Abu Dhabi: South Africa have always been a force to be reckoned with but when it comes to big competitions, they remain under-achievers and have time and again failed to shed the chokers’ tag.
Sitting at the top of the ICC team rankings, they come into the Champions Trophy 2017 on the back of a 2-1 loss to hosts England, but one can only write them off at their own peril. Especially, at a time when four of their batsmen and two of their bowlers figure in the top 10 of the ICC rankings.
Their batting looks sound with the presence of heavy weights — AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla but a lot will depend on how their bowlers perform on the swing-friendly English wickets.
The Proteas are placed in a tough group comprising defending champions India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan and on the basis of their top billing many would tip them as firm favourites.
However, a glance into their success record in major events and one begs to defer. In the Champions Trophy, their drought has stretched far too long. South Africa won their lone silverware way back in 1998 in the inaugural tournament. Since then, they have only managed to make painful exits — four times in the semis — a record that they’ll be looking to set right this time round.
The South African bowling attack has always been formidable and this time too they have the pace battery to run through the best batting line up in the world. While pacers include the experienced Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell — it’s the pacey Kagiso Rabada, who could well be the key to their success.
The ICC U19 World Cup star Rabada, with his four for 39 in the final match at Lord’s on Monday, finished the series against England with seven wickets. With that the 21-year-old also became the youngest bowler to top the ICC rankings since Pakistan’s Saqlain Mushtaq in 1998.
Rabada, thus having moved four places in the rankings, also toppled his compatriot Imran Tahir from the top and now leads the latter by two points.
The three-match series against England would have been a huge learning curve for the youngster. To finish with the Man-of-the-Match award in the last ODI at Lord’s and to leapfrog to the top of the rankings would have been a huge shot in the arm of the pacer, who will be turning 22 in five days’ time.
His last year’s stint with English county side Kent would have also helped him to get a measure of English conditions and the length he needed to bowl on these tracks.
After the last match he had said: “I played at the Oval but not Edgbaston (in Birmingham) or Cardiff. I got a taste of what it was like to play in England but it was more about getting used to the climate, the travelling, the atmosphere.”
With so many positives surrounding the team, one wonders ‘if not now, when? And following the timely boost, Rabada is also optimistic about his team going all the way.
“Oh yes, why not? We’ve got really good players, amazing talent and, experience as well. Winning the last game gave us confidence but, if we play well, we can win this thing.”
