South Africa will look to carry the momentum gained over the last few days here as they head to Chennai for their next World Cup assignment against Pakistan, says batting coach and former player J.P. Duminy.
| Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

South Africa will look to carry the momentum gained over the last few days here as they head to Chennai for their next World Cup assignment against Pakistan, says batting coach and former player J.P. Duminy.

South Africa trounced reigning champions England and Bangladesh posting successive 350-plus totals to bounce back strongly after being upset by the Netherlands in Dharamsala.

“We are certainly going to take confidence out of it,” Duminy told reporters after their 149-run win over Bangladesh here on October 24.

“We have been speaking about ‘momentum creates confidence’, you think about back-to-back wins and I guess the way we have played in the last two games, we will certainly take a lot of confidence out of it,” he said.

Boasting a better net run-rate than India, South Africa will now be eyeing to go to the top of the table, upstaging the hosts when they face Pakistan on October 27.

“Getting into a big match against Pakistan, we certainly want to enjoy the victory and soak up what we really did well. There are areas where we can improve, there are always areas that you can focus on and see how we can get better at. The next game against Pakistan is obviously a crucial one for us,” Duminy added.

A big question, however, remains on South Africa’s ability to handle pressure while chasing as they have recorded each of their win batting first and piling up big scores.

Duminy believes that his side would be ready as their mantra is to read the conditions well.

“For us, it is (about) what is in front of us, which is, the conditions. What are the conditions saying in terms of giving us the best chance to win a game?” he said.

“At the end of the day, the toss is a 50-50 call. I think for us, it is just wrapping our heads around the fact that if we are in a position where we need to chase, I think we are ready for it.” “We had a small blip in the Netherlands game, but I think the confidence is there, the more we are conversing around it, the more we understand that even in the Netherlands game, there are certain things that… There are great learnings, understanding those one percent factors that give us the edge,” he said.

Duminy dismissed the notion that South Africa’s bowling lineup lacks experience citing the presence of Kagiso Rabada.

South Africa were made to work hard at least by Bangladesh who batted for 46.4 overs to make 233 in reply to a huge 382/5. The task, however, was simpler for South Africa against the defending champions England who rolled over in just 22 overs.

“What I am excited about is the learning opportunities that we have,” Duminy said.

“As much as we talk about inexperience, Rabada has been around for a period of time and he brings that experience. And he has certainly shown that in this World Cup the aggression and accuracy that he has shown, which has been outstanding,” he said.

“The guys have backed him up, seeing a Marco Jansen as young as he is, having the control that he has been exciting. Swinging the ball as he does with the new ball, those are all elements and attributes that we are pretty excited by. As we get to the backend of the tournament, the pressure is going to heighten for us,” Duminy added.

“De Kock is ‘hungry’ for runs”

Quinton de Kock has three centuries already in five matches of the World Cup but coach Duminy takes pride in saying that the wicketkeeper-batter, who will retire from ODIs after the competition, has the hunger to make big runs for the team.

“I think it is just a hunger that he has shown. Obviously (after) announcing that he’ll be retiring after the World Cup, the hunger and desire that he has to really put in strong performances for the team,” Duminy said.

“It is easy to score 100 and then sort of take a backseat but every single day that he comes to training, and the games that he has played so far, scoring three hundreds in five innings is a pretty special effort, and knowing the character that he is, he certainly not going to rest on that he has got a great ambitions to go all the way and be a real star performer for his team,” he added.

England’s Gus Atkinson bowled during ICC Cricket World Cup Match 20 between South Africa and England at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

It was a hot and humid Saturday afternoon. A near-capacity turnout at the Wankhede Stadium made it even more piping. While South Africa turned up in red-hot form, England wilted under the sun in the much-anticipated high-voltage clash which turned into a lopsided affair.

Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen’s blitzkrieg in the last 10 overs meant South Africa put on 399 for seven, the highest-ever ODI total against England and the second-highest at the venue.

Had it not been for Mark Wood wielding the long handle after the Proteas’ pace attack had taken the fizz out of the chase, England would have folded up for a total less than the 143 runs South Africa hammered in the last 10 overs.

Cricket World Cup | SAF vs ENG — As it happened

It was a hot and humid Saturday afternoon. A near-capacity turnout at the Wankhede Stadium made it even more piping. While South Africa turned up in red-hot form, England wilted under the sun in the much-anticipated high-voltage clash which turned into a lopsided affair.

Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen’s blitzkrieg in the last 10 overs meant South Africa put on 399 for seven, the highest-ever ODI total against England and the second-highest at the venue.

