Sunday Times
TELFORD VICE, Cape Town
WEST Indies were here this summer. Who knew? Are we sure they turned up, or did that pre-tour pay dispute do its worst and keep them away?
Ah, but of course - they were around during the T20 series. For the rest, bar being saved by the rain in the second test and winning a dead rubber in the ODI series, they would have spent their time better talking to their suits and their players’ union to try and avoid future pay disputes.
Only once those relationships are solid will the Windies improve as a team. Cricket has never been more cravenly capitalist, so best West Indians forget the island style and grow up.
Another of cricket’s downsides is that, as aesthetically immaculate and made-for-drama as it is, its strict regimentation condemns teams to playing no better than their opponents allow.
If Lionel Messi decides to score as many goals in his career as the number of times his Facebook page has been “liked” - 77 722 832, as of Friday - nothing except time and his own body can convince him that’s a dumb idea. But there is no limit to the size of the chunks he could knock off that large number in every game he plays.
The cricket cookie does not crumble that way. Once Dale Steyn has taken all 10 wickets in an innings, he can take no more in that innings. Similarly, if AB de Villiers has at least another hundred in him and he runs out of batting partners, tough. Come back next time and start over.
So, what does it mean that SA whipped West Indies something fierce this season? That is impossible to say, beyond the fact that SA remain a far stronger team than the men from the Caribbean in two of the three formats. The bright side is that SA beat the Windies like they deserved to be beaten - properly. If that had not happened ... perish the thought.
What SA’s dominance does not mean is easier to grasp. Thrashing the Windies cannot be taken as confirmation that they are ready for the World Cup. Neither can it explain how Rilee Rossouw went from a ponderous plodder against Zimbabwe and New Zealand to a scorer of sexy centuries.
That De Villiers and Hashim Amla tore West Indies’ attack to shreds is also moot. Given their emphatic talent and skill, it is not subversive to wonder whether scoring runs against the visitors would have been less challenging than finding ways to get out to their bowlers.
Steyn will take the 19 wickets he earned against the West Indians across all formats during the tour, but doubtless they will not be worth to him nearly as much as 19 wickets claimed against better teams. It seems rude to ask him if that is true, not least because he will answer honestly.
How good, then, is this SA team? Very. How good is very? We don’t know. But we will after the World Cup.
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