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In & Out: Cricket enters the Age of Aquarius

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Stuart Longbottom
Stuart Longbottom

Twentieth-century author Franz Kafka once said that “it is often safer to be in chains than to be free”.

By this I suppose Kafka meant that the chains we impose on ourselves are often those that comfort, console and indeed inhibit us from taking leaps of faith, as it were, towards true freedom. I thought this a rather appropriate message, given that over the past few weeks, this column has been concerned mainly with the manner in which South African cricketers have been allowed – and have allowed themselves – to freely express their talents.

It seems as if players all around us in the cricketing world are slowly beginning to cotton on to this dimension in their games.

All, of course, except for the majority of South African professional cricketers.

Just the other day, I read an intriguing article on Espncricinfo.com regarding Pakistani legspinner Yasir Shah, who became the first leggie in 11 years to top the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings for test bowlers.

This after he ripped through the English batsmen at Lord’s last week to set his team up for a 75-run victory in the first match of the Investec test series in England.

The last legspinner to have topped the rankings for test bowling, by the way, was legendary Aussie Shane Warne, the guy we all still love to hate – even though the most we “see” of him these days is when grounds cameramen decide to pan quickly across the commentary box during matches (talk about having a face for radio).

Jokes aside, what’s also interesting is that, in the age of flashy batting and sexy sixes hit straight out the park, another slow bowler – in the form of Indian off-breaker Ravichandran Ashwin – has found himself ranked second in the ICC test bowling rankings.

And so it seems that, with the dawning of a new age in cricket – one of self-expression and freedom – the old guard of rigid fast bowling à la Dale Steyn, Morné Morkel and Vernon Philander are slowly beginning to drop off the rankings.

Steyn currently sits at number five, with Morkel and Philander at nine and 10, respectively.

But South Africa’s prospects in the near future look bright, especially with the likes of Tabraiz Shamsi, the spinner who made an effective Proteas debut in the Caribbean last month.

Shamsi will be backed up by Aaron Phangiso, who, given the opportunity to hone his craft at national level, could prove to be useful in all formats.

Then, as if the prospect of Shamsi’s success is not compelling enough, we have Kagiso Rabada’s dazzling career to look forward to.

In the batting department, the likes of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers are already beginning to be shaken at the top, with youngsters Steven Smith (Australia), Kane Williamson (New Zealand) and Joe Root (England) in the top five of the ICC test batting rankings.

Smith and Williamson are currently ranked one and two, respectively.

I am of the opinion that a spot in the top five is just waiting to be occupied by South Africa’s Quinton de Kock.

All of this, of course, bears testament to the ability of the youth to break free from the chains that had previously created a false sense of comfort for their predecessors.

And as the “safety” of this comfort wears off for the previous generation, so opportunities arise to be seized by those brave enough to take the leap.

@Longbottom_69 is an armchair cricket critic. He was raised by hippies in that part of Joburg lying along lower Louis Botha Avenue

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