South African Cricket: Making a statement

The series scoreline after the Cape Town Test doesn’t tell us something we didn’t already know about either South Africa as a team in home conditions, or Pakistan as a tourist group in South Africa. But the manner of wins for South Africa does tell us a thing about the team: the desire to stamp its authority! Given the past demons and the pool of talent it has had, it is pleasant to find South Africa overcoming its inexplicable nerves and avoiding potential triggers in jittery situations with convincing frequency.

England and South Africa have impressed as Test units in the last 4-5 years, and the common link that knits these two sides is the hunger to win Test matches in all conditions; a quality that the Indian team was found wanting after achieving the top spot in the Test rankings. Champion teams try to overhaul its opponents by creating an aura of invincibility through the manner of victory; the West Indies did that, Australia did that, and it appears that South Africa seems to possess the arsenal to flaunt its superiority.

There were two moments during the two Tests which back the above thoughts. Pakistan came into the first Test with lack of ‘acclimatization’ practice; but being asked to bowl first gave the visiting side the opportunity to exhibit its strength in favourable conditions; and they delivered. The big difference in playing home and away is the ease/effort in sustaining momentum over a few sessions. Pakistan realized this very soon by succumbing to quality pace and swing bowling and folding up for one of their lowest innings total. Penetrative bowling attacks make it easier, but the distinction between good and great teams is the ability to deliver the knock-out punch once the opponent is found vulnerable.

In the second Test, Smith sent Pakistan in to bat on a track historically aiding seam & swing. Pakistan crumbled, but were soon resurrected by resilient tons from Younis Khan & Asad Shafiq. The bowling followed suit, but couldn’t have the home side on the mat. Pakistan had the opportunity to set a fighting target, but nerves and relentless bowling got the better of them. The target of 182 was that ‘in-between’ kind of a total, especially with Ajmal having 6 wickets in the first innings. In the end, it turned out to be a clinical chase, with the batsmen unperturbed by the state of the match and the condition of the track. A run-rate of 4.21 in the 4th innings of the game is a statement in some ways.

Pakistan hasn’t won a series in South Africa thus far, so expecting Pakistan to overhaul an in-form No. 1 ranked side at home was not more than a wishful thought. A few convincing ‘home’ wins shouldn’t really mean much, especially in an era of home dominance, but the manner in which they were achieved makes you take note of them. South Africa has displayed resistance in the sub-continent, proficiency in England and Australia, and utter dominance at home in the last 4 seasons. India failed to sustain momentum when they were at the top, while England, despite maintaining consistency overall, managed to squeeze in a couple of real lows. South Africa seems to have the ideal recipe to both succeed and maintain its ascendancy for the foreseeable future.