Before the 2019 ICC World Cup began in England, several analysts and experts were predicting South Africa as one of the favourites to make it to the semifinals. It would therefore come as a shock to many that the Proteas have slumped to two straight defeats including a 12-run loss against ‘underdogs’ Bangladesh. However, a few signs indicating a slump for South African cricket were evident since the last couple of years and have come to the fore at the worst possible time.
Brittle middle-order
Ever since May, 2018, the Proteas batting has had an AB de Villiers shaped hole in their middle-order which they have been unable to fill. They have tried different players like Reeza Handricks, Heinrich Klassen, Wiann Mulder and even Rassie van der Dussen to play in that number five position. However, none of these players have provided the consistency or composure that the veteran de Villiers provided.
AFP Photo/ Ian KingtonAlso, the absence of the 35-year-old has also exposed the frailties of the South African lower middle-order with both David Miller and JP Duminy’s inefficiency in playing the anchor role being highlighted. With de Villiers in the side, the two southpaws generally came into bat late in the game and played well in the slog overs. But since his retirement, Miller and Duminy have had their roles tweaked as they are required to bat longer and build an innings if the top three fail to deliver.
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Average Amla
Over the past decade, Hashim Amla has been a cornerstone for dependability and consistency in South African cricket. However, his form has almost dropped off a clip in the last year or so and that has coincided with the retirement of de Villiers. The veteran opener averages a meagre 35.26 by his standards since the start of 2018 with just a solitary century in that period.
AFP Photo/ Dibyangshu SarkarAmla’s poor showing has also hurt his opening partnership with Quinton de Kock and has also increased the team’s dependence on captain Faf du Plessis. Since the beginning of 2018, the Proteas have gotten past 300 runs only thrice, and lost a home series against India as well while narrowly edging out their other home series against Pakistan.
Lack of experience with the ball
With three of the best pacers of the generation in Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Dale Steyn in their bowling arsenal, the South African camp would have been very optimistic about their chances with the ball at the 2019 World Cup. However, the flip side to that has been the lack of experience with only Steyn and Imran Tahir having played a World Cup prior to this. Their auxiliary bowlers Dwayne Pretorius and Tabraiz Shamsi have played just 35 ODIs between them. On the other hand, teams like Australia, New Zealand and India have had a strong core group of bowlers who have been regular players for their respective sides since 2015.
After watching his side slump to a second #CWC19 defeat, Dale Steyn bowled a couple of overs in the middle as he races to be fit for South Africa's must-win clash against India on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/N8I2FvgWio
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 2, 2019
Heading into a big tournament like the World Cup, an experienced core of players is paramount to a team to ensure they have good chemistry and have the ability to perform under pressure. In the case of South Africa, the retirement of ace pacer Morne Morkel in 2018 has also hurt their chances ahead of the mega tournament.
Feature Image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar
