from The Sunday Independent April 20 2002 (thanks Jenny)
Had anyone questioned Shaun Pollock's credentials as a captain a year ago,
they would probably have been told to join the circus.
Pollock had just led his side to a Test series win in the West Indies - an
accomplishment equal to a series win in India - and was the toast of the town
for his enlightened and courageous declaration in the fourth Test at Antigua. He
followed that up with a comprehensive win in the one-day series and was being
hailed as one of modern cricket's great players.
The tag of world class all-rounder - including his role as the main strike
bowler, a fine fielder in the slip and gully region and captain - was a mighty
burden to bear, but Pollock showed he had the talent, and more importantly, the
temperament to do it all.
That, of course, was until the first Test at the Adelaide Oval last December.
Surprisingly it wasn't a member of the media who initially found fault with
Pollock's leadership. The criticism originally stemmed from a member of the
family - Pollock's uncle Graeme.
The famous left-hander, while commentating on Australian radio, explained how he
and Shaun had debated - some say argued about - South Africa's tactics.
Matters deteriorated from there, as South Africa were whitewashed in the series
and all changes to the game plan proved fruitless.
Before the Aussies series, it was felt that Pollock's more relaxed attitude and
captaincy style would be beneficial to the South Africans for what many felt
would be a very intense series.
But as the past four months have shown, his abilities as a captain did not stand
up to their greatest examination, and slowly more people pointed to the fact
that other areas of his game were starting to suffer.
However, the selectors stuck with him, reinstating him as captain once he had
recovered from injury and was fit to play in the one-day series which followed
the Test series here.
However against a new Australian captain, and an Aussie team which had lost the
experience and expertise of the Waugh brothers, Pollock again failed to deliver.
The calls for a new captain for the World Cup have grown ever louder since.
However, besides the obvious question about who it should be, there's also the
decision about whether it would be fair for a new man to assume the role so soon
before the World Cup, with series against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Pakistan as
his only preparation.
If the new selectors - who will be appointed in August - decide Pollock is not
the man for the job, candidates they may look at include Jonty Rhodes, Neil
McKenzie, Mark Boucher or even Dale Benkenstein.
Rhodes brings great experience as South Africa's most capped player at one-day
international level. But whether the selectors would be comfortable in giving
someone the position as captain only to see him quit the game afterwards as
Rhodes has said he will do seems unlikely.
Boucher was a reluctant captain during the home series against the Australians
and despite commendable performances in the second and third Tests of that
series, it would be unfair to add the weight of captaincy to his wicketkeeping
duties.
Benkenstein, is unable to break into the side and despite solid performances for
KwaZulu-Natal and SA A over the last few seasons a promotion to the senior
national team seems highly unlikely and being handed the captaincy even more so.
Which leaves McKenzie or the nutter as the Aussies referred to him, as the
remaining candidate. McKenzie was made vice-captain for the last two Tests
against the Aussies, but those who support him believe he has the requisite
leadership skills to captain South Africa.
In addition, McKenzie, just 26, has time on his side and would, unlike Rhodes,
be an investment in the future of the national side.
He has captained at school and at provincial level, something Pollock hadn't
done when he took over the job from Hansie Cronje.
However, major concerns have been expressed about whether McKenzie as one of the
younger members of the team would gain the respect of the senior players in the
side. If that is indeed the case, it really shows a lack of professionalism by
those players.
McKenzie is a fine cricketer with superb temperament and outstanding qualities
as a person. He would certainly be a popular captain with the public, who have
learned to enjoy his quirks and mannerisms.
It would certainly be a bold choice. And who knows possibly a choice which leads
to World Cup glory.
Expert Opinion:
Hylton Ackerman
(Under-19 World Cup coach)
Maybe Jonty Rhodes or Shaun Pollock. The captain should know more about cricket,
than merely the game. He should be able to understand people and the entire
structure of South African cricket. Pollock's body language in the last few
weeks has been incorrect. The player who leads the side at the World Cup must
have the respect of the players and the public.
Robin Petersen
(Eastern Province all-rounder)
Dale Benkenstein. He is a very determined character, who leads from the front.
He has been an outstanding leader for the Dolphins and for the SA A side.
Gordon Parsons
(North West coach)
Neil McKenzie. Firstly he is good enough to be in the team on merit. He does not
have many ties to players from the major provinces like Pollock who may feel
closer to the Natal boys or Jacques Kallis, who may have ties with the WP guys.
He seems level-headed and calm under pressure.
Omar Henry
(Boland coach)
Jonty Rhodes. He has the credentials and has got a wonderful one day record. On
the park he inspires everyone and lifts the team. He has also played in all the
World Cups since 1992 and has expressed an intention to retire and giving him
the captaincy would be a nice incentive.
Peter Kirsten
(Western Province Academy coach)
Jonty Rhodes or Neil McKenzie. You need some one who brings freshness and
explosiveness to the South African team. Neil's got a good cricket brain and is
very good with people and players. Jonty, is of course Jonty and has shown on
many occasions just how much his presence lifts the team.
And Some "Expert Opinion" from the webmaster of this site
*Note - This isn't a part of this article, just a bonus read!*
Polly is the BEST, there is no question about that. And those who judge a captain's capabilities only by his track record in a series or two should waste no time and visit a psychiatrist ASAP. Polly is also human (though his fans [it includes me] think he is divine) and he only has to learn from the recent defeats versus Australia. And make no mistake about it - he is a quick learner.
It brings me to another very important issue - what about the individual performances of the other Proteas?? How many centuries were scored by a SA batsman and how many times did a bowler take 5 wickets or more in an innings? What can a captain do if the players are not performing to their potential and the selectors are having their own fancies when it comes to choosing the XI? As the clichéd saying goes - "A captain is only as good as the team"
shhh....whispers....this is what goes in the mind of some big shots in the UCB - "Yeah but SOMEONE has to be answerable, so why not the captain? What's wrong if he is made the scapegoat? Sack the captain, sack the coach, sack the physio, sack the manager, sack the players, sack 'em all"
I have a better suggestion - sack the entire board and the selectors who never had the right team going during the matches. Sack all those who made a furor about including the (as one of my friends said) players of a 'politically correct color', irrespective of his talent and form. But if you think this is too harsh a thing to do, then please (and I mean pleeeeeeease) make sure that the players don't feel unhappy about anything, make sure that there is goodwill and camaraderie among them, the team stands as one.
Remember - it is the UCBSA Nobody wants to see a Divided Cricket Board Of South Africa. And mind you! NEVER EVEN DREAM OF REPLACING THE SKIPPER!