CHENNAI – Whatever pretensions South Africa had of having overcome their tendency to crack under pressure in big tournaments lay shattered after their demoralising six-run defeat by England in Sunday’s thriller. The team did not put a foot wrong against West Indies and the Netherlands but suddenly came unstuck chasing a modest 172-run target. Their brittle middle and lower order batting was exposed in the process and the result threw open Group B. In the post-match press conference, Smith was invariably posed the question he is now tired of answering — whether his team choked yet again.
“I would not say so, we have handled ourselves well in a number of situations over the last couple of years to be able to say we can cope with pressure,” he said. The match, however, suggested otherwise. The team seemed to have inherited the big stage fright that led to their World Cup semi-final heart-breaks in 1992, 1999 and 2007. Seeking a third successive win in the tournament, South Africa’s batting frailties were laid bare by England’s inspired bowling attack on Sunday. The pattern so far suggests South Africa’s total depends on the start provided by Hashim Amla up front and then AB de Villiers at number four.
The team owe their victories against West Indies and the Netherlands to de Villiers’ back-to-back centuries. The right-handed batsman, battling a back problem, could not make much of an impact on Sunday and that effectively led to South Africa’s downfall. In fact, de Villiers’ rich form glossed over some of South Africa’s batting vulnerability which the English attack so cruelly exposed. As his scores of two, four and 15 in the three matches so far would suggest, Jacques Kallis has been woefully out of form since joining the squad after an injury layoff. Also the comprehensive victories in the first two matches meant their lower middle order was not really tested.
So when the chips were down on Sunday, JP Duminy or Morne van Wyk could not guide them home. “I think this is the first (outing) they had after a long time. But I think we need to show a little more faith in the guys, it’s just one game,” Smith assured.
