South Africa Team

The South African Cricket Team is one of the top ranking teams in the world, rated at par with Australia and India. The feat of the group of virtual unknowns led by Kepler Wessels in Australia and New Zealand in 1992 was remarkable because South Africa had just emerged from 21 years of apartheid-induced isolation from international cricket. although South Africa quickly rose to become one of the most feared one-day outfits, they have consistently fallen short at the World Cup. Since South Africa reached the 1992 World Cup semi-finals, the country’s public have expected more from them than they have been able to deliver in the global showpiece. Souh Africa is one of the strongest contenders to win the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The Proteas became the third Test playing nation in the world, when they played its first Test match way back in 1889 against England. South Afirca produced several world-famous cricketers, such as Hansie Cronje, Allan Donald, Gary Kirsten, Kepler Wessels, Jhonty Rhodes and Shaun Pollock. South Africa surprised the cricketing world in their first ever world cup appearance in 1992, In 1996 a side led by the late Hansie Cronje and coached by the innovative Bob Woolmer established themselves as favourites in India and Pakistan, sweeping through the group stage only to be beaten in the quarter-finals by a West Indian team that had struggled to qualify. when they reached up to the semi-finals. In the ICC World Cup 1999, South Africa again reached to the semi-final but lost to Australia, as a result of tie. Haveing won an ICC event only once - the ICC Champions Trophy in 1998 - Graeme Smith's men will be hoping to improve on its record when it takes on West Indies in its opening game. The team is not short of talent with the likes of AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla,Graeme Smith and Mone Morkel the challenge to lift South Africa to world glory. South Africa begins its campaign against West Indies at New Delhi on 24 Feb 2011 and the team will hope for the first world cup title. The only world-class all-rounder in the 2011 team is Kallis, playing in his fifth World Cup, although a case could be made for AB de Villiers, who will keep wicket as well as being a key batsman, also being described as an all-rounder. That role has been passed to JP Duminy, but the overall standard of South African fielding is no longer exceptional. In a recent home series, India were at least the equal of their hosts. If South Africa are to be successful in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, they will need solid performances from their specialists. Their top five batsmen, likely to be Smith, Hashim Amla, Kallis, De Villiers and Duminy, have the pedigree to post the big scores that are likely to be necessary in the sub-continent. Similarly, the specialist bowlers spearheaded by fast men Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, together with the much-improved left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe and experienced off-spinner Johan Botha, will need to be on top of their game.