South Africa embrace culture of communication

Two very tall blokes, one very short one, someone with slicked back hair, another with none on his head but a fair amount on his face; ten more men of different shapes and sizes. No, this is not one of those jokes about what happens when they all walk into an eatery. This is a story about what happens when they play for the same sports team - South Africa's cricket team.

Ask them what they believe was the most important factor for their third successive series win in Australia and they do not talk about runs, wickets, catches or even specific personnel. They put it down to culture. If you believe Bo Hansen, a three-time Olympic medalist from Australia and author of the book Team Culture - Is it making or breaking your team?, that makes complete sense.

"Culture is a critical factor in the success of any organised group, whether that be a corporate organisation or a sports team. It is one of the most important factors to get right to enjoy sustained success," Hansen writes.

Hansen defines culture simply as "the way we do things around here". For a long time, that way in South Africa was brash and bold. Allan Donald bursting through; Graeme Smith batting with a broken hand. Then, after the 2015 World Cup semi-final, which sucked the soul out of the system, South Africa forgot what their way was.

"It was a low point for everyone. Not only the players but I think the whole country. At the time, we didn't quite know what to do," Kyle Abbott, who found himself at the centre of controversy after being left out of the team, said.

South Africa meandered through a series in Bangladesh, met their match in India and against England, and melted under the heat of off-field issues. Let's not deny it: transformation was seen as a game-changer. Some said it would prompt a player exodus. Others said it would promote mediocrity over meritocracy. Almost everyone agreed it would be divisive before they considered that it would also provide a window to a much deeper talent pool than South African cricket has ever had access to before.

Maybe that was one of the things discussed at the culture camp the team held before the New Zealand series in August. The exact content of the conversations will not, and should not, become public, but whatever it was, it united South Africa's cricketers.

Abbott is the embodiment of it. Hotly sought after in county cricket, he stuck it out at home and hoped for a chance, knowing that when he got one, he would "bowl his heart out". He did so in the fourth ODI against Australia in Port Elizabeth last month, and he did it again in Hobart today. He said his fire came from the new culture the team has created.

"I was lucky to be in that first team, led by Graeme. That culture was great but times move on and players move on," Abbott said. "What we have come to now as a team and our values are totally different to what it was 18 months ago. It was tough for us. We set down our goals and what we stand for and we walk it and we talk it every day. That's how you turn things around."

Faf du Plessis has also referred to living the new culture. "It can't be something you pay lip service to," he said.

You might start to understand some of what they are talking about if you look at how they live. Many of the players are deeply religious, many are also tied to charity work and are doing everything they can to be just as normal as the common people in their country. The new culture is perhaps about representing their people more than themselves and that shows, not just in the fact that they are more diverse now, more than ever, but in the way they chase excellence.

South African sport, in all its colours and guises, has always aimed to be among the best, because sporting prowess is seen as a measure of the country's worth. The setting of that standard is among Hansen's nine characteristics of high-performance culture.

His other criteria include personal accountability, clearly defined goals and genuine care, words you will hear coming out of the South African camp. But the qualification that stands out most, because it goes against the grain of the machismo usually associated with sport, is relationship-building and communication. This South Africa team has taken that to a different level.

From du Plessis' jokes about sharing a bed with his champion bowlers to Abbott's confirmation that all squad members "know where they stand", the team is in a good space, which also means some of the drivers of the cultural change are the backroom staff. Incidentally, Hansen places responsibility on the coaches to deliberate on, determine and drive a team's culture.

Russell Domingo has flown under the radar so far, speaking only once after the Perth Test, when he confirmed the players had recommitted to the country's cause. He does not have the profile of his predecessor Gary Kirsten, or make the headlines as much as his counterpart Darren Lehmann does, but he has an astute cricket brain and is well stocked with support staff. Adrian Birrell is as down to earth as they come, Charl Langeveldt has moulded the attack into a skilful and scary pack, and Neil McKenzie's reputation as one of the nicest men in cricket with one of the best work ethics speaks for itself.

Crucially, the selection panel has also made the right calls, like including Keshav Maharaj on this tour, picking Abbott in Hobart, rewarding Rilee Rossouw's form with inclusion. Naturally they will make decisions that will be debated and calls that will go wrong, but they have earned confidence and trust with what they've done so far, from the public and from the players.

"We are happy off the field," du Plessis said. And it shows.

You only need to compare those words against Steven Smith's angst to see how a team can get stuck in an unhappy rut. Smith said he was embarrassed, and said he needed players who took pride in wearing the baggy green, and that he was tired of saying the same things. That was South Africa a year ago. It took immense introspection to get to where they are now but they've shown it can be done. And they want to keep doing it.

"It's important to stay with it and stay nice and humble, and don't think the world has changed now that we have won a few series," du Plessis said. "We want to keep working hard and making sure we can get better. We want to go special places."