2008: The Year of the Protea

As the Year 2008 draws to an end, there is a sense of change in the air. A few months ago, this writer embarked on writing a nation's fairytale, a story that would end with the greatest prize of all. Yet through all the hopes, predictions and intelligent guesses, not even this writer could have envisioned what took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground this afternoon. South Africa has been a respect cricketing nation across much of the globe, where their athleticism, skill and fighting qualities captivated us. But there was one country, where South Africa had not only been unable to garner respect, but were considered a bunch of comical under-achievers.

Any major sportsman who has tangled against an Australian team in Australia knows the difficulties such tours and engagements entail. Simply ask the countless captains who have descended to the land down under only to be demolished, polished and spat out tougher or broken. One doesn't need to stop at cricket either, just ask England's Rugby captain Martin Johnson. At Sabina Park in 1995, Australia struck the final nail on the crumbling West Indian empire as they became the unofficial Test champions. Since then, they grew from strength to strength, conquering every Test playing nation. In 2004, they broke through the Final Frontier, beating India and Sri Lanka in the sub-continent to engrave themselves in the annals of Test History.

Since the retirement of two of the greatest bowlers in the game, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, there was a sense of inevitability that the Mighty Aussies would no longer be so "mighty." There were signs in their struggles to achieve wins against Sri Lanka and India at home. A month ago, Australia's fall from Super-power status was highlighting by their failure to register a win in India, a task only achieved at the very peak of the empire. Yet, despite their expected weakening, no one, not the fans nor the pundits would have expected them to surrender their outback fortress. Not since the days of Ambrose, Bishop and Walsh had Australia lost a series at home. They saw off the Sultans of Swing; Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, the Fab Four; Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, and countless assaults by Brian Lara, Virendra Sehwage and English hopefuls.

South Africa's record against Australia was poor and few could argue against the notion the Proteas were soft, frail, and all talk no walk. The Aussies fought their campaigns on two plains, the cricket field and the mind-field, and the expectation of South Africa "choking" when it really counted was such a reality that it was inscribed as divine scripture. The thought was fact and could easily appear on an Australian Residency examination next to a question pertaining to their greatest cricketer Sir Donald Bradman. But back in 2007, South Africa's captain Graeme Smith and Coach Mickey Arthur planned a course that would see them travel across the continents, facing the toughest Test tours of the modern era.

Their journey began with a strategy and responsibility. The South African teams of post-Apartheid consisted of more than a few talent players. Names such as Hansie Cronje, Jonty Rhodes, Allan Donald, Gary Kirsten and Shaun Pollock will be remembered as some of the best of the modern age while Lance and an assembly line of all-rounders will remain in the imaginations (and nightmares) of those who witness their feats. The Proteas prided themselves on batting deep, bowling quick and having the best fielding outfit in cricket. Their triumphs and struggles were built around their strengths, many a game being won by a brilliant piece of fielding, a hostile spell of bowling or a late charge in the batting. But this strategy had its limitations and while the Proteas had the better of the rest of the Test World, they could never measure up against the Best of the Test World.

Smith and Arthur's plan was simple, build a strong batting line-up who would be responsible for scoring runs and winning the game, which would be set up by three hostile quicks, with a spinner to boot. It wasn't easy to implement due to the complexities of South African cricket's racial policies. The team also needed restructuring which would cost the place of one of the games' greatest ambassadors, Shaun Pollock. Their journey begun at home, where after suffering set-backs against strong Indian and Pakistan teams, South Africa fought back to register comfortable series victories. They even suffered a home loss to the West Indies, their first, but were able to regroup and fortify their position at home. It was during the home series against New Zealand that South Africa discovered an integral component to their climb up the Test ladder, Dale Steyn. Not since the heyday of Allan Donald did South Africa possess such a bowler with pace and swing to dominate batsmen.

South Africa took one step at a time and quickly secured away wins in Pakistan and Bangladesh, both vital stepping stones before facing the Big Three; India, England and Australia. Landing in India, few gave the Proteas a chance of standing face to face with the team long regarded as the heir to Australia's crown. Sehwage smashed his way to 300 in Chennai, dismissing South Africa's only talking point, their fast bowlers who were made to look like substitute club cricketers. But the Proteas fought back to take the lead in Ahmedabad and was only denied at Kanpur by a crumbling pitch from the early 90s.

