Black magic for Proteas

I’M not ashamed to say that I’ve been a fan of Australian cricket since I was 5. I was born and bred in South Africa but my loyalty has always been with the Aussies and their exciting form of the game.

I’ve been called unpatriotic by many Proteas’ fans, and labelled a disgrace for supporting the country’s biggest rivals in sport.

But these jibes don’t bother me. My team has enjoyed unrivalled success against the Proteas in the past decade. Head-to-head the Aussies have been the better team, and when it comes to trophies there’s simply no comparison.

That is, until recently. The Aussies were clobbered by the unstoppable Proteas. It was unbearable to watch. I’m pretty sure it was equally horrific for other Australian cricket fans throughout the world.

A whitewash by the Proteas in the One Day International (ODI) series and then losing the Test Match Series was unheard of.

But something really odd and weird happened to me. Although I felt terrible that the Aussies lost so spectacularly, I marvelled at the incredible bowling ability of Kagiso Rabada, and stood up and applauded the brave batting efforts of Temba Bavuma.

And I felt an immense sense of pride to see two Indian players – I am of Indian origin – Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj playing at some of cricket’s most historic stadiums.

The Proteas were playing with a completely transformed team and they gave the Aussies a deserved thrashing.

The team has come so far from the days when Makhaya Ntini was the only player of colour.

Now the team has the talented Rabada and Vernon Philander leading the attack, Shamsi and Maharaj providing quality spin options, Bavuma and JP Duminy strengthening the middle order, and how can I forget the ever-reliable Hashim Amla?

These players weren’t just there to make up the quota, they were there to strengthen the first team and win games – something they did in empathic style.

The first Test Down Under, where the Proteas won by 177 runs, was marked by how players of colour contributed to the triumph, beginning with 21-year-old Rabada who bagged the player-of-the-match award with match figures of seven for 170. Rabada took 36 wickets in nine Test matches.

Duminy showed he was regaining form with his 141 runs and a game-turning partnership of 250 with fellow-centurion Dean Elgar.

Maharaj announced himself both with the bat and the ball, claiming three wickets on his Test debut for the Proteas, and Bavuma not only continued his sound acclimatisation into a regular Test spot in the middle order, but produced a flashpoint moment that is being hailed as one of the most sublime bits of fielding of all time.

Philander also looked rejuvenated, and contributed to the thrashing of the Aussies in Perth.

These players weren’t chosen to make up the quota. They were players of colour that were chosen to make the Proteas a better and stronger team – something the Aussies found out in the harshest of ways.

Finally, it looks like transformation is finally bearing tangible fruit in SA cricket. It’s perhaps something the SA Rugby Union should look at seriously, especially with the terrible slump in SA rugby.

With the current bright crop of young cricketers the Proteas are fielding, I foresee a much fiercer rivalry with the Aussies.