“Judge it on me. I’ve done OK in the last few games I’ve played for South Africa.” - Rassie van der Dussen on the state of domestic cricket in South Africa
Sunday Times
TELFORD VICE in Cardiff
IT’S quite a list. Ottis Gibson, Faf du Plessis, Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla, Imran Tahir, JP Duminy, Mohammed Moosajee. And Linda Zondi.
South Africa’s convenor of selectors doesn’t hit the headlines as hard as the rest of those who could bid South African cricket farewell after the World Cup. He should.
Another list — of the 19 players who have made one-day debuts on Zondi’s watch — starts with Kagiso Rabada and ends with Anrich Nortjé.
Dud picks? One or two. But for every Christiaan Jonker there’s an Andile Phehlukwayo and a Rassie van der Dussen — who has done a better job of filling AB de Villiers’ size 360 shoes than many would have.
“The AB de Villiers issue gave opportunity to guys like Rassie van der Dussen,” Zondi said. “When you look at him, from where he was to where he is, he’s done well.”
Players like Van der Dussen, a splendid splinter who answers questions as hard as he hits the ball, makes South Africa’s future after the World Cup look brighter.
He is his own best evidence for his argument that the routinely derided domestic system remains fit for the purpose of producing players for the international stage: “Judge it on me. I’ve done OK in the last few games I’ve played for South Africa.
“When teams lose people look for reasons why, and I don’t think that’s the place to look.
“We’ve got a very strong domestic set-up. We’ve got some really good players in South Africa, and it doesn’t matter if a guy hasn’t played international cricket.
“The nature of South Africans and sport in South Africa is that it’s very competitive. You’ve got to sink or swim to survive in that environment.
“I think it still produces really good players.”
If only the challenge started and ended there. Gibson is, infamously, out if there if he doesn’t win the World Cup. Who might succeed him is an unanswerable question. His assistant, Malibongwe Maketa, has been all but invisible except on the training ground.
Moosajee will be out of contract after the tournament. He has been South Africa’s manager since 2008 and their doctor since 2003. He is the most senior member of the dressingroom, and is looked to for guidance on matters way beyond his remit.
Zondi said he was “done after the World Cup”, but was “definitely interested” about staying in the role if, as Cricket South Africa (CSA) have mooted, it becomes a permanent appointment: “I’m not sure about this fulltime position; if it comes, then it comes.”
Even so he was “already dealing with” the tour to India in September and October.
Of the 15 currently at the World Cup, Amla, Duminy and Tahir are over 35, with Du Plessis, Chris Morris, Dwaine Pretorius and Van der Dussen all past 30.
Was Zondi concerned about what the end of several senior careers could do to the fabric of South Africa’s team?
“I’m not in a position to be worried because I’m always going to have to work with what I have,” Zondi said. “I’m not going to be worried about something I don’t have. I have to look at the players I have.”
He won’t have Duminy, who has heralded his retirement after the tournament, while Tahir will be available only for T20s in future. Steyn and Amla have made no announcement, but few would be surprised if they went.
As for Du Plessis, the shock of how his team are performing at this World Cup surely won’t do much for his desire to keep doing the job. Neither will the thought that for his next trick he will have to guide an already battered team through a potentially shattering tour of India.
The buck stops with CSA, whose chief executive, Thabang Moroe, said: “Just like the rest of the country we are disappointed with the [World Cup] results, but certainly not the effort that has been shown by the players.
“We are still hopeful that the boys will turn it around and represent us well.”
How might CSA try and return to, or even raise, the standards set by South Africa’s previous teams — especially with a talent, skills and experience drain looming?
“At present we are not thinking about any of our players retiring. None of the experienced campaigners have indicated to us that they’ll step down after the showpiece.
“However, should that happen, we are very confident in our structures that they will continue to produce the calibre of players that are worthy and deserve to don Proteas colours.”
Those are the kinds if things we expect administrators to say. It’s what they do that matters. And the current lot are the subject of legal action mounted by their only asset: the players.
The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) are alarmed enough about a plan to turn the six franchises into a dozen provinces to turn their lawyers loose.
Might that explain some of South Africa’s performance at the World Cup? “The team has been in a bubble during preparations and during the event away from those issues,” a source close to that process said.
But it’s out there and it’s real. Just like retirements and personnel changes confirmed and hinted at, and financial losses of up to R654-million.
Where does cricket go from there?
In my view, the talent is not as dry. When I look at guys like Breetzke,van Tonder,Qeshile,Makwetu,Ntini(not Makhaya) etc. it points to a bright future. But 1) Do CSA have the resources to hold on to and tap into the potential of these players ? 2) SA will not have many players between age 26 to 33 which form the core of any good cricket team.