With international squad announcements now largely being based upon players’ availability, it is ironic that South Africa’s latest selection is an example of this reality as well. Although Ryan Rickelton was left out of the January selection, he has now been selected in the current squad after scoring two centuries in the SA20. In contrast, Tristan Stubbs was once again left off the plane for the series but was retained due to his contribution to the team’s structure and not for outstanding performance. Tony De Zorzi and Donovan Ferreira were both dropped from the squad, while Ottneil Baartman, who was the leading wicket taker at the SA20 with 17 wickets, has not yet received a call-up.
Selection By Stretcher, Not Strategy
C.S.A. claims that they never had a philosophical review of their cricket team selections following the S.A. 20 competition. C.S.A. claims that all of the changes to the team were made based on the player’s (injury) timeline. De Zorzi suffered from a hamstring strain that didn’t heal quickly. Ferreira broke his shoulder. Miller may not be able to pass a fitness test before the start of the tournament. Each decision can be defended on its own merit. However, as a whole, they show that the selection process for this cricket team will be very reactive instead of being proactive. They will be selecting the team based on who is available instead of selecting the best possible team.
Rickelton’s Delayed Vindication
The inevitability of what has been building for so long finally caught up to Rickelton; rather than feeling redeemed by his two hundred’s in the last eight days of SA20 action, including double 100’s at Newlands and the Wanderers, his recall into the Proteas side will surely be remembered as an example of the potential damage caused by poor timing in a team selection process. This cannot help but raise questions about the timing of announcing a squad. If a squad is announced twenty-nine days before their first match and then revised within a couple of weeks, that is an indication of the potential damage it may cause to a team’s overall credibility.
Baartman And The Numbers Nobody Loves
Ottneil Baartman’s omission is also by far the most difficult to analyze. That Baartman has taken seventeen SA20 wickets at an average of only 0.29, better than Ngidi’s, is certainly no marginal difference in terms of wicket-taking ability. However, his international experience will keep him ahead of Baartman as long as Ngidi is healthy. In this case, we see again South Africa’s history of favoring players with an international name over domestic performances that scream otherwise for national opportunity.
Miller’s Body Versus Miller’s Aura
By the time David Miller was 36 years of age, his groin was no longer an innocuous issue. The language used by CSA, “available subject to a fitness test,” contains ambiguity. The replacement call-up of two players by the Paarl Royals for their last eliminator game indicates concern rather than enthusiasm. But, as before, Miller’s structural position at the heart of the team has not changed: finisher, calm head, and pressure reducer. South Africa’s problem is that there are no like-for-like substitutes for him. If Miller were lost, then the middle order would lose its insurance policy.
Transformation, Suspicion, And A Distracting Sideshow
A year after De Zorzi’s initial selection sparked controversy, despite no action taken by De Zorzi, South Africa is again at the center of its most contentious argument. Despite the injury-ridden season and resulting shortfalls in this year of an average of less than three games per player on CSA’s team, the issue remains. The reasons for the issue remain: There are many theories as to why Ferreira and Stubbs (both white) were chosen to play, including their lack of success. However, the reason the issue will not go away is because of a historical context in which South Africans have been trained to be suspicious.
Ultimately, the sad truth is that South Africa arrived at the World Cup without momentum, without clear direction, and without confidence. Instead, they have faith that their players can stay fit and healthy long enough for talent to begin to make a difference. History shows us that hoping is not a way to win a World Cup.
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