South Africa national cricket team
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| As of 02 June 2010 |
The South Africa national cricket team, also known as The Proteas (formerly known as The Springboks) are a national cricket team representing South Africa. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.
South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status. As of 3 October 2009, the South African team has played 344 Test matches, winning 120 (34.88%), losing 121 (35.17%) and drawing 103(29.94%) of its games.[2]
As of 3 October 2009, the South African team has played 426 ODI Matches, winning 264 (61.97%), losing 145 (34.04%), drawing 5 (1.17%) and getting a "No Result" in 12 (2.82%) of its games.[3]
History
In 1935 Dave Nourse achieved the highest individual score by a South African of 231 against Australia in Johannesburg. [4]
The South African cricket teamtoured England in 1947. At Nottingham, Captain Alan Melville and vice-captain, Nourse achieved a Test match record for a third wicket partnership of 319. The following year Nourse, 38 year old captain of Natal, was appointed Captain for the 1948 MCC Test matches in South Africa.[4]
In 1970, the ICC voted to suspend South Africa from international cricket indefinitely because of its government's policy of apartheid, an overtly racist policy, which led them to play only against the white nations (England, Australia, New Zealand), and field only white players. This decision excluded players such as Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards and Mike Procter from partaking in international Test Cricket. It would also cause the emigration of future stars like Allan Lamb and Robin Smith, who both played for England, and Kepler Wessels, who initially played for Australia, before returning to South Africa.
The ICC reinstated South Africa as a Test nation in 1991 after the deconstruction of apartheid, and the team played its first sanctioned match since 1970 (and its first ever One-Day International) against India in Calcutta on 10 November 1991.
Since South Africa have been reinstated they have achieved mixed success, and hosted the International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup in 2003. However, it is widely believed the sides containing the likes of Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Gary Kirsten and Hansie Cronje grossly underachieved, gaining a reputation as "chokers", due to them reaching the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup three times, but failing to progress into the finals, with Herschelle Gibbs famously dropping Australian captain Steve Waugh in 1999 in a Super Six match. In the second part of the 1990s, South Africa had the highest winning percentage in ODIs of any team, but they were knocked out of the 1996 World Cup in the quarter-finals, and then were eliminated on countback after tieing their semi-final against Australia in 1999. In 2003, South Africa were one of the favourites but were eliminated by one run in the group stages after they had mistakenly counted the number of runs they needed.
They have also had bad press for failing in vital matches in global tournaments including the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.[5]
With Donald retiring, Cronje banned for match-fixing and later died in a plane crash, and Pollock also retiring from international cricket, the team has once again changed shape. It is currently captained by Graeme Smith, although following injuries to Smith and Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince deputised as Test captain on 12 July 2006. At the age of 29, he became the first non-white man to captain the once all-white South African cricket team. Due to a racial quota policy, the side was once required to contain black players, unlike the past. However, that policy was rescinded in 2007. [6]
Tournaments
South Africa has a record of failing to win major tournaments and is much-maligned because of this. The 1992 Cricket World Cup, for example, featured a rain-affected semi-final played before the introduction of the rain rule. South Africa needed 22 runs from 13 balls when rain intervened. After the delay they were left in the situation of requiring 22 runs from one ball in order to progress. In 1996 they were eliminated in the quarter-finals despite being one of the fancied teams and having qualified first in their group. At the 1999 Cricket World Cup, South Africa played against Australia in the last Super Six match as well as the knock-out semifinal. Australia defeated the Proteas in the Super Six match and recorded a thrilling tie in the semifinal, which was enough to knock the Africans out of the tournament since Australia had previously beaten them (in the match immediately beforehand). It is in the Super Six match that Steve Waugh is reported to have told Herschelle Gibbs "Mate, you just dropped the World Cup" when the latter dropped him en route to a match-winning century, a comment which has been denied by Waugh himself in interviews. The image of the crestfallen South Africans following the run-out of their last batsman Allan Donald while the Australians celebrated in a huddle has become an iconic sporting image.
South Africa hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup, but failed to progress beyond the group stage due to a misunderstanding of how many runs they needed to score in a rain-affected run chase. As a result of this, Shaun Pollock resigned as captain and was replaced by young batsman Graeme Smith, although Pollock continued to play for the team. Under Smith's leadership, South Africa has achieved some success, although they have been hampered by the retirements of many star players, including fast bowler Allan Donald and one-day specialist Jonty Rhodes. As a result, they had a poor 2004, only winning against the West Indies.
They had a rollercoaster ride that included dominant wins over England, the West Indies, Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland, and a narrow win over Sri Lanka, but devastating losses to Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh that cost them the number one ranking. Then they bowed out in the semifinals with their lowest ever score in a World Cup as Australia bowled them out for 149 and won by 7 wickets. South Africa are regarded by many as the best team never to have won the Cricket World Cup.[citation needed]
They also hold the record of the highest successful run chase and made the highest total (the latter record has been surpassed) in One-Day Internationals (438-9 in 49.5 overs), in an iconic match against Australia on 12 March 2006. This game is considered by many to be the greatest One-Day International ever played.
Tournament history
For World Cups from 1975 to 1987 inclusive, South Africa were not an ICC member, and therefore ineligible to compete in the tournament.
- 1998: Gold medal
Personnel
This lists all the players who have played for South Africa in the past year, and the form in which they have played. Players in bold hold a central contract awarded by Cricket South Africa in February 2009.[7][8]
Key
- S/N = Shirt number
See also
- History of Test cricket (1884 to 1889)
- History of Test cricket (1890 to 1900)
- International cricket in South Africa from 1971 to 1981
Notes
- ^ "South Arthur quits as South Africa coach - reports". cricinfo.com.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help); Text "http://www.cricinfo.com/southafrica/content/current/story/445805.html" ignored (help) - ^ Cricinfo Test Team Records page retrieved on 21 September 2009
- ^ Cricinfo ODI [1] retrieved 21 September 2009
- ^ a b The Times, 27 October 1948, Cricket South Africa's Captain
- ^ South Africa choke on their lines again Hugh Chevallier in Durban 20 September 2007 Cricinfo
- ^ South Africa Remove Racial Quotas 7 November 2007 BBC Sport
- ^ Lonwabo Tsotsobe handed central contract
- ^ Parnell awarded central contract
External links
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