South Africa face new dawn

Thursday, October 13 is the day that South African cricket will start again. After more than six months of lying curled away in hibernation, 11 men will emerge from the Member's Stand at Newlands, in unsponsored green and gold, to usher in a new era: an era of change, an era of growth and hopefully, an era of progress.

In some ways, it will be a false dawn, because it was AB de Villiers, not Hashim Amla who was supposed to look out to the east and see the rising sun. An ill-fated finger injury has forced de Villiers out of his first series as captain and Amla, the supporting actor who has never wanted to take center stage, will have to take the lead role.

Once a man who avoided the spotlight even as it pursued him, Amla is now forced to stand in it. He is trying to do it with the humility that has turned him into one of the sport's most beloved players. "AB is still the man for the job," Amla told ESPNcricinfo. "I am only captaining because he is injured."

Such a modest statement could make Amla seem like a nothing more than grateful heir who has obtained riches beyond his imagination. But, there is a deeper side to his stand-in captaincy and it's something he is taking very seriously. "We started something in the team, just before the World Cup, at the World Cup, that we want to continue, not performance-wise, but in terms of team culture, and hopefully I can continue in the same vein, with AB's vision," he said.

The World Cup brings back memories of underachievement, potential unfulfilled, heartbreak, but now that there has been time to separate the team from that dark day in Dhaka, Amla believes they should revisit it. "You do get over things, I don't think we needed five months to get over it, there were many good experiences," he said. The performances of individuals like Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir were some of those, but it was the development of a team culture that focuses on being thoughtful that is the biggest positive many national players can identify.

From Faf du Plessis to Lonwabo Tsotosbe, from Dale Steyn to Jacques Kallis, the South African team has spoken about being selfless, caring, passionate and understanding throughout the winter, and that's not just to their better halves. On the face of it, they appear to have bought in to a strategy that will connect them to each other and whether it is a gimmick or not, it's a method that Amla believes in.

Fortunately, it's also a method his predecessors endorse, which can only make things easier for Amla. Of the 10 players who will follow him onto the field, Graeme Smith and Johan Botha stand out as two that Amla will need to back him, having both enjoyed successful runs as captain of the side. He said the pair have embraced and helped him in his new role and that he regards their advice as key to his time in charge.

"The way Graeme has conducted himself now that he's not captain has been a huge benefit to everyone around in the sense that he's basically one of the blokes," Amla said. "We've also got Johan Botha in the team who's a largely successful captain in his own right. Every captain has a few guys who he bounces ideas off and those two will probably be it for me."

Amla last captained in the 2004-5 season, when he took charge of the Dolphins as a 21-year-old. It was an experience that left him disillusioned with leadership, because he felt it affected his own game. Now, the thinks he is a better place to cope with it. "I've learnt that you can't take everything on your shoulders," he said. "Gary [Kirsten] is extremely well organised and I think the structures he's put in place take a lot of pressure off the captain, so I've been fortunate to have a few days to work on my batting and a few other things around the captaincy."

And that is the other side of South Africa's anticipated metamorphosis - the introduction of a new coach, who is a nationally respected player and has won the World Cup. Gary Kirsten's magic touch has been missed in India since April 3, but he has yet to show if it has been successfully transferred to his homeland. He had a low-key winter, preparing for the birth of his third child, having the occasional strategic chat with new bowling coach Allan Donald and, for four days at the Arabella Golf Estate, meeting the men he is responsible for.

The running joke in South African cricket circles has been the nonchalance with which Kirsten has answered questions about his new role. "Haven't got a clue," Kirsten said in response to questions relating to how he would handle more than one captain, working with players he shared a dressing room with, and coping with the chokers tag. But Kirsten's carefree attitude could well be what South Africa need to get over some of their lingering insecurities and play like the team they so often threaten to be.

It's the delicate touch that Amla thinks will work well. "His [Kirsten's] style is not to impose, it's to let players grow and I think that might work well, especially with the lack of preparation," Amla said. It seems strange that after their longest break in 14-years, South Africa can complain about running out of time but the Champions League Twenty20 gave them just three days together before their first international of the season. "It's not ideal," Amla said. "But the guys have been at the Champions League so their skills are up, others have been part of the SuperSport Series, so it's just a matter of connecting."

If any more motivation is needed for South Africa, it's that rebirth is on the horizon against a country they would relish a second coming against. Australia are the best test they could have had, in the current context, and Amla says they are ready. "We know that perhaps the Australians are going through a rebuilding process. Our team has been much more settled than their team has been," he said. "But, even though they may have a younger team, players that are not well known and not as experienced, they still play a competitive brand of cricket."

Come October 13, South Africa will show if they are competitive enough too.