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Graeme Smiths era has come to an end, not on the high he would have hoped for, and not on the high he probably deserves.
Almost a week has passed since the Proteas’ untimely exit from the World Cup. I am grateful for that week as it has given me the time to read almost every article written as well as listen to all the “expert” opinion on why South Africa yet again disappointed in this event.
“What a disaster.” “What a tragedy.” These are two statements I have heard often. The only trouble is, I associate tragedy and disaster with what happened in Japan and Christchurch, not with a cricket match.
“Pathetic” and “gutless” are words to describe the people that commit the heinous crimes that plague our country every day, not a team who tried their best. My favourite is “We were great against India,” followed by, “They choked.” Talk about associating oneself only when it suits.
We are an unforgiving public with extremely high expectations and it would not surprise me that if Bafana Bafana lost to Spain we would crucify them.
However the Proteas are not Bafana Bafana and New Zealand do not have the genius of a Xavi or Iniesta, so I suppose we have a little bit of an excuse for being upset.
Throughout the tournament the Protea bowlers had been fantastic. In the quarter-final they did their jobs again. 220 should have been chased down. In fact “chased” sounds rushed; it should have been strolled down. The pitch had a little uneven bounce, but it certainly was not a minefield. So why didn’t we win?
The answer has been given to us by the players themselves: no excuses have been given. They batted badly and that is that!
Kallis knows that chasing a total like that was tailor made for him. Duminy understands that trying to hit an off spinner square of the wicket when he is bowling around the wicket is not a good option, and Du Plessis and De Villiers know the old cliché that one run is not worth a run out.
So I’m not going to rub their noses in it because they don’t deserve that. They are hurting enough as it is. They don’t need some guy who never played in a World Cup to judge them.
Did we take the right team? Frankly, it shouldn’t have mattered because the 11 that played should have been good enough to win it.
The real question is, where to now? Do the selectors build for four years, or do they continue to pick the best team for now? It’s a tricky one, because they will want to maintain a high standard and try to regain the number one ODI ranking as well as making sure that in four years’ time they will have an experienced unit going to the next World Cup.
Former coach Corrie van Zyl said that this team is the one to take forward, but I can’t see players in their 30’s such as Kallis, Smith, Tahir and Pieterson being around then.
I believe Andrew Hudson and his selection panel are going to have a clean out and try and move forward. I think they will be aided by Jacques Kallis announcing his retirement from one-day cricket. I hope he will be afforded that grace because he sure has earned it.
The next World Cup won’t be on the sub-continent so we won’t need three spinners, and I believe that Graeme Smith would admit that with him not being captain his position is seriously under threat because of his lack of runs. The problem is: Who do they replace these players with?
Kallis is a once in a lifetime player, almost impossible to replace.
As for everybody else, South Africa has never had a problem finding talent, and I don’t think we ever will. We are a sport mad nation. Sometimes it divides us, but on most occasions it unites us.
Graeme Smith’s era has come to an end, not on the high he would have hoped for, and not on the high he probably deserves. But the Proteas will rebuild and we will continue to support them, even if it is tough at times. And one day, yes one day, South Africa will win the World Cup.
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Anonymous, wrote
I dont at all agree with the chokers title - wanna see chokers? - every team that lost at some point, so basically, everyone (for example, look at England's record in World Cup history)! And secondly, AB de Villers FOR CAPTAIN!!!!!
Natasha Vencatsamy, wrote
HD Ackerman nice aticle,though it still does not make the bleeding stop when you are a FAN.Support a team who has all the talent and potential,build up hopes and then choke when it matters the most.Look,Hansie couldnt win a WC,Pollock couldnt win a WC,what makes Greame Smith so special?I guess it takes that one man who believe that mountains can be moved and flow with his team instead of picking favorites in the team.Leave Greame alone,its not his fault that he is not the ONE to win a WC cup,its up to the team with spirit and beliefe in themselves.Gives us a good leader selectors and we will have the cup.
