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Skipper Faf du Plessis, the Proteas’ T20 captain, admits the “chokers” tag that dogs his team – for underperforming during crunch matches in major tournaments – will be hard to shake off at this year’s T20 World Tournament in India, but he says an international trophy win will go a long way towards getting rid of the label.
However, Proteas coach Russell Domingo is of the opinion that “there aren’t as great expectations this year as previous years” to bring the team down.
Who do South Africa’s cricket fans still believe? This question will be asked again when the Proteas start their campaign against England in Mumbai on Friday.
Du Plessis’ honesty is refreshing. Over the years, South Africa’s inability to succeed in a world tournament has elicited diverse reactions from captains and coaches, with some admitting to it and others laughing it off.
Former part-time Proteas coach Corrie van Zyl tried to be philosophical about the situation, but each time he did, the Proteas returned home sans silverware.
It may be beneficial if the team started talking openly about this issue. After all, admitting to a problem is the first step to finding a solution.
Du Plessis showed courage on arrival with the team in Mumbai when he said: “The chokers issue is a problem. The only way we are going to make it go away is by winning matches under pressure.”
Yet Domingo also touched on an interesting point this week when he said: “There are various players in our group who played in last year’s World Cup quarterfinal against Sri Lanka. That was our first victory in a play-off match in a world tournament.
“We learnt many lessons and I believe the players now know what is expected of them in such a match.”
Of course, the sceptics will immediately point out that the Proteas could not defend 298 in 43 overs in the semifinal against New Zealand – but does that count as choking?
The Proteas fought back reasonably well to stay in the picture up to the last over, and it was rather their inability to adapt to the destructive Brendon McCullum in the first 10 overs that cost them dearly.
One also wonders whether South Africa’s immediate problem really is the fear of another failure in a play-off match. Because currently there are other issues that need addressing, such as: Does their T20 batting order have space for both Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers? And should South Africa not think about adding another bowler, especially since versatile player JP Duminy is neither making runs nor taking wickets?
Can David Wiese supplement his alternate bowling with runs? Is Chris Morris becoming an all-rounder who is relied on more for batting than bowling? And what role should Dale Steyn perform with the ball in hand?
Maybe these topics need attention before we talk about the team’s ability to handle pressure in play-off games.