Drawing the series in India was a major boost for the whole team and their vision forward but their journey was not confined to their skills on the field. South Africa had won a series in India back in 1999 but their next assignment in England had a history of pain reminiscent to the tragedy of Moses and the Promise land. Since readmission to international cricket, South Africa had drawn twice and lost once in England. They were undoubtedly the better side in each engagement but stumbled, choked at the final hurdle to extend their wait for a series victory to four decades. Again at Lords, the home of Test Cricket, South Africa's pedigreed bowlers failed to impress as England pilled on. A humiliating defeat seemed inevitable but this was a new South Africa and led by their Warrior captain Smith, secured a draw. They quickly found their feet and outplayed England at Leeds and setup a thrilling finish at Edgbaston, where all signs pointed towards an English comeback. There again, Graeme Smith scored one of the Greatest Test Centuries by a Captain to secure South Africa's Greatest Test win, ending their 40 year drought of success in England.

The victory in England was symbolic not only as a triumph on the field, but also one in the psyche. Few doubt an English victory at Edgbaston would have enabled South Africa to regroup for the Oval, a notion that was confirmed by Smith. South Africa had won a battle against their inner demons but there was still one left to exorcize. As with India and England, none of the pundits believed South Africa could win in Australia. Geoff Boycott, Ian Chappell, David Lloyd and Tony Grieg all thought South Africa would challenge England, India and Australia but fall short of victory. Strangely, the cricketing calendar was perfectly laid out, with the difficulty of the tour increasing at every stage and the Proteas never stumbled.

Finally, they arrived in Australia amidst much hype and expectation. Most Australians already predicted Smith's side to subside to their own expectations as before, to choke. As the second day of the 1st Test at Perth came to a close, Mitchell Johnson brushed aside the gloss of India and England in a matter of minutes to revive the scars of a generation of South Africans. I can't imagine how downtrodden the players and fans were that evening. Australia had already featured in the deepest desperate moments of South African sport but was willing to write another painful chapter. What did Graeme Smith say to his shaken teammates? Was this the calamites end to 18 months of hard-work? No, far from it.

South Africa's turn-around, given the moment and the history, was undoubtedly one the Greatest in Sporting History (some might equal it to England's reversal after the debacle at Lord in the 2005 Ashes series). Smith's men fought determinedly, not to salvage a draw from a situation of near hopelessness but to win in a manner most ominous. Their chase of 414 was the 2nd best in the history of Test Cricket and the greatest chase by a visiting team. The weakened empire of Australia was bewildered, the fans and the media stunned along with the rest of cricket's fraternity. Smith and the Proteas were one win away from completing their globetrotting journey and beginning a new era in Test cricket. Shock and surprise have been a common formula amongst the scattered blimps of Australia's reign but unfortunately, this strategy has a short shelf-life and South Africa had to out-do their incredible victory in Perth, to seal the series.

Boxing Day Tests at the MCG have been the sight of tourist massacres for years. Not even the Fab Four have been able to get the Aussies to sweat at these contests. Both teams began well; tugging and pulling, shifting the momentum one way and the other, neither willing to blink. But on the eve of the 2nd day, Australia's under-fire bowling attack surged ahead leaving South Africa a 196 behind with only 3 wickets in hand. What happened on day three mystified everyone as Australia struggled to dislodge JP Duminy or the tail that helped add 275 runs and register a useful lead. Unlike the Proteas at Perth, Australia didn't sense a great victory or a great escape but nevertheless fought hard. Their minds were clouded by the events of the 3rd day and their disappointment overwhelmed them. Ricky Ponting followed up his 1st inning 101 to register a valiant 99 only to hand a catch and the empire, to Smith at short cover.

An hour after lunch on the 5th day, South Africa achieved their Holy Grail and a victory sweeter than any other. Australia's dominance at home, their last line of defense had fallen, signaling the end of a Great Australian Empire. For South Africa, Years of pain, anguish, blood, sweat and tears could finally be put to rest as a nation rises above its broken dreams, dreams on which Australia stood for so many years. For Smith and his team, the journey is almost over but as always, a new one is waiting to begin.