• SA Cricketmag
    X
    • Home
    • Proteas
      • Proteas Men
      • Proteas Women
      • SA U19
    • Domestic
    • Fixtures & Results
    • Videos
    • Opinion
    • Features
      • Magazine
      • Play of the Day
      • Top 5
      • Turbo Bowler
      • More
        • Schools
          • Fixtures
          • Results
        • IPL
          • IPL Fixtures & Results
          • Log
        • Win
          • Things to do in Cape Town
        • Car for sale
        • New Cars For Sale
        • Used Cars For Sale
        • Demo Cars For Sale
    • Deals
      • Nationwide Deals
        • Deals in Cape Town
        • Deals in Johannesburg
        • Deals in Durban
        • Deals in Pretoria
        • Deals in Port Elizabeth
      • Restaurant Deals
      • Romantic Getaways
      • Accommodation Deals
      • Beauty and Spa Deals
    • Soccermag
    • Deals
      • One Day Deals
      • Nationwide Deals
        • Deals in Cape Town
        • Deals in Johannesburg
        • Deals in Durban
        • Deals in Pretoria
        • Deals in Port Elizabeth
      • Accommodation Deals
      • Romantic Getaways
      • Food and Drink Deals
      • Experiences
      • Health and Wellness Deals

    SA Cricketmag

    Covering South African cricket, including the Proteas

    Primary Menu Search
    SA Cricketmag
    • Home
    • Proteas
      • Proteas Men
      • Proteas Women
      • SA U19
    • Domestic
    • Fixtures & Results
    • Videos
    • Opinion
    • Features
      • Magazine
      • Play of the Day
      • Top 5
      • Turbo Bowler
      • More
        • Schools
          • Fixtures
          • Results
        • IPL
          • IPL Fixtures & Results
          • Log
        • Win
          • Things to do in Cape Town
        • Car for sale
        • New Cars For Sale
        • Used Cars For Sale
        • Demo Cars For Sale
    • Deals
      • Nationwide Deals
        • Deals in Cape Town
        • Deals in Johannesburg
        • Deals in Durban
        • Deals in Pretoria
        • Deals in Port Elizabeth
      • Restaurant Deals
      • Romantic Getaways
      • Accommodation Deals
      • Beauty and Spa Deals
    • Soccermag
    • Deals
      • One Day Deals
      • Nationwide Deals
        • Deals in Cape Town
        • Deals in Johannesburg
        • Deals in Durban
        • Deals in Pretoria
        • Deals in Port Elizabeth
      • Accommodation Deals
      • Romantic Getaways
      • Food and Drink Deals
      • Experiences
      • Health and Wellness Deals

    Proteas fire too little too late

    Proteas Proteas
    Published on June 29, 2019 | Leave a response

    The minor success against Sri Lanka should be remembered in the context of a major World Cup failure, writes JON CARDINELLI.

    Imagine the match at Chester-le-Street marked the Proteas’ first game of the 2019 World Cup.

    Think about how South Africa performed over the course of this contest. Think about how different their campaign may have been if they had played Sri Lanka and possibly Afghanistan in the early stages of the tournament.

    Everything went according to plan for the Proteas at Chester-le-Street. Faf du Plessis won the toss and put Sri Lanka in to bat on a seam-friendly wicket. Kagiso Rabada struck with his first ball, although a tentative Dimuth Karunaratne played a big part in the dismissal.

    LEMKE: Job done as Proteas brush aside Sri Lanka

    The Proteas eventually dismissed Sri Lanka for 203. Hashim Amla applied himself to set South Africa up for a big win. The skipper showed similar composure during the early stages of his innings and then cut loose like the Du Plessis of old.

    How different it may have been if the Proteas had begun their campaign with that kind of performance. All the talk right now would be about the Proteas’ tendency to lose playoff matches, rather than their failure to qualify for the knockout rounds entirely.

    But cricket, much like life, doesn’t work like that.

    Rarely does a team tick the boxes as the Proteas did in the game against Sri Lanka. Rarely does an opponent – at least a side with serious title ambitions – roll over like Sri Lanka did on Friday.

    The Proteas knew what they were in for at the start of the tournament. They knew that they would have to play three games – two of those against hosts England and favourites India – in the first week of their campaign.

    PLAYER RATINGS: All smiles for ruthless Proteas

    It was always going to be a challenge. It was always going to show where this team stood in the grand scheme of things, with performances speaking to their position as much as results.

    The Proteas came up against combative England and India sides. They found themselves in a dogfight with a spirited Bangladesh outfit.

    The record will show that they failed those early tests of mettle and did not recover until late in the campaign, in other words when all the pressure had eased and it was too late to qualify for the matches that truly matter.

    Gary Kirsten used to talk about pressure management when he was coaching the Proteas in 2012 and 2013. The team was immensely successful during that period, especially at Test level where they secured monumental series wins in England and Australia.

