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Journalism of Courage
South Africa’s team management are very big on talk a day into their two-match Test tour of the subcontinent. They are hoping to achieve what even Australia haven’t, winning back-to-back series in India.
If some of their language was primed by a set of questions put to them by this correspondent last week, and to which they didn’t respond, naturally they are going to be a touch opinionated about their quest. At their own count, 10 of the squad have not played in India before, so naturally captain Graeme Smith and coach Ray Jennings are going to be a tad aggressive about ‘‘awkward’’ questions.
Two of the queries surrounded the strength of the bowling attack and their preparedness for Indian conditions.
Now former coach Bob Woolmer, in charge of Pakistan, and Allan Donald have cast doubts on the tourists’ ability to handle Indian conditions. Woolmer even described Smith’s leadership as ‘shaky’ in the December edition of Wisden.
One of the questions asked of Smith was whether he felt the side could repeat the 2-0 success of the 2000 series, which later aquired notoriety for match-fixing.
Jennings, once known for strong anti-establishment views over the United Cricket Board’s fast-tracking policies, has thrown down a defiant gauntlet by saying that the lack of experience in the side does not scare him.
Asked about what game plan they had in mind, Smith has admitted to fingerprinting some of the Australian ideas, even jokingly suggesting he phone Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie to get a few ideas on where or how to bowl to the Indians.
Neither Smith nor Jennings feel that not having toured India in four years would be a disadvantage to the side, mindful that Australia have three times since March 2001 played India in three-Test series — twice in India and once in Australia — to give their batsmen a better idea of how to handle spinners such as Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh.
Another question sidestepped was just how confident were they, with four new caps in the side, and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson as the frontline spinner, of delivering a 2-0 series victory? ‘‘Nothing and no-one will get in the way of my players and an opportunity to be successful in India’’, Jennings is quoted as saying on a South African website.
Smith felt the Australian ploy of curbing Indian batsmen from scoring freely would be the key to success in Kanpur and Kolkata.
No one has as yet pointed out that, but for the monsoon rains on the last day of the Chennai Test, the series with Australia could have been squared 2-2 and not 2-1 to Australia with a drawn Test at Chidambaram Stadium.
THREE POSSIBLE STARS
• Hashim Amla, the first South African Asian to be capped, is an eloquent yet disciplined strokeplayer and the thoughtful captain of the Safs Youth World Cup side of 2002 in New Zealand. Chances are he will take over from Herchelle Gibbs as Graeme Smith’s opening partner
• Jacques Rudolph averages 50 in domestic first-class cricket. He’s opened the batting for his Titans provincial but, with Smith being a left-hander, the Safs have pushed him to bat at either three or lower in the order
• Andrew Hall is a skilled, combative all-rounder whose bowling talents could well supplement those of Pollock and Ntini. Hall, like Amla, was a surprise omission from the touring party that was in Sri Lanka in August, and brings balance to the attack. He played a major role in winning the SuperSport Trophy for his provincial side Easterns a couple of seasons ago and as a swing bowler has the ability to play the role of a Fanie de Villiers
