Anyone who says that England aren’t the favorites to lift the world cup, and thus, in effect, their first crown is probably inebriated beyond repair. The hot-favorites alongside, Virat Kohli’s India got off to a flier in their opening game. Batting first, in what was expected to be a high-scoring game saw England put 311. This is when danger-man Bairstow didn’t trouble the scorers and the bowlers from South Africa handed 10 needless runs in the form of extras.
This may not look like too many.
But isn’t cricket a game where every single run counts?
This is precisely what didn’t help South Africa, a team that was bundled out for a little over 200.
Their scoreboard, at the end of the day, pointed to a lowly 207.
Did Faf see that coming?
Did their hundreds of thousands of fans, who cannot be blamed for having imagined something much better given that in de Kock, Amla, Duminy, Markram, and captain, Faf himself, the team had the flair and the firepower?
That said, would it make any sense to completely discount South Africa at the end of a single outcome, even though, it’s hard to imagine that batsmen of the class of Du Plessis- over 5100 runs- and Amla- nearing 8000 ODI runs- made the scored that they did?
While it may not serve any purpose to dissect a game now that earned South Africa a total of 0 points, it might make sense to visit some positives that Faf’s Protean army can build on.
To that end, the first important positive for South Africa’s comprehensive 104-run loss at the hands of England was the form of Quinton de Kock.
Not the world’s best batsman, since our attention is anyways transfixed on the “fab-four”, with Smith already back, de Kock salvaged a lonely but valuable fight. His 68, that came off 74 found the dashing left-hander engage in a variety of stroke-play, including that glorious square drive on Woakes early on, the punchy shots down the mid-wicket, the sweeps and the big whacks down the ground on Ali.
The equation with the man with 14 ODI hundreds is pretty simple.
The more Quinton de Kock scores, the better the chances of South Africa to go further in the tournament. At 4670 runs, he is only a little over 300 away from that huge benchmark of 5000 ODI runs. Little doubt that he can get there in the next month and a half but what he’d like is for his familiar partner at the other end- Amla- to get back to scoring and scoring big. No?
That being said, another huge positive for South Africa was the van der Dussen’s maiden world cup fifty. Let’s not forget that the 30-year-old Pretorian, who has only a little over 400 runs has already scored 4 fifties. Moreover, he came in with South Africa in a spot of bother with 2-for-44, having lost Faf.
That van der Dussen would go on to stitch an 85-run stand with de Kock and later, reverse-sweep and lift Ali and company in a high-pressure game was a statement.
His first-ever world cup fifty, that shrewdly compiled 50 off 61 came at a strike rate of 90 when his team’s chips were down.
At all this time, one knew that the only way South Africa were going to win would’ve been in the wake of English bowlers suddenly forgetting how to bowl well. And let’s not forget, Jofra Archer was anything but not sizzling in his debut world cup game for England.
That said, was there anything positive for South Africa to ride home about? Surely, Amla, returning later on, despite being hit savagely by a sharply rising shorter one by Archer spoke of the character of a great of the modern game, one who perhaps knows that his time is limited in the sport.
But that Tahir, who bowled a sensational spell with 2 for 61 off his 10, on a batting-friendly surface and Ngidi, collecting a vital 3-for in his very first World Cup appearance inspired confidence.
Few teams inspire quite as the Proteans do.
Few teams also go down in history as being so capable of shooting themselves in the foot as South Africa. This was evident in the way Faf and Duminy offered catching practice to the English outfielders when all that they could’ve done was to have just batted with some restraint.
But it ought to be said, if there’s a team that purely on composition and flair can punch above its weight, then its this unit that collectively oozes an emotion; called Protea fire.
The question is- do they know that they can make it count? Put Miller and Steyn back in the side and you’ll see something quite different- would you not?