Last-chance saloon for some?

The South African selection committee reconvened last week to make their recommendations for the Sri Lankan tour and decided to add the names of Marchant de Lange, speed merchant of the Titans, and Alviro Petersen, to the mix. There were no wholesale changes, Ashwell Prince and Mark Boucher survived after very mediocre performances against Australia. One of the notable survivors is Graeme Smith. In fact, the captain of the test team has survived for almost eight years.

As a test opener, he has been world-class for a number of seasons. As a captain, he has become stale, and unless South Africa win convincingly against Sri Lanka, the selection committee should reconsider his future at the helm.

The reasons are apparent. South Africa have not won an end-of-the-year home series the past four seasons. They lost against Australia in 2008/2009, and drew against England in 2009/2010, against India in 2010/2011, and against Australia at the end of 2010.

Sri Lanka, this year’s visitors, have won one out of their last 18 tests, and have lost their past three test series.

But they could benefit from South Africa’s incredible inconsistency, their lack of strong leadership by the team management and an inability to manage  endemic complacency.

Lack of vision

Perhaps one of Smith’s greatest shortcomings is his lack of real vision.

Steve Waugh, a former Australian captain, presided over an empire that won 16 tests in a row and were victorious in 26 out of 29 games, losing one and drawing two in the mid-summer of his career.

When Waugh started, he compiled a 12-point plan.

His first point was: “Stay a strong unit, and enjoy each other’s success.”

The incredible intensity and importance of being motivated, was evident in that 12-point plan. Point two was: “Play each game as if it’s the most important of your career.”

Number five stated: “Aim to be man of the match every time you play.”

“Do the little things right and the big picture will fall into place,” he asked his team mates in point number eight.

Waugh was backed by a coach, John Buchanan, who had high expectations. He started his tenure with the Australian team at the Gabba by sticking up a large sheets of butcher’s paper inside the door of the change-room that carried the words: “Today is the first test of our journey to be the Invincibles. Let’s make the ride enjoyable and attainable.”

When Waugh decided that he wanted this Australian team to become  dynasty and  great and not only good, he penned several new goals. His first goal was to raise the bar of expectations. He also identified and decided to overcome barriers in their way.

They decided to be honest with themselves and their teammates.

One of the most important stated goals was: “Be ruthless.”

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand why the Australians during the tenure of Waugh became a great team. They had several legendary players, but they were also led by a superb visionary captain.

When the West Indian Islands were invincible during the 1980’s they possessed a captain in Clive Lloyd who united them and forged them into something special.

When a senior player was seen at the bar trying to lure the bus manager’s wife to his room, Sir Clive told that senior player in no uncertain terms  to go to his room immediately.

Sir Clive was very concerned that such a move by the senior player could cause divisions within the team environment and ultimately unsettle performances.

During the past four years, several examples emerged of senior South African players stepping out of line and of a weak management not displaying the necessary leadership skills to address the situation.

Take Smith’s decision to leave the team after the Cricket World Cup loss to New Zealand. Had the team manager warned him of a public relations-disaster and commanded him to stay on the flight to Johannesburg, Smith’s public fall from grace could have been averted.

Dale Steyn decided after the tour of Australia to take a two-week holiday at the start of 2009. He was only a shadow of his devastating best in the home series against Australia in 2009, and the Baggy Greens won 2-1.

After the first test was handsomely won against India in Centurion, a senior player crashed his car in Constantia early in the morning. There were suspicions of alcohol abuse, although nothing could been proven.

South Africa then lost the second test in Durban, and although it would be wrong to assume he was the principal offender, there were suspicions that South Africa again did not address their own complacencies, and failed to play with the same intensity as in Centurion.

If the Proteas fail to beat a mediocre Sri Lankan team in this series, they will have to seriously contemplate wholesale changes. One should be the captaincy.

Shaun Pollock was replaced as captain after one mediocre series against a magnificent Australian team and one disappointing World Cup campaign. He reigned for only two and a half years and did a more than decent job.

How much longer should we tolerate Smith’s failures?

Fanie Heyns