Former South Africa captain and cricket administrator Dr Ali Bacher watched the Proteas suffer their worst-ever exit in the World Cup on June 23 against Pakistan at Lord's. The veteran administrator has seen it all—the highs and lows of South African cricket—and this too he has taken “on the chin”. Speaking to THE WEEK from Lord's, the next day, while catching up with long-time friends, Bacher said he was not surprised by South Africa's poor performance at the World Cup in England. “We were not good yesterday [against Pakistan]. The team is in a transition period. I had predicted before the World Cup that South Africa would find it very difficult to reach the semifinal.”
The Faf du Plessis-led team has lost five of its seven matches till now. They won just one match—against Afghanistan—and the one against the West Indies was washed out. With three points, South Africa find themselves in the ninth position, with only Afghanistan below them.
“We lost three great players to retirement, form and injury,” 77-year-old Bacher said. “AB de Villiers not playing for whatever reason—he is one of South Africa’s greatest players. Hashim Amla, three years ago, was averaging over 50 in Tests and ODIs, but in the last 18 months, he has really battled with his form. And Dale Steyn got injured.
“There are young players coming through but they are still inexperienced. They need time. I expected this (result). Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi are both young but promising,” he said.
Skipper Faf du Plessis, however, wasn't too forgiving of his team after the loss to Pakistan. “I am a very proud player and captain. With the results we are dishing out at the moment, it’s really tough. We are trying but it’s just not good enough,” he said.
Bacher, who showed the world what South African cricket was all about—the high standards on the cricket field and in infrastructure—admitted that issues related to Kolpak (The rule according to which citizens of EU countries are allowed to work in any other EU country) and lack of financial security at home for coaches and players were resulting in South Africa losing talent. “Kolpak is a big problem. We just cannot allow 8-9 players to go. We need back-up. It’s a huge problem. But then they are getting very good money. We have had the problem of coaches being insecure about their future and leaving the system. Our pool has diminished,” he said.
For world cricket, to see a power house like South Africa, ranked number four in the ICC ODI rankings, to spiral into a hapless bunch of cricketers, should send alarm bells ringing. South Africa, since its return to the cricket fold in 1992, had set the benchmark for many countries like India when it came to on- and off-field cricketing standards.
However, despite the challenges, Bacher is optimistic about the team bouncing back and the the cricket base remaining strong. “South Africa club cricketers, for decades, have come from 30 schools. They are still very strong in cricket. The standards are very good. As long as they keep producing these cricketers, South African cricket will remain strong. But it will take a few years.”