SOUTH AFRICA
The Money
Some would be tempted to say Jacques Kallis here, but in one-day games his match-winning potential is virtually offset by his match-destroying history. Having Kallis slow down the momentum of a quick Powerplay start is the last thing South Africa need when playing Australia. I wouldn't be surprised if Ricky Ponting lays off JK a little when he comes to the crease and gives him spread fields to keep him on strike, wasting balls.
Graeme Smith is the perfect man to bludgeon a rapid 80 in a low run-chase, packing his innings with those grotesque elbowy swipes and whack-a-mole inside edges for four, but he doesn't look the player for an unbeaten century under pressure against miserly bowling. Herschelle Gibbs is, well... Herschelle Gibbs. Deliciously easy on the eye, frustratingly gifted, and completely unpredictable. Boucher and Pollock are still out there, after all these years, still pinching those quick 30s and 40s that frustrate the opposition and build momentum for their team.
Ponting 0 [run-out <........>]
Gibbs and De Villiers make for a very sprightly combination inside the circle, mostly useful for run-saving purposes, though they can both be counted on for a blinder of a catch every three or four games. The team's outfielding is organised and professional, but some of those old legs near the boundary can make quick two's and three's an appetising prospect, especially if Makhaya Ntini is left out.
Rattle n' Hum
I'm sure Andre Nel likes to think he can rattle the Aussies -- and the South African brains trust keep trying to convince themselves that he can too -- but with that Bizarro Delivery Stride and lack of true pace, he's really just annoyingly irksome, rather than downright intimidating. Smith can puff his chest as much as he wants and stare in the Australians' direction with a George W. Bush-like "Bring 'em on!" squint, but until he stands on the podium with the trophy in his hands, it's all theatrics as far as anyone is concerned.
Other than those two, the rest of the team is full of old-timers whom the Australians have played and beaten dozens of times before and whose "rattling days" (at least in this rivalry) are definitely over.
Killer-to-Filler Quotient
It's hard to say exactly. South Africa have continued with their long tradition of making up for the lack of variety in their bowling with an extra supply of bits-and-pieces hustlers, like Andrew Hall, and more muscular depth in their lower order batting. Any one of their frontline bowlers can be taken to town on any given day, even Pollock, and their batters show a lack of adaptability when faced with serious bowling threats.
If Ntini is not played, his replacement -- probably Langeveldt -- can be guaranteed to be targeted for at least 80 off his spell by the Aussie top order. (That one you can take to the bank and cash right now, because it will happen.) Ashwell Prince is ideal in the face of a batting collapse, but he proves too conservative during run-a-ball boundary-fests. AB De Villiers is a safe bet for a duck against any team who can bowl straight for longer than two (he has had 4 ducks already during this World Cup).
Mental As Anything
What a difference a day can make. January 23rd, 2006, to be precise. If it hadn't been for the 872-run bonanza at the Wonderers, I would never have given South Africa a chance in hell in an elimination match against Australia. Even so, I doubt many people give them a chance for tomorrow's semi. They were thoroughly outplayed in their group match, they lost comprehensively to Bangladesh in the Super 8, and were half a coat of varnish away from losing 5 wickets in 5 balls against Malinga and the Sri Lankans. Those are not the credentials of a serious, world-beating team.
And yet, there is always that game, that record-breaking game, that series-winning game that no fan can forget, and surely no player in that team wants to either. Who knows if that magic can be re-captured, but the fact that we're even wondering whether it can means it would be foolish to ever discount South Africa completely.
Sho
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Posted by: Frankie | May 23, 2007 at 05:07 PM