Lets all laugh at Ian Chappell

Opinion | Ian Chappell >> No usurpers here Why South Africa aren't really challenging Australia for No. 1 yet December 21, 2008

<table cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=320 align=right border=0><tr><td width=10> </TD> <td class=photo> <table cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 border=0><tr><td class=photo> </TD></TR></TABLE></TD></TR></TABLE> Maybe Australia aren't the far-off-in-the-distance, dominant team in world cricket they used to be but they still aren't about to give up the No. 1 ranking in a hurry - certainly not to South Africa. There are a few chinks starting to show in the Australian armour - the struggling Matthew Hayden, the lack of spin-bowling depth, and an injury to Stuart Clark - but the regeneration system is still in reasonable shape and a prolific Simon Katich and a rampant Mitchell Johnson are currently helping ward off the invaders. The South Africans have quickly learned, if they needed any reminder, that Australian cricket has an amazing capacity to produce players who are fierce competitors at the highest level. The difference between two of Australia's nearest rivals, India and South Africa, is one of belief. Having beaten Australia recently the Indians believe they can go toe to toe with the No. 1 team, while the South Africans are merely hoping they can match it with the boys of the baggy green. And having had their batting order dismantled in one short, devastating burst by Johnson, the South Africans will once again be wondering whether they really do have the mettle to dethrone Australia. There are other differences that favour India over South Africa in the race to unseat Australia. India has a well-balanced attack that has experienced a good deal of success against Australia, while South Africa's pace attack still only has the potential to rattle Ricky Ponting and company. Then there's the captaincy. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a good, aggressive captain who challenges the Australians, while Graeme Smith relies on a conservative approach and rah-rah speeches. Smith showed at the WACA that reports of his improved captaincy after a number of close encounters with Shane Warne's mercurial leadership style have been greatly exaggerated. Smith's failure to grasp the moment at the WACA hurt South Africa a couple of times, none more so than when he took off a probing Jacques Kallis late on the third day. In a fluctuating match this was an inexcusable lapse, which exposed a lack of feeling for a crucial game situation. Seizing their chance, a brazen Brad Haddin and a resourceful Jason Krejza powered away from their opponents and South Africa's big chance to grab a belief building win over Australia became a lot more difficult. Contrast that with the growing self-confidence in the Indian team, which was greatly enhanced by their miraculous run-chase victory over England in Chennai. South Africa found themselves in a similar situation at the WACA but their lack of belief while bowling meant the batsmen had a far more difficult chase than should have been the case. Smith costs South Africa as a captain, though he certainly leads the way with the bat. South Africa is a very determined team and they field as though their life depends on it but they play a conservative brand of cricket that isn't designed to overthrow Australia. India has learned that lesson and is even better equipped for toe-to-toe combat with Australia now that Dhoni has ascended to the Test captaincy. <table class=pullquote cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=310 align=right border=0><tr><td width=15 rowSpan=6></TD> <td width=95></TD> <td style="HEIGHT: 4px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #006cc7" width=100></TD> <td width=100></TD></TR> <tr><td align=middle colSpan=3></TD></TR> <TR> <td class=pullquotetext align=middle colSpan=3></TD></TR> <tr><td align=middle colSpan=4></TD></TR> <TR> <td></TD> <td style="HEIGHT: 4px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #006cc7"></TD> <td></TD></TR> <tr><td colSpan=3 height=10></TD></TR></TABLE> The fact that South Africa twice dismissed Australia's big three, Ponting, Hayden and Mike Hussey cheaply, and yet failed to subdue the batting line-up will have done nothing for their self-belief in this series. South Africa had a big chance to beat a vulnerable Australian team and they were on the verge many times, but like on so many previous occasions their bowlers couldn't summon up the match-winning effort. In contrast, earlier this year India produced an amazing feat of self-belief to conjure up an unlikely victory at the WACA, a stirring performance that played a big part in their follow-up win at home against Australia. Currently, India is energised by the formidable challenge of playing Australia while the prospect still intimidates South Africa. Also in India's favour: they challenged and beat Australia when they were in their prime. South Africa is only now challenging Ponting's aging and wounded team. The real measure of where a team stands in relation to Australia is not a computer ranking but how they fare when they play the champions at home. India has displayed the nerve and skill to win matches against Australia on their turf and in the most daunting of venues, the WACA. They are the more worthy heir to Australia's throne. Cricinfo

HAHAHAHAHA. What a dick.

I'm sure that out of any match there are things that can be learnt and no doubt the "management team" is trying to keep people focused ...

But FFS they just achieved perhaps their most important win of the post-isolation era, an against-the-odds chase in the enemy's den. Their self-belief must be at an all time high.

IC really dislikes SA

Why is that?

OP Tipping wrote:Why is that?

hmm i am not sure but he has been bashing SA for years...

