Cape Town - There is still time to look back, but not much for the South African cricket team. And in reflecting on how they pulled off a third straight Test series win in Australia, the players and coaches will recall the difficult periods when self-doubt crept in, how they needed to be honest with each other and how they needed to be patient when times were tough.
The resilience shown in the first Test in Perth, especially after Dale Steyn left the field, was, said Faf du Plessis, the turning point of that series.
Equally important was the resilience shown off the field last season as the team sought to bed in new players with the shadow of the greats of the recent past still looming over them.
The Proteas needed to recreate themselves less in the image of Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis and more in the image of Dean Elgar, Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada. Creating that new image took time, but last season, amid defeats to India and England, it didn’t look like the side had been granted time to develop.
“When the old guard stopped playing - Smith, Kallis - it was also going to take a bit of time for a Temba Bavuma to step in and perform, for Quinton de Kock to perform, for Kagiso Rabada to step in and perform and for the young spinners to perform,” said coach Russell Domingo.
“Those players now have some experience, they’ve played international cricket for over a year. They are slowly able to produce the kind of performances those past players did. But, at the time, you can’t expect them to perform at the level the Kallises, Steyns and Smiths used to perform.
“It will take time, but they have the ability to develop into those type of players. Now we are reaping the benefits, because we’ve stuck with those youngsters and hopefully they can get closer to the type of performances those players put in.”
At times last season it looked like Domingo and his coaching staff were struggling with that transition. It took longer than expected to hire a batting coach, the injuries to Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn robbed the attack and experience and a number of players including Du Plessis were out of form.
The team looked lost and as the pressure mounted Domingo grew increasingly angry at critics, especially some of those past players. It demanded everyone to do some introspection and the now famous weekend away - prior to the two Tests against New Zealand in August - where opinions were strongly made face-to-face has proved vital in eliminating the clutter that tripped the side up last summer.
“That time away was probably 90 percent of the reason why there’s been a rebirth in our energy and vision,” said Du Plessis.
“The results since then speak for themselves. It shows how important it is that things off the cricket field are in a good space. That’s personal life, cricket stuff, boards, selection, they all play a role in making sure the culture is strong.”
There was some “brutal honesty”, said Du Plessis, and that included demands made to Domingo and his coaching staff.
“After every performance you evaluate where you can improve, where the support staff can improve,” said Domingo. “To be brutally honest, I don’t think there is a massive difference in the way the coaching personnel have gone about it, the players have stepped up in the last few months.”
A particularly hectic period awaits the Proteas starting in the festive season with the three Tests against Sri Lanka. They head to New Zealand in February next year for a full tour there and then in May go to England for four Tests, and also the ICC Champions Trophy.
The depth built up recently will thus be very important. Certainly Rabada’s workload will have to be carefully managed. He’ll play no part for the Lions in the domestic T20 competition, and it’s unlikely he’ll feature in every One-Day or T20 International over the next 12 months, with the Champions Trophy and the 10 Tests taking priority.
Domingo has lit a small fire under the batsmen, demanding greater consistency over the next few months. While praising the performances that saw South Africa outscore Australia by five centuries to one in the Test series, the batting is an area in which there is still plenty of room for improvement.
“They are all contributing but not on a consistent basis. Quinton de Kock is the one batter who’s gone 80, 60, 70, 100 he’s been able to carry his rich vein of form throughout the series. Other players have contributed at important times but not followed it up with another big performance,” Domingo explained.
That will be an area closely monitored against Sri Lanka.
AB de VIlliers is expected to play a couple of matches for the Titans in the T20 tournament to help improve his match fitness ahead of an expected return in the first Test against Sri Lanka which starts on Boxing Day. He will resume the captaincy, too, which means a change of role for Du Plessis and at least one batsman needing to be dropped - most likely JP Duminy. Du Plessis believes the transition will be seamless and in fact will strengthen the side with himself, De Villiers and Hashim Amla all bringing their captaincy experiences to the table.
“We are in a good space at the moment, but it’s a space that’s got to be treasured and nurtured all the time,” he said.