The whole of South Africa will be watching the fortunes of its team. It has undergoneconsiderable change since the last Cup in Australia,with a new captain in Hansie Cronjeand a new coach in Bob Woolmer. Cronje has brought a positive approach to the team.Woolmer, on the other hand, is a great believer in employing the unexpected as a means ofovercoming defensive tactics in limited overs cricket. This promises lots of excitementfor both local crowds and fans at home.
All-rounders and spinners tend to do well in one-day cricket on thesubcontinent and the South African team will be built around this premise. It is abalanced team, with star fielder Jonty Rhodes, outstanding all-rounder Brian McMillan,fiery pace-man Alan Donald and leg-spin prodigy Paul Adams.
And, yes, 22-year-old Shaun Pollock, the great ‘find’ of therecent home series against England. He’s genuinely quick, agile in the field andoutstanding in the lower order. The youngster has cricket oozing from his fingertips.Hardly surprising, as his father is former South African fast bowler Peter Pollock,current convenor of the country’s selection panel. And of course, his uncle, GraemePollock is arguably the greatest batsman South Africa has produced.
Shaun’s start in one-dayers was explosive. He was named man of the match twice inhis first three games in the series against England. He was alsonamed Bowler of the Serieswhen South Africa won the Hong Kong Sixes World Championships.
Another ‘find’ of the series was Paul Adams, who at 18 becamethe youngest person to play for South Africa. He has a most unorthodox delivery to hisleft arm spinners, and he bowls a variety of balls, including the ‘Chinaman’.Adams is the first coloured person to come into the team from the United CricketBoard’s Development Programme and has become a role model. President Nelson Mandeladescribed his presence as a major unifying factor, and his impact signals the way foryoung players of all communities. A young player I am sure the world will hear about ispacer Makhaya Ntini, another product of the development pro-gramme and the leadingwicket-taker on a recent England tour by the Under-19 squad.
Both Pollock and Adams will, no doubt, cause a big stir on the subcontinent. But thesquad’s biggest strength lies in its determination, conscious as it is of its role inbuilding pride in the new rainbow nation. Mandela believes sports has a key role innation-building. The players know they are role models for thousands of young childrenfrom disadvantaged communities who have come into cricket through the developmentprogramme, and this will influence the way they throw themselves at each match. Tours tothe subcontinent have given us a good indication of what is required to play winningcricket under local conditions.
Most of all, our players want to be world champions and they believe they can realisetheir ambition now. The opposition is formidable. The hosts, apart from having thehometown advantage, are among the best one-day nations in world cricket. Sri Lanka haveshown great skill and determination in recent international outings, and could cause majorupsets. India’s Sachin Tendulkar is a match-winner at any time and at any venue, andPakistan is a proud cricketing nation who will fight to keep the title. I have a sneakingsuspicion, though, that those wanting to win the World Cup might have to contend with theformidable challenge of facing South Africa first.
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