Proteas hope to follow New Zealand’s example

SOUTH Africa’s last Test series win away from home came in New Zealand. Four years later, the two teams find themselves at opposite ends of the spectrum as far as success is concerned.

While the New Zealanders sat and watched the rain fall in Southampton yesterday, at least they were in the World Test Championship final. The South Africans, meanwhile, dodged the rain in St Lucia, but a series against the West Indies, ranked ahead of the Proteas before this series, lacks the lustre of a championship final.

The opposite directions in which the two teams have gone reflects the differing attitudes in the two countries. New Zealand doesn't have the playing resources that South Africa has. Certainly an argument could be made that New Zealand’s schools’ system doesn’t produce players of similar quality as South Africa. The impact of Grant Elliot, Neil Wagner and lately Devon Conway - all born in South Africa - would suggest that to be the case.

From that March 2017 Test at Hamilton, which South Africa were lucky to draw after the final day’s play was washed out, with the home team needing just five wickets to win, six players are in the New Zealand squad in Southampton, while there are five survivors in the South African team that started the second Test in St Lucia yesterday.

So, the turnover of personnel is relatively similar. However, New Zealand were on an upward curve at that point and have maintained that form, especially at home. Since that loss to South Africa, the Black Caps have won each of their next eight home series , two of those against England and one against India.

The transition from the successful coaching regime of Mike Hesson to Gary Stead has been seamless.

Perhaps most crucially, whatever politics may exist within New Zealand cricket, has not impacted negatively on what happens on the field. The exact opposite has happened in South African cricket.

The administrative meltdown that occurred within Cricket South Africa had a profound effect on the national men’s team, the sport’s primary money maker in this country. Players have privately talked about looking elsewhere to make a living, and publicly became embroiled in the mess by asking, through the players’ union the SA Cricketers Association, for the Board to step down.

The demands made of Ottis Gibson for the 2019 World Cup were unreasonable and unclear, the decision to hand Enoch Nkwe a temporary position as a team manager was poorly thought through, and then came all the scandal, which eventually led to the government needing to step in.

The new Proteas captain, Dean Elgar, had a very simple request of Cricket SA’s new Board of Directors – that it puts cricket first.

It’s what New Zealand have done and it’s why their players have been able to qualify for the last two World Cup finals and are now playing in the World Test Championship final.