The Proteas women’s team have been bravely adopting a more proactive approach to their game under coach Dillon du Preez, intent on more aggressive batting and eliminating the fear of failure — or at least, not being hindered by it.
It is a policy being adopted by the majority of men’s and women’s teams in recent years and there’s no doubt it is beneficial in attracting and keeping viewers. The irony at the T20World Cup in the UAE is that “tired” pitches have, so far, been awkwardly slow and low and the boundary ropes have remained, pretty much, at the usual length used for men’s games.
Perhaps there is a misogynist in the house who has equated the equal prize money on offer for the first time with equal conditions. If there is then he clearly can’t (or won’t) understand that, while the women dedicate the same time, effort and commitment to the game, it remains fundamentally separated from the men’s game only because of the difference in power of most players. And therefore it requires different conditions.
There is a greater premium on bowling accuracy and, often, more swing available for the quicker bowlers, which is always more watchable than a man bowling fast, straight deliveries into a batsmen’s rib cage. The placement of batters’ shots into gaps in the field is also, necessarily, more developed in the professional women’s game than in the men’s.
In the games played so far, run-a-ball totals have been winners, just as they were at the games played in New York during the men’s T20 event in June. Also similarly, there have been complaints. The infatuation with boundaries and fast-moving matches has not changed, fuelled by broadcasters and administrators who steadfastly believe that slower, more nuanced contests will yield a lower financial return.
Actually, for those who appreciate the skills of batting and bowling, the early matches at the World Cup have been absorbing. For those who watch cricket to see fours and sixes and listen to commentators shouting about them, it has been disappointing.
SA began their campaign with a resounding 10-wicket victory against the West Indies and had the chance on Monday to put one foot firmly in the semifinals when they took on second favourites, England, also in Sharjah. At the time of writing captain Laura Wolvaardt had top-scored with an accomplished 42 in a total of 124/6. Could be quite a run-chase.
The men, meanwhile, were up against Ireland for the third and final time just down the road in Abu Dhabi. (It’s actually an eight-lane Super Highway with about one-billion dollars of supercars and luxury 4x4s on it at given moment.)
The Proteas men needed to chase 285 for victory to complete a clean-sweep and go a little way towards making amends for the grim 2-1 series loss to Afghanistan which preceded it by the time this column was needed by the newspaper.
The composition of the men’s squad remains the subject of occasionally animated debate. For all the talk of experimentation and providing new players with exposure and experience in international cricket, there remains one topic of conversation rarely mentioned, at least publicly, and especially not in SA. International cricket isn’t for everyone. Even when it is for you, maybe not all the time.
Some cricketers love it to the point of obsession, but others struggle with the trappings, expectations and exposure which come with representing their country. Some opt out altogether, either full-time or temporarily, such as Anrich Nortjé. Others just need empathetic bosses to give them a break from time to time, such as Marco Jansen. Both are now playing for their provinces in the SAT20 Challenge.
Lest we forget, things weren’t always as relaxed and informed as they are now. The final straw that broke an exhausted AB de Villiers’ career was a meaningless tour to Sri Lanka barely a week after an intense IPL season with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He would not be excused and was made to feel impertinent for even suggesting it. The decision should have been made for him.
So, we live in a better world in many respects but sport is still about winning so the replacement players need to make sure we can all buy into the process of rotation and accept it as an important part of the modern, congested game. That, too, promises to be quite a run chase. But traditional newspaper deadlines haven’t changed so you’ll have to find both results online — if you didn’t watch!
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