It is hard being a Proteas fan

The first thing a colleague said to me after the Proteas lost in the semi final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to New Zealand, was, "There they choke again. They are chokers." It is an opinion held by many South African cricket fans, and the issue is addressed by the Proteas players and staff themselves. The Proteas have never progressed past the semi final stage at a world cup, and are perceived to play below par in must-win world cup matches.

Proteas ODI Captain AB de Villiers will be distraught after losing in the world cup semi final to New Zealand.

Thus it is exasperating being a Proteas fan. Every time a world cup comes round, and even a T20 world cup, we all get excited that maybe this could be our time. Without fail, we are disappointed. Am I saying that the Proteas' chokers label is accurate? I do not know. All I can say is that, although New Zealand have a very skillful and hard working team this time round, we batted and bowled very well but our fielding in the last overs almost certainly cost us the match.

Du Plessis had called for a catch he could not reach, even when Hashim Amla was ready nearby. The ball landed between them. Then, Farhaan Behardien was poised for a catch when JP Duminy came out of nowhere and dived into him. It appeared that Behardien had already dropped the ball before Duminy arrived, but when a player is approaching like that it can distract you as a fielder. 

It was New Zealand who also ended our world cup dreams in 2011. For them, this is an opportunity to be rugby and cricket world champions at the same time. What a dream come true. With regards to the Proteas, foolish fans such as myself will have to wait another four years. We will wait, as time builds up our hope again.

AB – Nobody is better

There is no better batsman in the world right now than AB de Villiers. The guy is pure genius. His 162 not out off 66 balls demoralised the West Indies team on 27 February, allowing the Proteas to crush them by 257 runs in their World Cup group match. His innings included the world's fasted One Day International 150, and second fasted World Cup 100. What a privilege to have him in South Africa's team, and even better to have him as our ODI captain. 

AB de Villiers is without doubt the best batsman in the world.

As good as Hashim Amla and Virat Kohli are as batsmen (they are ranked second and third in the world in ODIs according to the ICC), they cannot contend with the brilliance of AB. His innings are characterised by indomitable determination, unbeatable (although uncanny) technique, and innovative stroke play. Furthermore, AB is probably the best fielder in the world. He is lightning quick and has enacted many run outs and great catches. 

I am glad that Quinton de Kock is currently our wicketkeeper. Not just because AB can captain without trying to keep wickets at the same time, but also so AB can be in the field. 2015 has been an incredible year for AB, with him also scoring the fastest ODI 100 of all time (off 31 balls). His statistics are actually improving, despite his age of  31 years. In conclusion, AB is the best batsman in the world and has done SA proud. If he cannot lead us to our first World Cup trophy, who can?

SA on course in the World Cup

The Proteas are on course to do well in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. We may have only played one match so far, but the way we performed bodes well. We beat Zimbabwe by 62 runs on 15 February. It was through brilliant centuries by David Miller (138 off 92 balls not out) and JP Duminy (115 off 100 not out), an excellent bowling performance by Imran Tahir (three wickets for 36 runs) and fielding by AB de Villiers (three catches and a run out).

David Miller scored 138 not out to help the Proteas to a win against Zimbabwe. Photo taken from www.2015-icccricketworldcup.com

We scored 339–4 in our 50 overs and Zimbabwe did well to reach 277 all out. It was a tough game, but a good one because we were tested in all departments and passed with flying colours. When batting, we lost wickets early, but recovered to set a great score. When bowling, we were made to work hard for our wickets and were disciplined (although we gave 22 extras). The Zimbabweans had to work for their runs. Then in the field, our only dropped catches went down because they were incredibly difficult ones to take. AB de Villiers took one of the best catches I have seen to dismiss Solomon Mire.

Our next match will be played against India on 22 February. India recently beat Pakistan by 76 runs and their morale will be very high. They are a great team and will be very difficult to beat. Then we will play the West Indies on 27 February. The Windies recently lost to Ireland by four wickets, and their morale will be low. However, they will be determined to progress through the group stage, and will play hard against us.

Do our bowlers have what it takes?

In my last blog I said that the Proteas' bowling attack is its problem in One Day Internationals (ODIs). If South Africa are to do well in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, I believe that our bowling will need to be much better than it has been in recent months. In Tests we are great, but in ODIs our bowling is mediocre. Our death bowling is especially poor, with bowlers carelessly giving runs away in the final overs of an innings. We bowl too wide, too many half volleys, and not enough yorkers.

Morne Morkel is not the bowler he used to be. Photo from www.cricketcountry.com

Imran Tahir is not the world's best spinner. But I like him. He is always trying to take a wicket, and his passion is contagious. Our backup spinner, Aaron Phangiso, has his moments but is usually average. With the hard pitches in Australia and New Zealand, it would have been better to leave him out the squad and let JP Duminy play the role of backup spinner.

Our biggest problem is the fast bowling department. Dale Steyn is always difficult to score off, with pace, away swing and reverse swing. Vernon Philander is accurate and moves the ball well. These two do not bowl many yorkers but they take wickets and keep the runs down. The rest, not so much. Morne Morkel began his career as a positive, tall fast bowler with lots of potential. He was good at first. Now he gives lots of runs away and takes few wickets.

