Will the Proteas finally
SA are not regarded among favourites for World Cup in England
HERSCHELLE Gibbs doesn’t mince his words. He believes the Proteas deserve to be labelled “chokers” by the cricketing community.
“The public has the right to call the team what they want to,” says Gibbs.“i mean whether or not we like it is irrelevant. Until such time that we actually win a cup, we always going to be labelled as chokers.”
It’s a label that is much resented by the team, but pinned to the Proteas one-day side because of their consistent failures at World Cups.
And now with the Cricket World Cup in England around the corner, the “choker” label has resurfaced.
Despite the Proteas fine form of late, Gibbs believes that the “choker” label is justified. “You can’t really stop the media from writing what they want and they have every right to call us chokers.
“In the 1999 World Cup semi-final, we should have won for sure. And in 2003 we underperformed. The fear of failure for a lot of the lads was the biggest issue. And it seems to have continued right up to this day.”
The former Proteas opening batsman believes however that the England World Cup is the perfect chance for the national cricket team to get rid of a label that has stuck with the team for over two decades.
He believes the fact that the Proteas aren’t favourites to win the World Cup could play into their hands. “They have as good a chance as anyone,” says Gibbs.
“Not being one of the favourites is a big bonus because they’ll be able to play without any real pressure and with complete freedom. There is also no expectations on them which is great.
“Hopefully they will adopt this approach in the games. I do truly believe they can go all the way, but the focus right now should just be on making a final, something that we have never been able to do.”
The Proteas kick off their World Cup journey at the end of the month with a mouth-watering clash against hosts England at The Oval.
“Whenever a World Cup comes around, the Proteas are one of the favourites to win it. This time it’s a bit different. I don’t think many people are expecting the Proteas to go all the way.
“I think more focus is on teams like India, Australia, Pakistan, and England to fight for the trophy. We are not up there as far as favourites are concerned. Whether they can play without the fear of failure remains to be seen. They need to prove to themselves they can do it.”
While the 45-year-old believes that Cricket South Africa has chosen a squad worthy of winning the World Cup, he has question marks over certain players that have been chosen for the spectacle in England.
“The one concern is over Hashim (Amla), and maybe to a certain extent JP Duminy as well, because they haven’t really fired at all.
“There’s big concerns with Hashim and I think everybody including myself hopes that he can turn everything around for the sake of the tournament, the supporters, and the country more importantly.”
Gibbs says he would have chosen Highveld Lions batsman Reeza Hendricks instead of Amla for the World Cup.
“Reeza made enough contributions even in T20s to get the nod ahead of Hashim. Hashim’s World Cup record is not what his ODI average is. They may as well have taken Reeza.
“For everyone’s sake I hope Hashim does well otherwise selectors will land up with egg on their faces.
“I give my thoughts on players irrespective of who they are but never disrespectful towards them because I know how the game works. I don’t sugar-coat anything.”
Former South African captain Dr Ali Bacher believes the Proteas could surprise the cricketing world by winning the World Cup.
“In previous World Cups we have always been seen as potential winners, and that’s maybe put a lot of pressure on those particular teams,” says Bacher.
“There’s very little pressure on this team because nobody in South Africa believes they can win, but you never know. The fact that there is very little pressure is good for our team.”
Bacher believes the Proteas are well equipped to challenge for the World Cup, despite not all the players being at their best.
“Everyone is writing off Amla. They would write him off at their own peril. He has excelled in England, so he may surprise everyone.”
However Bacher says it would be unfair to judge the Proteas in England.
“There’s some new players so it’s early days, and you can’t pass judgment on them. Our strength is our bowling, depending on the conditions in England. We have very good pace bowlers that could do an exceptional job if the conditions are right.
“In terms of batting, the player to watch out for in my personal opinion is Aiden Markram. He’s going to be an exceptional batsman for South Africa.”