Hansie's Warning (24 May 1999)

24 May 1999

Hansie's Warning

Trevor Chesterfield

SOUTHAMPTON (England) - It no doubt crossed Hansie Cronje's mind when reviewing South Africa's victory over England at The Oval that dropping the hint there is still room for improvement would keep the World Cup favourites from getting swollen headed.

Which is one way of issuing a quiet public statement of his own not to take any match too light-heartedly, even though the opposition at Amstelveen, in the Netherlands, are rank outsiders Kenya.

"No side in this tournament can be taken at all lightly," he said. "We are taking each game as it comes and beating teams such as Kenya is as equally important those over other teams."

Although it was an echo of the words issued by Alec Stewart after the defeat by 122 runs, Cronje is also well aware that any slip in standards against a side such as the third African team in this tournament could have an unfortunate fall out. South Africa have shown such professionalism in the first 12 days of the group games they have become the standard barer of how teams should approach the World Cup.

The approach to the Kenya game is no different, even though the side has qualified for the Super Sixes with matches in hand. There are game plans to be considered and bowling strategies need sorting out, which is why the side for the Kenya game may show a couple of changes and Allan Donald rested.

Depending on the quality of the surface provided at Amstelveen, one of two venues in the Netherlands where there is turf, there may be a couple of other team alterations as well. At least the strategies worked on by Cronje and coach Bob Woolmer are a lot easier than applying for a Dutch visa.

Wading through 12 pages of largely irrelevant details needed for what was a 24 hour stop-over to watch a World Cup match, and being told to wait two weeks, is the sort of bureaucracy only a woolly-minded officialdom could dream up. And that was almost 14 days ago.

So, while Donald is now the big name added to the list of wicket-takers who have in the 24-yer-old history of the tournament managed to bag of four at a cost of less than two an over, teams such as Kenya should not present too much of a bother for the champions in waiting.

What is going to be of some interest, however, is who the selectors plan to fill in his place. After Jacques Kallis had cleaned out the England top-order, still a debating point in the windswept pavilions, and Donald had blown out four others, the chilling discipline of the South African side has left other sides with serious problems.

Yet with Pakistan looming in the opening game of the Super Sixes, Cronje's warning of "areas to improve on" can also be a timely reminder of how to develop too much of a swagger before the real action starts.

Source :: Trevor Chesterfield