On the other hand he is a big fan of the Pakistani team.

OP Tipping wrote:Why is that?

Um look at the 69/70 series in SA. Just before the series Lawry called IC the best batsman in the world. Speaking under correction I think he averaged about 11. Lawry also, is no lover of SA.

Still, seems churlish to disrespect a team just because they destroyed you.

SA were, it appeared, the best side in the world at the time the bans started. (Though the fact that they never played against the West Indies or an Asian side would, I suppose, make this debatable.)

Churlish? This is Ian Chapell we are talking about.

I don't think it is that debatable. The team picked for the cancelled tour to Aus was far stronger than the 69/70 squad.

Certainly, my opinion is that they were the strongest side.

Chappell's attitude to the 1969-70 South Africans is interesting. He hates them, because they clearly bested him, but he talks them up no end.

It's a real shame the 1971-2 series was cancelled, from a cricketing perspective. South Africa would almost certainly have won, but it would have been interesting to see the young Greg Chappell, Walters in top form that year, and Lillee playing against them. Massie debuted and certainly bowled well against Ackerman, Gavaskar, and Sobers. On the downside for Australia, Lawry had been replaced by that legendary deadweight passenger Bruce Francis, our spinners were poor (except in Sydney), and Redpath was so woefully out of form that he was dropped, and never really in the running for the ensuing Ashes tour.

World cricket would have been very different indeed ... would Tony Greig have played for South Africa? Taips, do you have a copy of the original 1971-2 Saffie squad?

From memory it was something like this:

Bacher
Richards
Barlow
Pollock G
Procter
Pollock P
Irvine
Van der Bijl
Rice
De Vaal
Watson
Ackerman


Have probably missed a couple of big names and the 2nd spinner. Not sure if Lindsay was picked. Greig might have battled to make the SA team.

Seymour, Trimborn, Traicos, Gamsy?

and maybe still Bland??

Could have been Traicos and Trimborn.

Gamsy was gone by then, Lindsay and Irvine would have been the keepers. Bland had had too many injuries by then.

Will have to find the full squad when I have the time.

Maybe Mackay-Coghill might have been there as well.

Arthur Short was the back up opener.

ah ... I found this on Wiki

>>>

South Africa tried to tour Australia in 1971, even going as far as suggesting that two black players, Dik Abed and Owen Williams were part of the team. Abed and Williams rejected the proposal.

<<<


It doesn't tally with my recollections. Interesting times.

I think the players had a sit down at Newlands about 1971.

Wasn't Owen Williams a tennis player?

Just to get back to the original topic, I doubt that "Zero Chance" Chappell gets much troubled by bookies looking for predictions...

You tell me. If he was a cricketer, his career was cruelled by the Apartheid boycott as well. I have no recollection of him at all. Dik Abed played a lot of minor county cricket, IIRC.

Never heard of a cricketer named that. Owen Williams was a tennis player who became a major promoter world wide. Doesn't mean there weren't 2 of them.

Some strange stuff on Wiki sometimes.

Wikifacts.

That mail about Abed and Williams appears (word for word) in this piece by Martin Williamson.
http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/220550.html

well found


Ali Bacher (capt), Eddie Barlow*, Hylton Ackerman, Dassie Biggs, Grahame Chevalier, Peter de Vaal, Lee Irvine, Denis Lindsay, Graeme Pollock, Peter Pollock, Mike Proctor, Clive Rice, Barry Richards, Pat Trimborn, Vince van der Bijl.

* Eddie Barlow subsequently withdrew for business reasons and was replaced by Arthur Short.

Pretty useful pace attack there, who needs spinners?

And here is a mention of Owen Williams in an interview with Omar Henry.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/135537.html


What do you feel when you think of all the players whose careers were destroyed by the isolation?

When I was 15 or 16, cricket on both sides [white and non-white] was very strong. Those who played with D'Oliveira could only play against Kenya, and in the same era, the whites only played against England, Australia and New Zealand. They never played India and Pakistan, and I can't help but think how strong a side we would have been if cricket had been normal [representation for all races] at the time.

What are your feelings about Indian cricket?

I think there are a lot of common denominators. The Asian community in South Africa has also had a strong cricketing culture, and the politics of Apartheid meant that they suffered too. And when you talk of the political struggle, you cannot forget Mahatma Gandhi and the work he did in South Africa. On our return from isolation, India was the biggest ally, and from a spinner's point of view, the subcontinent is heaven.

Talking of spin, who were the players that inspired you?

Mostly local people. There was Lefty Adams, and Owen Williams. I watched them, and was fortunate enough to play with them as a youngster. Going back a little further, there was Trevor Goddard. And when I went to England in 1977, I watched guys like Bishan Singh Bedi and Derek Underwood for the first time on television. They certainly influenced the way I bowled and the way I thought about spin bowling.