Much of the speak around Republic of South Africa within the build-up to the present tourney had been of their chilled-out mentality, their refusal to permit the promotional material and feeling of another shot at the massiveOne stress them out. however at The Oval, in an exceedingly crepitation atmosphere that got to have gotten any competitor's juices flowing, the vibes they projected were merely meekness and passivity.
They compete exactlyas if they were associate degree accident waiting to happen
And currently they honestly square measure. With no wins from 2 outings, and with a unweary and focussed Bharat waiting to open their campaign in Southampton on Wednesday, Republic of South Africa urgently ought toget active before it's too late. however with the hopes of vale Steyn's come to fitness currently offset by a worrying hamstring strain for Lundi Ngidi, and Hashim Amla's concussion absence rumbling on within thebackground, the faux-serenity of their lead-in will currently formally go droop.
As Jonty Rhodes place it on Twitter (and this once simply twenty overs of day's events had unfolded): "Ok; time to panic."
There's a word for all this that dares not speak its name. however just like the European country soccer team's 20-year hang-up over penalty shoot-outs, the c-word could be a condition which will solely be cured by head-on confrontation. each perceived moment of frailty feeds directly into the national narrative, to the extent that you just find yourself understanding - whether or not you're sitting within the stands or on the lounge - that they understand that you just know that they're close to mess it up once more.
All of that makes it therefore stunning that, of all the aspects of South Africa's play that they may have wont toproject their authority into the competition, they allowed their fielding to be therefore untypically ordinal grade.
To be clear, this was a matter of intent, not execution. in line with ESPNcricinfo's own fielding statistics, they were truly no a lot of or less sharp in terms of actual run-stopping than that they had been against European countrywithin the gap match on this same ground on Th - they leaked seventeen "saveable" runs within the former, and nineteen nowadays.
But there was a strut to South Africa's play thereon 1st occasion - epitomised by Faf du Plessis's funky call to throw the ball to Imran Tahir for the tournament's gap over, and therefore the richness of the dividend that Jonny Bairstow's wicket brought. surpassing the standards that they set themselves may not are potential, howevermatching them - within the manner that Rhodes himself did therefore ofttimes throughout his career - for surerequired to be a pre-requisite.
Instead, South Africa's captain, du Plessis, was left troubled to elucidate however his team's standards had managed to atrophy therefore disastrously.
"I suppose that happens naturally after you square measure in an exceedingly dangerous position," he said. "I've compete plenty of cricket and, for each single team that I've compete for round the world, it is the same result. Once a partnership starts developing, and things within the field don't seem to be going your manner, the natural issue that happens to players is that they fall off a bit bit.
"The shoulders drop a bit bit, the visual communication isn't as robust. It happens in each single team and there isinvariably conversations around however long and the way well you'll keep doing that."
Accidents happen, of course. however few accidents on a cricket field square measure quite as undignified as a failing long barrier. that is what Chris Morris achieved at the beginning of Tahir's second over - dropping to at least one knee at short backward sq., and permitting a fragile paddle sweep from Mushfiqur Rahim to hop innocently through the gate and away to the rope for four. Morris was later guilty of a police-escort-style jog to trace another steady movement boundary. No dive, no intent, simply a mounting sense of dread.