Cape Town – Perennial under-achievers at major tournaments, South Africa arrive in the UK on Saturday for next week’s Champions Trophy, with the noose that has suffocated them for the past 15 years still firmly around their necks.
It is not something we as South Africans like speaking about. Neither is it a topic that the team like the “home” media to discuss.
The Proteas say they get enough questions about “choking” from the foreign media, especially the vast Indian contingent.
But it is unfortunately a fact that cannot be ignored. One successful campaign from 16 attempts since 1992 – World Cups, Champions Trophies and World T20 Championships included – is a damning statistic, especially for a team that is as highly ranked as South Africa have been over the years.
The shining light among this gloom is the triumphant team of 1998, who lifted the inaugural Champions Trophy, previously known as the Wills International Cup, in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
With the Champions Trophy being played for the last time in England and Wales this year, there is a positive feeling in the camp that the wheel might have turned full circle for the Proteas.
“I’ve got a feeling there are a few to come in the next few years,” captain AB de Villiers told Dutch radio station NOS in Amsterdam, where the team have been preparing.
“We are just going to have to wait patiently. We are doing the small things right. The work ethic is there, the talent is there and the belief is there, so we’ve just got to go out there and give it our best shot.”
Although one-day cricket has changed significantly, with the introduction of batting power plays and two new white balls being used, there are similarities between De Villiers’s class of 2013 and the late Hansie Cronje’s side.
De Villiers is at the helm of largely inexperienced squad, as was Cronje, who went to the subcontinent without emerging stars, such as the injured Shaun Pollock.
Not since the 2003 World Cup on South African soil have the Proteas not had Test captain Graeme Smith and veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis at their disposal.
Their skill will undoubtedly be missed, especially as both have been leading performers at crucial times for South Africa, while the experience gained over a collective 514 one-day internationals is invaluable.
However, as much as De Villiers is still learning his trade as a captain, the absence of these two giants of South African cricket might just allow him to break from under the immense shadows that they have cast over the early part of his tenure.
De Villiers is instinctive by nature, a man who is not confined to routine and structure – elements that have derailed previous Proteas campaigns – and therefore should have the freedom to run the team the way he sees fit during this tournament.
Although he has seemed flustered at times during matches, and been forced to miss games after being banned for slow over rates, he showed promising signs during the recent series against Pakistan that his tactical nous is improving, and that his grip on proceedings is becoming firmer, too.
Smith missed the series decider in Benoni because of an injury, which left De Villiers to fend for himself, and he performed admirably.
The contrasts in their personalities are evident, especially when the choking question inevitably rears its head. Whereas Smith becomes irritable and agitated, De Villiers meets it head on.
“There is always some pressure,” said De Villiers, who is ranked second in the world as a batsman in the 50-over format of the game.
“We are a very talented cricketing nation and we understand that there are some responsibilities in performance.
“We would love to say we are just going to go and enjoy it, but it’s more complicated than that. We’ve got to win some big games and we would love to win the trophy. I think we are preparing in the right way.”
A positive mindset is a step in the right direction, but where De Villiers can look to emulate his predecessor is through his personal performances.
During Smith’s most successful period as one-day captain, he was the fulcrum around which the Proteas revolved.
The rest of the side always looked towards their “Captain Fantastic” for inspiration and he nearly always followed suit with a virtuoso performance.
Smith has played many a heroic Test innings, especially in fourth-innings chases, but in the green flannels of the one-day game there have been none more courageous than his 141 in this tournament four years ago at Centurion.
The fact that it was achieved in a losing cause does not tarnish its splendour, but only highlights how one man single-handedly carried the hopes of a nation while hobbling on one leg.
If South Africa are to prosper over the next 24 days in Cardiff and Birmingham, and finally break free of the shackles that have restrained them all these years, there will come a time when De Villiers will need to match Smith’s heroics, not only in runs but also in courage.
It is to be hoped that he will have the help of contemporaries such as the brilliant Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy. – Independent on Saturday