CWC 2019: Team Review – Major overhaul the need of the hour for the Proteas

At the start of any World Cup, there is always some level of expectations attached with the South African units, along with a tinge of reservation due to their past history. This time around though, the pressure wasn’t sky-high on the current South African squad, due to the genuine lack of match-winners which they had in their batting department. Yet, people did expect them to be fiercely competitive and make life tough for their opposition, due to the proud history and cricketing culture which they have. But South Africa underwhelmed for most parts and did not show their true nature until the final phase of the group stages, which was a tad too late. The tournament will now ideally signal winds of change in the current setup, with many senior members being phased out and young blood being infused into the lineup.

Here we review how the tournament panned out for the South African squad:

What went wrong –

The start to the tournament by the Proteas was absolutely miserable. Yes, they were dealt a tough hand with fixtures against two of the favourites – England and India in their first three matches. But they would have surely been expected to brush away Bangladesh. Three losses in a row at the very start meant that their tournament was as good as over with the team always playing catch-up on the table. In terms of the different departments of the game, they were dealt a tough blow after spearhead Dale Steyn was ruled out of the tournament. Kagiso Rabada looked jaded after his exploits in the IPL and Lungi Ngidi also missed a number of games with an injury. This meant that their bowling resources were stretched thin. The batting department also lacked a lot of urgency throughout the order. This was perfectly signified by the Proteas having the lowest run-rate in the opening powerplay of all the teams in the tournament – 4.5. They did not fare much better in overs 11-40, having a meagre run-rate of 4.9.

What went right –

There were some players who did show some potential during the tournament. Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi are two young guns around whom South Africa will ideally build their bowling attack for a decade. Andile Phehlukwayo also showed glimpses of becoming a world-class all-rounder in the future both with the bat and the ball. Rassie van der Dussen is a player around whom South Africa could build their middle-order with his calm and composed demeanour. After South Africa were knocked out of the tournament, they started to play much better, ending the tournament with confident victories against Sri Lanka and Australia. They will aim to replicate a similar brand of cricket heading into the future.

Find of the tournament – 

Rassie van der Dussen has not only emerged as the man around which the Proteas will likely build their middle-order but also as a potential candidate for a future leadership role. He was one of the shining lights in what was a pretty turgid performance from the batting department. He scored 311 runs in 6 innings, in what has been a highly-promising start to his international career.

Areas for improvement – 

The brand of cricket played by South Africa during the tournament often looked outdated. They were too defensive with the bat while being too conventional in their bowling department. They should ideally look at how England completely revamped their policy after the disaster of the 2015 World Cup and the change in fortunes which it brought for them. They will need a complete rehaul in their structure, ideally in the batting department with the likes of Hashim Amla being phased out. Thinking out-of-the-box is the way forward for the Proteas.