from bbc online December 20, 2002
Shaun Pollock is standing on the brink of a momentous year.
In 2003, the South African cricket captain could bag a horde of international and personal milestones -- and
he's revved up for the challenges ahead, having swallowed the hard lessons of last season's humbling
home-and-away series against the awesome Australians.
Pollock, heavily criticised at times for his captaincy then, this week admitted he had made some
mistakes. "You must sift through the criticism and see what is constructive. I made a few changes that I think
are good. You live and learn, and you must try not to worry too much."
The strike bowler looked a different cricketer in the recent five-match limited-overs series against
Pakistan: a determined player and confident captain. His once familiar posture of slumped shoulders and
limp arms have been replaced by determination and fire that earned him the man of the
series award after SA's 4-1 victory.
"As you go along in sport, you keep learning about yourself and about the game. After a while you tend
to back yourself a bit more," said Pollock, who has also worked on some technical aspects of his bowling.
A key part of his psychological make-up, however, is not getting bogged down in the past. SA were walloped
by a brilliant Australian XI, he pointed out. "I don't think there's anybody who can beat them. It's a
supreme side. It's like playing against Tiger Woods [in golf]."
Yet, Pollock's team will become the ICC Test champions if they beat Pakistan in the two-match
series starting in Durban on Thursday. "It's testament to how well we've played around the world. We beat
India in India, and Australia couldn't. And we beat the West Indies in the West Indies."
A series victory over the festive season would be the first high in a potential bumper year for Pollock. Other
achievements up for grabs include:
Captaining South Africa to what would be their first Test series triumph against England in England since
Peter van der Merwe's 1965 team, featuring Pollock's father Peter and uncle Graeme, who both played big
roles;
Becoming the 19th member of the elite club of Test bowlers to have taken 300 wickets. He currently has
270 scalps and, at his rate of just more than four wickets a match, he could achieve this milestone
during the England tour from June-September;
Claiming his 300th one-day international wicket and also becoming South Africa's most prolific limited-
overs bowler, surpassing Allan Donald. At the moment, Donald has 271 and Pollock 260, but with
Donald expected to retire after the World Cup, Pollock will have the rest of the year to overtake. At the
moment, Donald is the eighth most successful one- day wicket-taker in the world and Pollock ninth,
although Australia's Glenn McGrath has a good chance of reaching him during the present VB Series against
England and Sri Lanka in Australia.
Pollock refuses, however, to get caught up in statistical glories. "As Gary Kirsten says, it's like
getting a long service award . . . [Instead] you really do focus on the game at hand and the series you're
playing in."
That Pollock is on a psychological high is well backed up by his one-day bowling statistics. Against the
Aussies in Australia last year, he averaged 26.60 runs per wicket; against them at home, he dropped to
35.11.
In the Morocco Cup against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, he plummet ed to 90, but against Bangladesh, Sri
Lanka and Pakistan, he rocketed to a staggering 14.32, well below his excellent 22.88 career average.
Pollock is arguably underrated as both captain and player. In his first competition at the helm - at the
1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur - instinct made him reverse a decision taken with coach
Bob Woolmer to bat first in the final against Australia if he won the toss. Pollock's
impromptu decision proved critical and South Africa won gold.
As a Test bowler, he has the best average - 20.85 - of all the world's top wicket-takers. As an allrounder, only
four players-- Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee, Imran Khan and Kapil Dev - have taken more wickets and
scored more runs.
Next year, and beyond, he will have opportunities to reduce that gap.