Greg Dolphin, wrote
i could not disagree with HD Ackerman anymore. 1.this early exit is a tragedy for a team so widely praised by "experts"and the batting was a disaster and us armchair critics new that from the indian tour!! 2. pathetic, gutless and choked are very accurate deions of the games against england and then NZ - prove me wrong! 3. shame, the players are hurting, whi in the hell do you think played - us archair critics or some talented "best" players in sa? they deserve to get their backsides warmed, the expectations were created by the team and their management. the fans deserve better! 4. the right team? who are you kidding? SA left behind a pearles wicket keeper and better batsmen, for what? petty ego issues? fans are not interested in petty egos, we demand results from extremely well paid professionals! 5. win the world cup, one day - i hope you still alive to enjoy that one day
sam, wrote
How were they great against India, Indian openers bashed around all SA bowlers and were well set to make over 32o runs and they were unlucky to get out for 296. Even that 296 was a mountain for SA to achieve which they got in the 50th over which could have gone either way on any other day. All South African players acted as if they had won the cup after that match and wanted the word CHOKE to removed from their vocabulary. Smith as been awful in last 2 years and was never a good odi player to begin with with all the talent this team had this time around there is no excuse for the failure.
rasty, wrote
smiths one day record of 40 odd 50's and 9 hundreds of which he only scored 2 in the last 5 years in not good at all.much better suited for playing tests.botha was captain when they thrashed australia in australia.Smith again captain when they were beaten by australia on home soil.He also doesn't have the ability to score all around the wicket which is necesarry when opening the batting.should still be playing test cricket but should not be captain of any side.when he took over as captain he was given captaincy of all formats ,same should go for his successor.Good luck to the selection commitee.got their work cut out.
Anonymous, wrote
Well written article well balanced and opinion from both sides and I cant wait till Proteas win a world cup will be a dream come true cannot wait for that day
DN, wrote
That word choke?? Why is not thrown at a Pakistan who have lost all their CWC matches to India, Or to a NZ who have "choked" in every semi-final they have played in. Lets face it, in three of those crucial CWC games we were simply unlucky (92,99 & 03?? - draw - DL - with SL). I am a staunch SA supporter. Yes, I cringe that we lose at crucial stages, my heart thumps only to sink in despair but this is a game. Professional yes but in the light of sportsmanship, still a game. I will be there supporting the guys in their next international bcos I AM a FAN - Not fanatical. Fanatics, who bandy hate, foul, vulgar & racist comments simply need to evolve. Oneday you will get there ... maybe on the same day SA win the CWC. I have hope :-)
lee, wrote
the difference between the current Proteas squad and another nation who haswill win the world cup is a captain who leads his team to victory by example.when it mattered most smith has failed miserably in the last two world cups.its a team sport you might say,well it does little for team confidencemorale when your captain fails to perform
george, wrote
why didn t smith coome home ? why couldnt he face the south african media? i am sure that we must not treat these players with kid gloves. they are paid an enormous amounts of money to perform even if its not for the love of the game any more. no more free rides . they need a no nonsense taskmaster a disiplinarian who will instill a belief in themselves that they will win at any costs . they were brought down to earth with a bump .from heroes to zeroes.the men were seperated from the boys. i ll rather support a team that knows how to play when it is do or die than one that can only play with freedom when it's not.
Anonymous, wrote
A nice positive article. What a pleasant change from all the people shouting "chokers". In my opinion, they should select young players like David Miller as an investment in the future. Never mind about ICC tournaments. If you always play well, winning them will come naturally, not as a fluke, which is what it would have been if SA had won the World Cup, because they were WAY below par even in the series against India.
Jeremy B, wrote
They WERE great against India, then they choked, We cant deny the fact! One of the best teams in this world cup unable to chase a low score to get into the final. We cant hate them for that, we have to live with it, as they do. We live, we learn.
don'twatchCricket, wrote
I don't watch cricket, but I was a bit sad to see rude remarks towards Graeme Smith and the Proteas and I wish them the best for the future. We all try, we all achieve sometimes and fail sometimes. This article put it into the correct context. Thank you.
Anonymous, wrote
I agree with every word! This wall-to-wall cricket is unfair on ALL players and their families, especially those from afar. England's 5 months away was ridiculous and certainly took its toll. With regret it all comes down to money.
Anonymous, wrote
He does not deserve any happy ending for making his team work hard when he did nothing in any of the matches.
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