IS THIS THE TEAM TO FINALLY BRING US JOY?

THERE is no doubt that South African cricket has recently experienced its most difficult phase in the post-isolation era. And this continues to be the case, as is being witnessed at the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings that resumed this week.

As the world struggled with the pandemic that forced big changes on how sport is played, the Proteas faced an added burden of boardroom shenanigans at Cricket South Africa. The organisation was in a mess, and the misdeeds at leadership level had to affect the national team – CSA’s money-spinning machine – adversely.

But the show must go on. The Proteas are still expected to represent the country well when they begin their 2021 Twenty20 World Cup campaign against cricket giants Australia in the United Arab Emirates tomorrow.

The South Africans have a record to forget in International Cricket Council-organised events.

This is despite the fact that some of the leading players in the game have emerged from this Rainbow Nation. The team has earned themselves the “chokers” tag for failing to live up to the favourites hype so many times – under the great captaincies of Hansie Cronje, Shaun Pollock, Graeme Smith and Faf du Plessis.

These captains are super legends that led teams of highly decorated international cricketers. And now, filling their big boots is dimunitive Temba Bavuma, who happens to be the first black captain of the Proteas men’s side.

A lot rests on the shoulders of the pint-sized batsman, but the biggest challenge is for his men to emerge victorious against all the odds stacked against them.

This time, the Proteas are not counted among the leading nations in the game, but there is no doubt that they have some respected match-winners in their squad.

Could it be that this group of less-fancied Proteas will bring joy to South Africans? There is pressure on Bavuma as the first black man to lead the national side, but less expectation to win the global showpiece.

The millions of cricket fans in South Africa are hungry for something positive from the Proteas.

But, more importantly, the battered image of the game needs a positive injection to reignite the Proteas’ fire that was once the beacon of hope for race relations in Mzansi.