Had it not been for Mark Wood wielding the long handle after the Proteas’ pace attack had taken the fizz out of the chase, England would have folded up for a total less than the 143 runs South Africa hammered in the last 10 overs.

Even before Jansen starred with the new ball to run through England’s top-order and virtually seal the result, it was his batting exploits in a murderous partnership with Klaasen that did the trick for his team.

Captain Temba Bavuma was ruled out due a stomach bug minutes before the toss. Reeza Hendricks converted the loss into a blessing, adding 120 with Rassie van Dussen after Quinton de Kock perished to Topley in the opening over of the game.

The stand-in captain Aiden Markram continued to build on the good work, first with Hendricks before he missed out on a deserving hundred and later with Klaasen.

But when Topley returned from an injury break to dismiss Markram and David Miller in successive overs, England would have hoped to restrict South Africa to a total well below the eventual one.

While Jansen took time to get his eye in, Klaasen started opening his shoulders up.

He drove, cut and pulled with aplomb. And once Jansen started wielded his long handle, an already rattled England bowling unit — beset with injuries, ailments and the heat — was found clueless.

Scoreboard

South Africa innings: Quinton de Kock (wk) c Jos Buttler b R Topley 4 Reeza Hendricks b Adil Rashid 85 Rassie van der Dussen c Bairstow b Adil Rashid 60 Aiden Markram (c) c Bairstow b R Topley 42 Heinrich Klaasen b Gus Atkinson 109 David Miller c Stokes b R Topley 5 Marco Jansen not out 75 Gerald Coetzee c (sub) Livingstone b Gus Atkinson 3 Keshav Maharaj not out 1 Extras: (b 2, lb 3, w 9, nb 1) 15 Total: (For 7 wickets in 50 Ov) 399

Fall of Wickets: 4-1, 125-2, 164-3, 233-4, 243-5, 394-6, 398-7

Bowlers: Reece Topley 8.5-0-88-3, David Willey 9-1-61-0, Joe Root 6.1-0-48-0, Gus Atkinson 9-0-60-2, Mark Wood 7-0-76-0, Adil Rashid 10-0-61-2.

England innings: Jonny Bairstow c van der Dussen b Lungi Ngidi 10 Dawid Malan c de Kock b Marco Jansen 6 Joe Root c Miller b Marco Jansen 2 Ben Stokes c and b Rabada 5 Harry Brook lbw b Gerald Coetzee 17 Jos Buttler (c & wk) c de Kock b Gerald Coetzee 15 David Willey c Rabada b Lungi Ngidi 12 Adil Rashid c Reeza Hendricks b Gerald Coetzee 10 Gus Atkinson b Maharaj 35 Mark Wood not out 43 Reece Topley abs hurt 0 Extras: (b 0, lb 9, w 5, nb 1) 15 Total: (All out in 22 overs) 170

Fall of Wickets: 18-1, 23-2, 24-3, 38-4, 67-5, 68-6, 84-7, 100-8, 170-9

Bowlers: Lungi Ngidi 5-1-26-2, Marco Jansen 5-0-35-2, Kagiso Rabada 6-1-38-1, Gerald Coetzee 4-0-35-3, Keshav Maharaj 2-0-27-1.

Australia’s David Warner raises his bat after completing his century during their match against Pakistan in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru on Friday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Opener David Warner, who set up a crucial World Cup win for Australia with a whirlwind century, credited the IPL for working as a learning platform where he perfected the art of pacing an ODI innings.

Warner’s 163 off 124 and his 259-run association with fellow centurion Mitchell Marsh helped Australia score a 62-run win over Pakistan, and the result has lifted them to fourth on the table.

“I’ve established early on in my career that 50 overs is a long time. I look to try and get to 35 overs and then from there, try and put my foot down if I’m still in.

“I think that’s where in T20 cricket, I’ve learned a little bit as well to change my gears, especially in IPL. I learned a lot when I was playing for Sunrisers that you’re able to have a lot more time than you think,” Warner said during the post-match media conference on Friday.

A glance at Warner’s knock at the Chinnaswamy Stadium will give one a better idea.

The left-hander brought his initial 50 in 41 balls, the next fifty came in 44 balls and the final 63 runs cascaded in a mere 39 balls.

“Having played Test cricket, you can change your gears quite easily. So, in the first 10, two new balls, you got to respect that. But then if you get away, you can be 50 off the first 10.

“Then from there, you set the platform for yourself and that’s the energy you feed off. If you give yourself time at the back end, you can actually score big,” Warner explained.

The 36-year-old has taken a special liking against the Asian side, scoring four successive ODI hundreds, besides making a triple hundred at Adelaide in 2019.

