An era ends

Remember when Juan Carlos was still the king of Spain, Cuba's president, Raul Castro, was opposed to "neo-liberal and neocolonial" thinking, and Graeme Smith was captain of South Africa's Test side? All this was in the beginning of 2014. Somehow the trio managed to end a reign of 39 years, an impasse of 55, and an era of ten quietly.

Smith's decision to retire shook South Africa when it was announced, not even three months into a year that started with a fun festival of 20-over cricket that replaced the traditional New Year's Test, and which saw more people turn up to watch the national rugby side play cricket than did for franchise cricket matches.

A month later things got serious when an Australian Test side high on Mitchell Johnson beat South Africa in Centurion by 281 runs. Then came the comeback, engineered by Dale Steyn, in Port Elizabeth. As if the impatient wait for the highly anticipated contest and then its ups and downs wasn't enough drama, Smith stepped down after the third Test, which South Africa lost.

The series defeat was South Africa's first since losing to Australia at home in 2009, but it did not seem too much of a setback. They held on to the Test mace and any disappointment was eclipsed by the emotion of saying goodbye to Smith.

His ten years of leadership and sudden departure meant South Africa had not planned the succession thoroughly. The speculation over a solution warmed the winter months, especially when it emerged that Hashim Amla had been convinced to get over his initial reluctance to take over the reins.

Amla was unveiled mid-year and his first assignment was to visit the country where South Africa last lost a Test series - Sri Lanka, in 2006. They won the Test series 1-0 and the ODIs 2-1, which served as some redress for the 1-4 loss there in 2013.

But with the gain came a massive loss. Jacques Kallis, who called time on his Test career in December 2013 with a view to playing in the World Cup, decided he was only prolonging the inevitable. He struggled for form and fitness in Sri Lanka and retired from all formats.

With the Kallis question out of the way, South Africa could concentrate on forming a World Cup squad, and in Zimbabwe they found a formula that worked. They claimed a major scalp by beating Australia in the tri-series final in Harare but took steps backwards when they toured Australia for an ODI series as preparation for the World Cup.

The rest of the year petered out in a similarly forgettable fashion. The only team they hosted in the summer was a depleted West Indian outfit. And the much-hyped domestic 20-over competition, which had Smith as the tournament director, attracted but a handful of big names.

What will be remembered, though, is that 2014 was the year South Africa was reminded of their place in the political landscape of cricket: the outside. After initially being part of the group of countries who promised to resist the Big Three takeover of the ICC, Cricket South Africa was convinced to change its mind, partly through the promise of better bilateral series. After a lean year like 2014, it is not difficult to see why the board would want more cricket against more competitive teams more often, and 2015 will be the first test of whether that actually happens.

High point
Sri Lanka was considered the final frontier for the current crop. With a new captain, a new opener and a new No. 3, they would have been forgiven if the frontier had stayed unconquered, but Amla's tenure began with expectations exceeded. Victory in Galle, on a slow, low surface gave South Africa a lead they defended with determination and defiance in Colombo to kick off the new era in the best way possible.

Low point
An extended period of World Cup preparation was to culminate with victory over the old enemy, Australia, who had been defeated in a tri-series in Harare in August, but instead South Africa were drubbed 1-4. Their middle order and death bowling were woefully exposed to leave them with more questions than answers ahead of the tournament they will be well prepared for - in terms of numbers of matches played.

New kid on the block
South Africa handed out four new Test caps in 2014 - the most in four years - and all four players impressed on their first appearance. The standouts were Dane Piedt (eight wickets on debut) and Stiaan van Zyl (century on debut). But it was a teenager who stole the show. Kagiso Rabada led the Under-19 team's charge to the World Cup trophy in February, returned home to a franchise deal, and was swiftly included in the national squads. Allan Donald has likened him to a "thoroughbred" in physique and function, and has tipped him for a bright future.

Fading star
Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir were South Africa's leading wicket-takers in the 2011 World Cup but their careers have waned since. Peterson is unlikely to travel to the 2015 tournament; though Tahir ought to be part of the squad, it may be his swansong. Both have fallen out of favour in the longer format after periods of inconsistency.

What 2015 holds
Opportunity. South Africa have spent six months preparing for another shot at ICC silverware. After the World Cup, a lengthy winter break will be ended by a tour to Bangladesh, which will serve as warm-up to a four-Test tour of India and a four-Test home series against England.