Two matches into the World T20 Cup and the Proteas have had a breeze of it thus far. Excellent bowling, fielding and batting in the matches against Zimbabwe and what amounted to a half match against hosts Sri Lanka, and the campaign is purring along very nicely.
It’s an all too familiar pattern where the Proteas are easily winning matches which don’t really matter, in a competition, ahead of the knockout games.
Thatsportsite would be a lot more comforted by knowing that the Proteas have actually suffered a loss ahead of the elimination matches, as this would amount to the wakeup call that keeps them on their toes and hopefully serves as their own ‘anti-choke’ device.
Yes, the shortened format of the game does amount to so much more of a lottery and any player can end up winning a match for his team. Performances from India and Pakistan, Australia and to a lesser extent, Sri Lanka and the West Indies all indicate that should the Proteas have an off day in either the bowling or batting department, we would all be back to the all too familiar tale of tournament favourites coming short in a knockout match – and watching other teams contest the final from the comfort of their couches at home.
Could this be the one tournament where the Proteas manage to pull it all together and win when it really counts? At this point we could easily list all the elements that make the Proteas a winning combination, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis, excellence in all three ‘departments’ of the game but let’s face it, these elements have been in place for just about every preceding World Tournament thus far.
Thatsportsite really hopes that two weeks from now, our concerns would be proven inaccurate and that by then the Proteas are World T20 Champions, we just have no choice but to cynically observe the campaign from afar. It is the unpleasant lot of the average Protea fan.
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