South African players wait on the field after losing the ICC men's Twenty20 World Cup 2024 final cricket match between India and South Africa at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados FILE. The embarrassing loss to Afghanistan on Wednesday has prompted questions like what has happened to the depth in South African cricket? Picture: Randy Brooks/AFP
Following South Africa’s embarrassing loss to Afghanistan in the first One-Day International (ODI) in Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday, many are asking: Is this the worst Proteas team ever?
That’s a little harsh though, as the more prudent question is - What’s happened to the depth in South African cricket?
The ODI squad selected for the three-match series is a largely inexperienced and experimental side picked by coach Rob Walter and his selection panel.
If you look at the top seven of the Proteas batting lineup, excluding skipper Aiden Markram and opener Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi (6), Tristan Stubbs (2), Kyle Verreynne (13), Jason Smith (1) and Wiaan Mulder (16) have 38 caps between them. That’s including the match against Afghanistan, in which Smith was making his debut.
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In fact, the two experienced batsmen in the Proteas lineup were first to fall as Hendricks made nine and Markram only managed two runs.
Before they knew it, the Proteas were 36/7 and only a half century from Wiaan Mulder meant the South Africans were able to avoid a complete disaster.
With such an inexperienced squad though, as the selectors look forward to the next World Cup cycle, the Proteas can be forgiven for losing to Afghanistan who are above the West Indies in the ODI rankings, at ninth.
It does, however, reveal the gaping hole in the depth of South African 50-over cricket when players like the retired Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Temba Bavuma, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj are unavailable.
In fact, among those players listed above, only Bavuma did not feature in the Proteas side that made it all the way to the final of the T20 World Cup against India at the end of June. Losing in a World Cup final to India, however, is a world away from losing to Afghanistan in an ODI in an experimental series for South Africa.
Still, if you compare the Proteas to the Springboks - it doesn’t make for good reading if you prefer the game involving bat and ball. The Springboks, of course, did make a World Cup final last year. The difference was that they won, and also completed back-to-back Rugby World Cup title victories.
That’s not where the comparison comes in though. A better one is looking at how the Springboks have fared in the ongoing Rugby Championship. Twice they have made 10 changes to their previous team, and that has not raised any alarms. In fact, when they first made 10 changes to their side to face Australia, they triumphed again by a similar scoreline of 18 points.
The Springboks have also been hit by a number of injuries, especially in the lock position, but every time an inexperienced player comes in - they do the business. Take for example, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Having not yet made his Springbok bow before June, the 22-year-old is already touted as having the potential to become one of the great Springbok flyhalfs and will compete fiercely with Handre Pollard for the number 10 jersey over the next few seasons. Feinberg-Mngomezulu had no problem making the step-up from being a big fish at the Stormers to scintillating Springbok in a matter of months.
It’s clear then, that the problems in South African cricket are no easy fix. But maybe, Walter would do well to have a chat with Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus to find out his secret and how he changed, not just the Boks, but the landscape of SA rugby for the better.
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