Strange times for unsettled Proteas
THESE are strange times for the South African cricket team and having a new captain in the middle of a highprofile Test series enhances that weirdness.
Judging by many experts’ opinion the change from Hashim Amla to AB de Villiers as the team’s captain is a step in the right direction. It’s not supposed to be thus because stability, especially in the leadership position, is paramount.
South Africa, seemingly, can do things differently – or can they?
Matters are a lot more complicated than the administrators at Cricket South Africa, or the Proteas management, would like to believe.
Take into consideration South Africa’s recent Test record – no wins in the last eight Tests, reports of De Villiers wanting to decrease his workload – and implying that it may be the Test format that would be sacrificed – the confused selection strategy and the broader transition the side is in the middle of, and everything is far from hunky-dory.
Oh, and England, actually lead the series currently.
Once Amla had made his decision – and according to him it had been two weeks in the making – De Villiers became the obvious choice as his replacement.
He already captains the One-Day team and in the last year has grown comfortable in the position, leading creatively and with great inspiration.
Importantly his batting hasn’t faltered, in fact, captaining has seemingly enhanced that aspect of his game.
The Test captaincy was something De Villiers had craved and when beaten to the post by Amla in 2014, he didn’t hesitate in expressing his deep disappointment about missing out on the job.
“I will not beat around the bush. I’m disappointed that I’m not the captain,” De Villiers said on that occasion.
“Everyone has dreams and ambitions and hopes they will become reality but I accept the situation…”
Back then, part of the reason proffered for De Villiers not getting the Test captaincy was that the selectors and coaching staff didn’t want to overburden him – given his responsibilities as One-Day skipper in a World Cup year.
Oh, the irony given that some of those same selectors and the coach were happy to burden De Villiers with wicketkeeping duties for the first Test against England in Durban.
How long De Villiers will continue as Test captain is presumably something that will come up in his discussions with Cricket SA about his workload, which are slated to take place in May.
If he remains as ambitious about the job as was the case when he missed out on it two years ago, CSA would be foolish not to keep him in it for the long term, regardless of the outcome of the series with Alastair Cook’s side.
De Villiers is a more forthright individual than Amla, more suited to overseeing a transition with a group of yo u n g s t e r s who may require a kick up the backside occasionally. Amla, as he admitted at Newlands last Wednesday, prefers leading from shadows where he can provide a reassuring shoulder for the younger players.
He and De Villiers have worked well together in the One-Day set-up and the selectors and coach, Russell Domingo, must hope that will continue for the remainder of the series against England.
Looking long term, the South African team is in desperate need of stability. Transi- tion periods are rarely easy and this is the most unsettling one for the national side since 2004/05 when Graeme Smith was in charge of a team that lost to an England side, led by Michael Vaughan.
Back then De Villiers, playing in his first Test series, occupied three different spots in the batting order and was one of three wicketkeepers used in five matches.
However. there was no chopping and changing of the captain – nor was there a different leader for each format. That stability in the most important position in the side was crucial. As the right players came along and were given time to grow into their roles, so the team’s results improved.
The benefit of that growth came in 2007 when South Africa won a series in Pakistan and the following year they achieved historic successes in England and Australia. De Villiers would love to oversee a similar sort of rebuild, and especially if it proved successful, it would enhance his distinguished status in the story of South African cricket.
Whether he will be provided with the necessary tools is a concern. The selection strategies have lacked focus and there is an onus on Domingo and selection convener Linda Zondi to manage strategy and personnel. The next few weeks will be critical as the series with England reaches a climax.