While the Proteas men ducked in 2022, the women bowled us over

Batting woes and a lack of Test cricket led to an inconsistent 2022 for the Proteas men.

They also choked in another World Cup.

The Proteas women, however, acquitted themselves well, reaching the semifinals of their World Cup.

Proteas' World Cup curse strikes again

Having arrived in Australia with a seemingly well-balanced 15-man squad, the Proteas went into the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup in October and November with an air of quiet confidence.

After the points were shared as per the Duckworth-Lewis method in their rain-affected first Super 12 fixture against Zimbabwe, South Africa grew in stature, with impressive back-to-back wins against Bangladesh and India. Rilee Rossouw, who returned to the international fold after six years, produced a masterclass with a century against the former, while David Miller showcased his hitting power against the latter.

The Proteas raised the nation's hopes with the consecutive wins, but came unstuck against Pakistan, who have become their World Cup bogey team. The Proteas had their World Cup fate in their hands when they faced the Netherlands for a place in the semifinal and summarily produced an insipid display.

Temba Bavuma, who captained the side in Australia, was shell-shocked by the defeat and questioned whether he would continue as white-ball captain. Outgoing coach Mark Boucher hinted at a post-T20 World Cup player exodus, with suggestions that Quinton de Kock was seriously considering his international white-ball future and weighing becoming a full-time T20 franchise freelancer.

At the time, Boucher said: “We have to try to keep all the players interested in playing for South Africa and I think that is a big question that needs to be answered.”

Boucher steps down from national post

Boucher, who played 147 Tests for the Proteas, made the shock announcement ahead of the T20 World Cup that the tournament would be his last as coach.

The former Proteas wicketkeeper/batter took the national reins in 2019, having led the Titans to five domestic titles, with a highlight being the 2-1 win against India at home in a Test series that finished in January.

While his numbers did not always paint the best picture — Boucher led the Proteas to 11 Test wins, 12 in ODIs and 23 T20I victories — according to the players, he created a conducive team environment and a culture of accountability. Off-field issues, however, marred the back end of Boucher’s tenure when he was charged by Cricket South Africa (CSA) for gross misconduct.

The charges were laid after allegations of racism involving ex-teammate Paul Adams at CSA's Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) hearings in 2021 and an investigation into former assistant coach Enoch Nkwe's resignation.

Neither Adams nor Nkwe would give testimony at the disciplinary hearing and CSA withdrew the charges, saying there was "no basis" for them.

While Boucher would have felt vindicated, his conflict with the suits at CSA and a breakdown in trust made his position as coach untenable. A mere four days after Boucher’s Proteas exit was announced, he was named coach of the Mumbai Indians, who compete in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Proteas Women do SA proud, Khaka shines

The Proteas women may have been eliminated in the 2022 ICC Women's World Cup semifinal against England in Australia in March, but a trio of South African stars were named in the most valuable team.

Ace batter Laura Wolvaardt, fast bowler Shabnim Ismail and all-rounder Marizanne Kapp had tournaments to remember as they fired the team to the final four.

Ayabonga Khaka may not have cracked the team of the tournament, but she took 12 wickets at the showpiece event and enjoyed a stellar season, taking 31 wickets in all formats. She said she was “humbled and honoured” to be named South African Women’s Cricketer of the Year and Player’s Player of the Year, and thanked her coaches, saying: “Their work doesn’t go unnoticed.”

In the face of a number of retirements this year, Khaka has become a leader in the women's Proteas, walking the walk rather than talking the talk. The right-arm medium-fast bowler has produced the goods and become only the fifth South African woman to take a century of ODI wickets.

Proteas' batting woes resurface Down Under

When the men's Proteas have failed in all formats it has invariably been their brittle, inconsistent and unreliable batting line-up that has let them down.

South Africa's' batting deficiencies were again exposed when Australia bundled the tourists out for 152 and 99 in the first Test at the Gabba in the three-match Test series Down Under last week.

In the ongoing second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), South Africa made just 189 in the first innings and were staring down the barrel of a series defeat at 15 for 1 in the second innings after Wednesday's day three. This in response to Australia's mammoth 575 for 8 declared.

The Gabba pitch was labelled a “Green Mamba” and Proteas skipper Dean Elgar went as far as to say: “I don’t think it was a very good Test wicket and you’ve got to ask yourself, is that a good advertisement for our format?”

The pitch at the MCG had less grass on the wicket, but the Proteas top and middle order again failed to put runs on the board.

Proteas batting coach Justin Sammons was confident ahead of the second Test in terms of the batters bouncing back, but the five-day format appears to have been influenced for the worse for the South Africans by T20 cricket.

Proteas batters seem less patient at the crease and more curious regarding technique. CSA, which has prioritised T20 cricket, with the money-spinning SA20 tournament set for January, decided to have only three Test series in 2023. This has purists up in arms.

The lack of confidence at the crease led to a mixed bag of Test results for South Africa's Test side in their 2021-22 series — a 2-1 home win against India, 1-1 drawn series in New Zealand, 2-0 home win against Bangladesh and 2-1 defeat in England.

Keshav Maharaj was named South African Men's Cricketer of the Year. The 32-year-old played in 13 ODIs, eight T20Is and the same number of Test matches, claiming 51 wickets. Of the award, he said: “When I heard about it, I almost broke down in tears. It’s probably one of the most humbling and highest moments in my career.”