You Can Dress Them Up , But You Can't Take Them Out

It was one right out of the Greg Norman coaching book. Despite any of the ways South Africa might like to spin it, they have choked again when in complete control of a one day tournament and this one the biggest of them all. They have no excuses. They were fit, ready, in form and faced a spirited but inferior opposition. At oranges the game was theirs. 24 overs into their innings, the game was there's ...

... but they choked.

Both innings followed similar paths. Four men made starts and the rest failed. Both sides were in trouble early, recovered and then fell away. Both sides opened with spinners - New Zealand two of them, Vettori & McCullum - but a pace bowler took the most wickets ...

... but Sarth Efrika choked.

There were key differences. The burly Jesse Rider was the only batsman to take his innings on. He's an interesting character, highly regarded for his brilliance but feared by team mates for his brittle temperament and the excesses of life style that his bulk is merely an indicator of. He's been trouble for New Zealand in the Andrew Symonds mould but amplified and the Kiwis have worked hard to mine the gold from him. His innings was less expansive than other more explosive efforts but in partnership with Ross Taylor, he was the mechanic that put the wheels back on the innings and then Kane Williamson provided the wild driving to see New Zealand to some sort of total.

At 2-108 in the 24th over, South Africa's return statement of fact was already well worded and reading like a Tim Winton tale. They had been constrained by McCullum and Vettori who's opening spell was all about threat and a small man's bluff against a bigger, more dangerous man who has the knock out blow held cocked back just waiting for the right moment to knock the smart alec on the seat of his pants. It never came. Southee made the key breakthrough when Kallis pulled indiscriminately to Oram who took a good catch on the run at mid wicket. Three overs later, Dumminy tried to cut McCullum and lost middle and off and then de Villiers was run out on a too-sharp single to short midwicket. In all, 6 wickets fell for 38 in a thirteen over spell and despite the efforts of Faf de Plessis to bat with the tail, it was a lost cause.

Greg Norman would have been proud.

New Zealand did what they do well, creating pressure where they have no right to and turning a situation back on a better team so they can stew in their own juices. They played on the South African's mentally, knowing that man for man they were no match. It is an effective strategy, learned from years of having limited resources and battling with an over confident foe just across Abel Tasman's short stretch water which provides sanity to both nations. Its a reality Dan Vettori knows well, as did Stephen Fleming before him but its a trick with limited applications. It would pay to remember that it relies on several of their mercurial temperaments to work in alignment, like planets of the solar system. Its not likely to work again on sub continent opponents.

For the elder South Africans like Kallis, this continues to build a legacy which reduces their real worth, and that applies equally to the current young stars and ones that will follow. With no sign of fragility they have looked the class team here but wiser heads, such as the ABC's Tony Meppem called them for what they have been and still are. Their chokes move from famous to infamous and will hang about them like sackcloth. Some sides wear badges of courage, but theirs is that annoying symbol of arrogant American youth pop culture ... the right angled thumb and forefinger pasted to their veldt weary foreheads.

Losers.