More than a game
The Proteas’ achievements demonstrate the need for a plan and a leadership obsessed with implementing it. A lesson for our politicians
One can often tell when there’s been a hectic sporting weekend by the number of people at my local gym on Sunday morning. Not many turn up. There were fewer people still this past Sunday. They must have been watching the Proteas systematically
dismantling a clueless Australian attack in Perth. It was just so good to see.
There’s no greater thrill in cricket than watching Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers on fire and batting together. They were toying with the hapless bowlers. After what the Australians have done to our self-esteem over the years, it was just splendid seeing them getting their just desserts. And when SA has the Aussies under the cosh, it’s always a delight to tune in to their commentators and hear them squirm as they reluctantly sing the praises of our players. One of them — it must have been the insufferable Ian Chappell — even dared to suggest that De Villiers was out of form. It was as if De Villiers heard him. He responded the only way he knows how. He hit a magnificent century, capping it with three successive, contemptuous reverse sweeps. The daring; the audacity of it all. Neutrals must have felt sorry for the poor bowler. I didn’t. I enjoyed it.
The script didn’t turn out as intended for the Australians. They dominated the first two tests but failed to administer the coup de grâce — thanks to a defiant Faf du Plessis. Perth was to be a celebration, a swansong for the retiring Ricky Ponting. SA spoiled the party. Seeing Michael Clarke doubling up in pain after a Vernon Philander snorter was a metaphor of sorts. SA was on top, inflicting pain and relishing it. One wag said if this had been a boxing match, the Australians would have won the first two tests on points only to be knocked out in the third.
To beat Australia at home for the second time in a row is a remarkable achievement by the Proteas, the first team to do so since the marauding West Indies two decades ago. And it comes after a similar triumph over England. Let’s hope the Proteas’ dominance in world cricket will silence those who’ve been on
8 Graeme Smith’s case. He’s more than proved his worth. He’s led the team to the top. Ponting’s farewell could have been a banana skin, but Smith handled it like a seasoned diplomat. What more do people want?
Sport has always had a disproportionate influence on our society. The Nats used it to divide and conquer. Their opponents saw it as a weapon against apartheid. Hassan Howa’s slogan of “no normal sport in an abnormal society” springs to mind. It was only when SA was barred from the international sports arena that South Africans realised things had to change.
And when the country finally changed, Nelson Mandela used sport as a vehicle to unite people. He stuck his neck out amid fierce opposition from those close to him to embrace the Springboks during the 1995 rugby World Cup. It was a courageous act, an icing on his reconciliation policy.
But sport has not escaped the normal pressures of a society in transition. Transformation wars in sport are still raging. Consensus remains elusive. There are those who insist that total integration should be the primary goal regardless of whether we win or lose in international sport. But transformation is always a work in progress. Besides, achievements such as those by the Proteas can be a beacon to inspire the youth. The key, though, is proper facilities and qualified coaches in all schools. The rest will follow. Sumptuous fruit doesn’t simply fall from the sky. Plant and painstakingly tend to the tree. The fruit will follow. Sport, like any other aspect of human endeavour, is no different.
The Proteas’ achievements also demonstrate the need for a plan in everything one does, and a leadership that is absolutely obsessed in implementing it. There is a lesson somewhere in there for our politicians.