Telford Vice finds five ways for SA to become a better ODI side
1: Get a grip
Enough with this "we've done brilliantly under the circumstances" nonsense. No, SA, you haven't. You've been awful in Sri Lanka. In the past few years you've been to the subcontinent more often than most of us have been to the movies. So, man up and stop blaming the conditions. Anyway, Sri Lanka is India Lite - less chaos, fewer people, friendlier crowds. What could possibly be so difficult about playing there?
But seriously: Thanks to more stringent ICC regulations and a better understanding of the science behind pitch preparation, conditions around the world are closer to standardised than they have ever been.
2: Find a vice-captain
What do you see when you look into AB de Villiers' eyes when he is trying to keep wicket, set the field effectively and make sure the over rate doesn't get out of hand? Many see panic, or at best dazed confusion. Some cricketers, even those of the male persuasion, are able to multi-task. Most are not.
But seriously: In the current absence of a viable candidate to replace De Villiers as captain, give the man some help. A vice-captain doesn't have much to do in most teams, but in SA's side he could take a lot of pressure off the skipper.
3: Be boring, please
Life is too short for one- day cricket, a format that offers, almost always, a turgid trudge through 50 overs of blandness followed by a turgid trudge through another 50 overs of blandness. If we're lucky, someone imagines they're batting in a T20 or bowling in a test. Only then do things get interesting. But South Africans don't need the Proteas to be interesting; they need them to win. That means playing proper cricket. - not the reverse-inside-out-helicopter shot.
But seriously: You can't innovate your way out of trouble. Go back to what you know works. No bells. No whistles.
4: Opening the batting today, "Tin and Can".
In the first four matches in Sri Lanka, not once did SA send the same pair of openers to the middle. Hashim Amla's injuries didn't help that situation, but for the most part it was musical chairs.
But seriously: An unsettled opening pair leads to an unsettled innings.
5: Enough with the marketing
It's admirable that De Villiers is part of the "Battle of the Bush" charity drive - that's what that frightening beard he is wearing is about - and it's noble that several of his players are similarly interested in making the wider world a better place. Bravo. But can they take care of business on the field first?
But seriously: Never in cricket history have players been in such high demand across a range of media and marketing platforms. Something's got to give. They need to ensure that that something is not what they are paid to do.
How SA can improve ...
Telford Vice finds five ways for SA to become a better ODI side
1: Get a grip
Enough with this "we've done brilliantly under the circumstances" nonsense. No, SA, you haven't. You've been awful in Sri Lanka. In the past few years you've been to the subcontinent more often than most of us have been to the movies. So, man up and stop blaming the conditions. Anyway, Sri Lanka is India Lite - less chaos, fewer people, friendlier crowds. What could possibly be so difficult about playing there?
But seriously: Thanks to more stringent ICC regulations and a better understanding of the science behind pitch preparation, conditions around the world are closer to standardised than they have ever been.
2: Find a vice-captain
What do you see when you look into AB de Villiers' eyes when he is trying to keep wicket, set the field effectively and make sure the over rate doesn't get out of hand? Many see panic, or at best dazed confusion. Some cricketers, even those of the male persuasion, are able to multi-task. Most are not.
But seriously: In the current absence of a viable candidate to replace De Villiers as captain, give the man some help. A vice-captain doesn't have much to do in most teams, but in SA's side he could take a lot of pressure off the skipper.
3: Be boring, please
Life is too short for one- day cricket, a format that offers, almost always, a turgid trudge through 50 overs of blandness followed by a turgid trudge through another 50 overs of blandness. If we're lucky, someone imagines they're batting in a T20 or bowling in a test. Only then do things get interesting. But South Africans don't need the Proteas to be interesting; they need them to win. That means playing proper cricket. - not the reverse-inside-out-helicopter shot.
But seriously: You can't innovate your way out of trouble. Go back to what you know works. No bells. No whistles.
4: Opening the batting today, "Tin and Can".
In the first four matches in Sri Lanka, not once did SA send the same pair of openers to the middle. Hashim Amla's injuries didn't help that situation, but for the most part it was musical chairs.
But seriously: An unsettled opening pair leads to an unsettled innings.
5: Enough with the marketing
It's admirable that De Villiers is part of the "Battle of the Bush" charity drive - that's what that frightening beard he is wearing is about - and it's noble that several of his players are similarly interested in making the wider world a better place. Bravo. But can they take care of business on the field first?
But seriously: Never in cricket history have players been in such high demand across a range of media and marketing platforms. Something's got to give. They need to ensure that that something is not what they are paid to do.
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