    Kirsten liked to talk about a team absorbing pressure in a time of crisis. Slowly the team would fight its way back from the brink. When the moment was right, it would transfer the pressure back on to the opposition and eventually deliver the killing blow.

    That mentality has been sadly lacking in Ottis Gibson’s team. When they’ve been squeezed at this World Cup, they cracked.

    The early part of the campaign was always going to make or break South Africa. The side failed to respond to the pressure and was duly crushed. It was an early sign of the team’s inability to push back.

    The win and performance against Sri Lanka will be welcomed by punch-drunk South African fans who’ve had to endure one sporting disaster after another. A win against Australia in the final round-robin game would be similarly well received.

    However, the Proteas and Cricket South Africa are kidding themselves if they think that two wins at the back end of the campaign are going to compensate for an early World Cup exit.

    There’s no point lamenting a tough schedule. There’s no sense in contemplating what-if scenarios.

    The Proteas haven’t been good enough at this tournament, not even good enough to make up the numbers in the final four. The reasons for such gross underperformance – and realistic solutions – need to be found sooner rather than later.

    Everybody involved needs to remember this campaign in its entirety. Declaring the win against Sri Lanka a sign of progress and the earlier losses an aberration would do the side more harm than good in the long run.

    Whatever happens from here, the powers that be cannot allow this cycle to start again.

    Photo: Cricket World Cup/Twitter

    Posted in Jon Cardinelli, Making News, ODI CRICKET, Opinion, Top headlines, World Cup Tagged column, jon cardinelli, Proteas, World Cup

    Post by Jon Cardinelli

    Jon Cardinelli

    Follow @https://twitter.com/jon_cardinelli on Twitter.

    ← Previous Next →
    Dewald Brevis six 20 May 2025 Arun Sankar:AFP via Getty Images

    Watch: Brevis smashes no-look six

    Dewald Brevis hit three sixes in his 42 off 25 balls for the Chennai Super Kings against the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL on Tuesday.

    Kagiso Rabada 18 May 2025 Sajjad Hussain AFP via Getty Images

    Watch: Rabada makes IPL return

    Kagiso Rabada bowled just two overs for the Gujarat Titans against the Delhi Capitals on Sunday.

    • Home
    • Contact
    • Terms & conditions
    • News
    • Tournaments
    • Stats
    • Video

    COVID-19 Corona Virus
    South African Resource Portal

    African Insider
    African Insider News

     

     

    Opinion

  • Gary Lemke
  • Mark Salter
  • Jon Cardinelli
  • Players

  • AB de Villiers
  • Lungi Ngidi
  • Dale Steyn
  • David Miller
  • Dean Elgar
  • Faf du Plessis
  • Hashim Amla
  • Imran Tahir
  • JP Duminy
  • Kagiso Rabada
  • Anrich Nortje
  • Rassie van der Dussen
  • Quinton de Kock
  • Andile Phehulkwayo
  • Temba Bavuma
  • Vernon Philander
  • Wayne Parnell
  • Dwaine Pretorius



  • Teams

    • Proteas
    • Cape Cobras
    • Dolphins
    • Highveld Lions
    • Knights
    • Titans
    • Warriors
    CAPE TOWN OFFICE: 36 Old Mill Road, Ndabeni, Maitland, 7405, Western Cape > Telephone: (021) 530 3300 > Fax: (021) 530 3333
    ©Copyright 2025 SA Cricketmag

    Primary Menu

    • Home
    • Proteas
      • Proteas Men
      • Proteas Women
      • SA U19
    • Domestic
    • Fixtures & Results
    • Videos
    • Opinion
    • Features
      • Magazine
      • Play of the Day
      • Top 5
      • Turbo Bowler
      • More
        • Schools
          • Fixtures
          • Results
        • IPL
          • IPL Fixtures & Results
          • Log
        • Win
          • Things to do in Cape Town
        • Car for sale
        • New Cars For Sale
        • Used Cars For Sale
        • Demo Cars For Sale
    • Deals
      • Nationwide Deals
        • Deals in Cape Town
        • Deals in Johannesburg
        • Deals in Durban
        • Deals in Pretoria
        • Deals in Port Elizabeth
      • Restaurant Deals
      • Romantic Getaways
      • Accommodation Deals
      • Beauty and Spa Deals
    • Soccermag
    • Deals
      • One Day Deals
      • Nationwide Deals
        • Deals in Cape Town
        • Deals in Johannesburg
        • Deals in Durban
        • Deals in Pretoria
        • Deals in Port Elizabeth
      • Accommodation Deals
      • Romantic Getaways
      • Food and Drink Deals
      • Experiences
      • Health and Wellness Deals

    ×
    We only use cookies on this Site for particular features to work, the cookies do not collect and/or store any personal information about you.Ok