a run machine, but apparently his role is to be vigilant in the first hour of the innings. He does not seem to be having a problem with this, in fact, he’s doing the job extremely well so far with a consistent string of scores, which have helped him retain his place in the side. He would definitely mature with time to come.

Hashim Amla. The one name which has made not only South African cricket proud, but world cricket as well. There is so much more to Amla then him just striding into the crease, batting at No.3. Amla is a perfect melange of equanimity and integrity and of the Asian style of using the wrists for stroke-play and the South African style of being persistent. Earlier, it was Kallis who could command the tag of South Africa’s ‘Mr.Dependable’. Now it is Amla who can, more than anyone else. A true champion cricketer, he has proved himself in all conditions despite a shaky start to his career.

It was a sad day for South African cricket when Mark Boucher had to retire from international cricket at the beginning of the tour of England last year, due to a freak eye injury. Boucher, too, had a pivotal role to play in what the team is today, having an unbreakable record I believe, of most number of catches and stumpings by any wicketkeeper in Test matches. But it could be a blessing in disguise for the team as that has allowed them to play an extra batsman, with AB de Villiers prepared to take up the role of wicket keeping in Test cricket also.

de Villiers may be on the edge when it comes to his fitness, but this man is a champion at many sports and thus the Proteas can hope for longevity dominating his batting and keeping. He could be an Adam Gilchrist in the making, batting in the lower order but he has shown his versatility to play as per the situation of the game. He is by far the most attacking batsman of this team, but his technique while defending the ball is amazing too.

However, he will need support from the likes of Faf du Plessis more often who also has had a fabulous start to his Test career recently. It is du Plessis’ strength of mind which can sustain him for long in Test cricket, like Australia recently found out, and gradually move up the batting order.

South Africa’s players are benefited with the presence of Gary Kirsten as their head coach. He became the first man to guide two teams, India and South Africa, to the World No.1 ranking in Test cricket. Earlier, the Proteas used to crumble under pressure but it is Kirsten who has incorporated the philosophical method of focusing on the present more than anything else, into the players’ minds. His coaching style is both benevolent and logical, allowing players to possess a fine balance between their personal and professional life. He has been supported too, by the legend Allan Donald who, as the bowling coach, has a sea of knowledge to impart to the bowlers in order to continuously improve.

I see only three major challenges which the team faces. First, winning a Test series in the Indian subcontinent. Secondly, the injury management of players which the South African board is not scoring brownie points in. And lastly, aging stars who may call it a day in the next 2-3 years. If the Proteas can overcome these, they could well be the third team in the history of the game to create a legacy in Test cricket, West Indies and Australia being the first two.

South Africa’s achievements, though, could be the most outstanding of them all, considering that we are living in an era of Twenty20 cricket being the most prominent. May they win more and more!