World T20 failure forces scrutiny of CSA’s structures.

This was definitely the summer of our discontent. For South African cricket followers expectancy was high. In Test matches the Proteas were on the verge of history, defending their number one position in the world, much was expected even after a tight semi-final exit in New Zealand in the 50 overs World Cup last year and a World Twenty20 world cup campaign looming.

The plan was straight forward, or so it seemed.  First it was about consolidating a Test match winning formula and building on the reputation in one-day competitions as a prelude to peaking in India for the WorldTwenty20. But all the best laid plans went sour when India resorted to old tricks in preparing dry lifeless spin-friendly pitches.

That three nil Test series defeat was possibly South Africa’s worst since –re-introduction. If ever a team were battle scarred in recent memory, it was the South Africans after that loss. The repercussions and scarring was more devastating and evident when they lost the Test series to England at home. It wasn’t helped by Hashim Amlas drop in form and leadership credentials coming into question and the subsequent relinquishing of the captaincy. The early exit from the World Twenty20 by the men and women’s teams as well as the national under-19 team’s failure to defend their World Cup title encapsulated a dismal season.

To analyse the failure of the men’s senior team in India in the recent T2 World Cup would boil down to a few selection conundrums and decisions in team selection and discipline.

Most teams selected two front-line spinners with a few more options yet South Africa didn’t. The team instead banked on lower-order all-rounders because the lack of form in the batting remained their main concern. They plumbed for an extra all-rounder by Including David Wiese at the expense of Morne Morkel. Morkel has six seasons of experience in the IPL where he has performed very well. 

Selecting Dale Steyn without any games under his belt and on the basis of his class and experience was a huge gamble. So it proved to be. The selectors reverted to the rigid South African style of selection by stacking the team with seaming all-rounders. It needed specialist and horses for courses selection. The omission of left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso from most of the games was most perplexing especially given how other teams were so cunning in using their spinners.

The Proteas fell short when A B De Villiers and a few others lacked application and the lower-orders failure to accelerate in the closing overs. The bowling unit inexplicably delivered very few yorkers and slower deliveries. They invariably ended conceding more than average extras which in the final analysis were crucial. But do we focus on the failures or look to remedy the malaise?

So is there a quick fix? No. Quick fixes are short term solutions. Having said that; CSA have the ingredients in place for a long time. The academy structures are second to none. The high performance centre is a trendsetter for innovation. The international team travel and consult with leading psychologists. Players have the benefit of the best technology with a TV analyst on hand 24 hours. The question is then what’s lacking? An international coach with his own team of specialists? CSA have been reluctant to employ one due to the weakness of the Rand.

So how do you correct, analyse or for that matter instil discipline in an international team with players that are at the top of their craft? Did the bowlers panic in those tight situations? If so, then are they lacking enough exposure and experience in domestic competitions?

Is the domestic structured competition fulfilling the needs to the requirements at international level? On the evidence of the Proteas record in bilateral series, the answer is an emphatic yes. It’s certainly not the case when they compete for world cups.

Where does the solution lie? Management and understanding of the formats at international level are crucial in finding and manipulating ways in which to win a game or for that matter a major competition. It is here a coach of international repute is necessary.

On a broader level, the domestic Ram Slam must now take on the hype and magnitude of the Australian Big Bash League (BBL) and the IPL. Franchises with the help of Cricket South Africa (CSA) and sponsors must recruit big stars for the tournament. CSA are planning to have the Proteas players appear for most matches for their franchises. The board should instead consider re-introducing the original provincial board teams and this will add to the hype and more importantly give exposure to a bigger pool of players in this format. 

The idea of compressing the tournament by staging matches on Monday and Friday nights and weekends with double-headers is worth testing and then even taking matches to the far reaches of the country will give budding boys and girls a chance to see stars up close and thereby promote the game in those neglected areas. The fruits of the exercise will become evident quicker than we think. Just look at India as a perfect example.

The other area that needs attention is to increase the franchises from six to eight and still maintain a solid strength versus strength structure in the Sunfoil Series. This will alleviate the need for six teams to adhere to the strict but necessary transformation policy. CSA and its franchises must contract recently retired players to play out their careers for a season or two in a format of their choice to ensure there is internationally experienced players in the midst. Finally, they must sign a few experienced foreigners to franchises to increase the standard of the game at domestic level. 

CSA and the games stakeholders must address the short-comings soon and not leave it in abeyance as the West Indies did after their record breaking run in the 1970’s to the early 1990’s. The careers of the likes of Steyn, Amla, De Villiers and Vernon Philander are soon to come to an end. Do we have adequate replacements? On an encouraging note; Quinton De Kock is a rising star, Kagiso Rabada looks like he can lead the attack for a long time and Temba Bavuma has the ability to lift the spirits of his team and the nation. All is not lost yet, but the time to act is now.