I thought that Kyle Abbott would be better in the international ring, but he has been very expensive. Wayne Parnell is not a good all-rounder. He does not bowl well and he does not bat well. Between him and Morne Morkel, I do not know who bowls more wides and gives more runs away.

To answer the question this blog post is headlined, I think that our bowling will have to improve for us to have a chance at taking this year's World Cup. In fact, they will have to be about 40 per cent better than they currently are.

The Proteas and the World Cup

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is so close now (it starts on 14 February) it is impossible not to get excited. Every time the World Cup comes around, we as South Africans ask ourselves the same old questions: How will we do this time? Will the Proteas choke again? The Proteas have an average record in World Cups, reaching three semi-finals in seven tournaments. Our best finishing place was third, and our worst was eighth. For a team that has usually been ranked in the top four in the world, we perhaps have not done well enough in the World Cup.

Every four years we wonder if this will be the occasion when our players will show the world how good they are, and go all the way. But to win the World Cup is not easy. A team has to have performed consistently (for about a month and a half) with the bat, the ball and in the field. Proteas Coach Russell Domingo recently said in an interview that he hopes South Africa will do better at the end of the tournament. This is where we have failed in the past, with so many bad semi and quarter-final performances.

Proteas One Day International Captain AB de Villiers will want his team to go far in the World Cup.

But we are ranked third in the world in One Day Internationals at the moment. We also have AB de Villiers in first place as ODI batsman in the world, Hashim Amla in third and (a surprise to me when I saw) Quinton de Kock in seventh place. Recent centuries by Rilee Rossouw and David Miller, and the class we know that JP Duminy has, we can be happy with our batting. 

Of course our fielding is very good at the moment. Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Rilee Rossouw, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy are very quick on the ball, and make batsman pause before trying to sneak a single.

Our bowling department is the problem. I would like to go into this at more depth another time, but although Dale Steyn is third in the world, and Morne Morkel in ninth (somehow!), our bowling has been bad lately. In my opinion Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander are our only good seam bowlers. Imran Tahir is an on-and-off spinner, but usually reliable. The rest are mediocre. 

Having said that, I can barely wait for the World Cup to start, and for the Proteas to throw that monkey off their shoulders.

Australia to win the World Cup

I think that the team with the most chance to win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is Australia. Many fans will point to the the class in the Indian batting lineup. Especially as the team won the last World Cup. In response I will highlight their bowling attack. Many will point to South Africa's recent success against the West Indies. I will highlight our past failures at the World Cup and a lack of consistency in One Day Internationals in recent years. 

Australia will be playing at home, and the talent and experience in their squad will make them strong favourites.

Mitchell Starc is an excellent bowler in the Australian team. Photo from www.telegraph.co.uk

The pitches in Australia and New Zealand favour fast bowlers and attacking batsmen. Australia has exactly that. Mitchell Starc has burst onto the scene as a deadly fast bowler. The 24-year-old has already taken 59 ODI wickets at an average of 20.11 and economy of 4.97. Pat Cummins is another young bowler with very fast pace and skill, and James Faulkner is a great death bowler. 

The batsmen in the team should be of even more concern to opposition teams. Aaron Finch and David Warner are a deadly opening combination. Both are aggressive, and if either stays in for more than 30 overs, the team will probably set a total of 300+. If Michael Clarke (33) recovers from his injury he will be the most experienced player in the team. He has scored 7 762 ODI runs at an average of 44.86. George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell can provide great end-of-innings smashing, while Brad Haddin brings much experience.

As of 23 January Australia is ranked fourth in the world in ODIs, according to the International Cricket Council rankings. England is first, South Africa is second and India is third. Australia have also won the World Cup the most number of times, which is four times.

Tide turns against the Caribbean

I blogged in December that South Africa would beat the West Indies in their Test series, but the Caribbean side would win the T20 International series. I was correct. I also said that the One Day International series could go either way. I've changed my mind.

The return of AB de Villiers and other key players will likely help the Proteas win the current ODI series against the West Indies.

When the Proteas won the Test series 2–0 it was no surprise, although the West Indies pushed us hard in the second Test. Losing the T20I International series 2–1 was expected. But the Proteas showed determination to make our highest T20I score (231) in the second match, and put in a good all-round performance in the third match to win back some pride. After our victory in the third T20I, I think that momentum has shifted towards us, and with the return of some of our best cricketers, I am 70% certain we will win the ODI series.

AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, JP Duminy and Vernon Philander come back to the playing 11. This will bolster the Proteas, while I think the West Indies squad will be pretty tired after a long tour. The five ODIs will be played in a short space of time (16, 18, 21, 25 and 28 January). This will demand a lot from the players.

With the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to start in less than one month, both sides will see this series as preparation, and want to make sure they know what their strengths and weaknesses are. A win would also boost their confidence. But I think SA will take it. We are better rested and have our best players back.