Sartorial South Africa present a different straight bat (1 May 1999)

1 May 1999

Sartorial South Africa present a different straight bat

Trevor Chesterfield

JOHANNESBURG (South Africa) - You have seen the men in black now meet them in person, Hansie's boys, or the South African World Cup team incognito, and spoiling for a fight.

They lined up for the camera at a Sandton hotel yesterday, spruced up in a uniform which spelt two ominous messages to the other 11 teams taking part in this year's World Cup in England and starting on May 14.

The first is "we're fit and tough" and the second is we have the record over the last 12 months to prove "we are the best". Forget the Emirates Triangular series in England. South Africa's message in 1999 is our year.

Which may sound a little jingoistic and with some niggling concern over Allan Donald's fitness as we head into the event with the opening preliminary game, against Sussex at looming at the Saffrons in Hove on Friday, five days after the side touches down in England from their round a bout journey.

Only a PR was a sadistic streak about comfortable travelling arrangements would force a side to fly to Dubai and then to London. but that's because the airline, sponsoring this year's event, have demanded that the camel replace the magic carpet as a means of swift air travel. Why spend 18 hours in the air when 11 would do?

Whether Donald is fit enough to join Cronje's MIB at the Saffrons for the game against Sussex, which is the first of three preliminaries, is another matter. It is considered that he is about 70 percent fit. But those who know him say he is still not right and that his bowling, although impressive, is still below what it is known he can produce.

In this year's World Cup the scientists monitoring the speed gun are hoping to be on hand to time the first bowler to achieve 100 miles an hour (about 160 k/ph) and Donald is among them: others being Pakistani's rocket propelled Waqar Younis makeover, Shoaib Akhtar and Shaun Pollock.

No one is saying too much about Donald just yet, but there is confidence he will be ready when South African open their tournament against India on May 15, also at Hove.

As it is there are those who feel that the 1999 World Cup could become the tightest of all these tournaments since 1975. Because of the mass popularity of the limited-overs game there are the inevitable problems of injury and tiredness.

Donald's injury is symptomatic of the age of travel and too many LOIs. Brian Lara, Glenn McGrath, Mike Atherton, Sachin Tendulkar and others have gone through the same physical; if not mental trauma in recent months.

Shoaib is perhaps a tad too young to be tired, too inexperienced to be jaded and lucky enough to be without injury. Donald is worldly-wise and full of cunning and, as Peter Pollock, the convener of selectors said, the team which reaches the final on June 20 has to be 100 percent fit.

One glance of the young men in black yesterday showed they were a confident bunch. We will have to see just how confident they are seven weeks from now.

Source :: Trevor Chesterfield, Pretoria News