No magic potion against Pakistan, Warner said he did not have any magic potion against Pakistan.

“I think sometimes you just match up well against certain teams. Sometimes you’re going to put away the good balls. But I think you just keep backing yourself. I don’t really look at any stats.

“It just so happens to be that I’ve scored…four consecutive hundreds, which I didn’t know about until they came up. But for me, it’s about doing my best every time I go out there,” said Warner.

The New South Welshman had a word of praise for his fellow opener Marsh, who made a 108-ball 121.

“I was probably the opposite, David – Goliath. He’s in such a great frame of mind at the moment and we love when Mitich is in that zone. You know, he’s a great man to have around the change room.

“He’s the life of the party, brings out the best in everyone and he’s always a character and that’s what you need in teams and in these back-ups against the wall games. It was awesome for him to come out today… his birthday as well,” said Warner.

The veteran batter also did not forget the contribution of Marcus Stoinis, who dismissed Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdulla Shafique to make an early dent to their chase.

“It’s good to see Stoinis charge in like he did and bowl. He knows India well. He knows these grounds very well. You saw he didn’t really give the offside away much, backed himself with the short, there were short boundaries, but he backed himself in his skills to bowl,” said Warner.

Warner said he thought 350 was a par score on the pitch here without being dismissive about Pakistan’s ability to score freely.

“I honestly thought 350 was probably par, given the fact that we know the history of this ground and a little bit of dew can come and get a little bit easier to bat on.

“The guy said there was no show there, so that’s a positive. But always in these totals, they’re going to get partnerships,” he added.

Warner was dropped on 10 by Usama Mir off Shaheen Shah Afridi, and he made Pakistan pay for that error making a daddy hundred.

“It was more a slow off the wicket. I wish I just went through with the shot. But they’re the ones that sometimes they’re holding up on the wicket, you haven’t been bowled a short ball yet. So yeah, I actually didn’t even see him drop it. I was behind the big bison,” he added.

Netherlands team celebrates after winning the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match against South Africa, at HPCA Stadium, in Dharamshala on October 17, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI

For a set of activities that are governed by clear rules, unpredictability is what makes sport a compelling watch. The Netherlands’ defeat of South Africa just a few days after Afghanistan’s triumph over England in the ICC Cricket World Cup would not have been predicted by even the keenest observers of the game. Where do these upsets rank among other victories by underdogs over favourites in all World Cup games? 

To answer that question, we take recourse to the use of the Elo ratings method. Elo ratings, developed by professor Arpad Elo for games such as chess, can be replicated for other two-team sports as well. The Elo system assigns a rating to each team, using the results of previous international games. The ICC uses a similar system to rate and rank its teams but it only publishes the current rankings of each team.

 We relied upon the work of Gaurav Sood and Derek Willis (outside_edge at github) who constructed an algorithmic approach to calculate monthly Elo ratings for each ICC cricket playing nation/team, to identify the Elo ratings at the start of each World Cup. Sood and Willis had brought out ratings for each team till late 2021, but The Hindu used the same method of extracting match information from ESPNCricinfo for later ODIs and found the Elo ratings till October 2023. More involved Elo calculations that account for individual player ratings have been undertaken by others such as Kartikeya Date (@cricketingview in X) but only for Test playing nations. 

The Elo ratings of any two teams playing a game during any World Cup are an indication of their prior and recent performances and their respective strengths. The difference in their rating would indicate the gulf between the two sides. A team with a lower ELO rating, defeating one with a higher one could constitute an upset and if the Elo difference is quite high, it would qualify as a major upset. 

Table 1 | The table lists the major upsets in all games played in the World Cup till Tuesday.

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The Netherlands’ defeat of South Africa on Tuesday was despite a gulf of a whopping 457 points between the Elo ratings of the respective teams. This was the second biggest upset after Bangladesh’s defeat of Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup (Elo difference of 569 points). Afghanistan’s defeat of England on Sunday was only the 13th biggest upset, largely because the former had a better cricketing resume in the lead up to the World Cup, leading to a difference of 255 points in their Elo ratings. If not for technical reasons, this defeat would have rated 12th, as the 6th biggest upset – New Zealand losing to Kenya – was due to the former forfeiting the game after refusing to take the field in Nairobi citing security concerns. 

Table 2 | The table lists the favourite teams and the teams that won the various World Cups throughout the years.

Having the highest Elo ratings at the start of the World Cup is not always a guarantee of a team’s success as Table 2 shows. Only West Indies in 1979 and Australia in 2003 and 2015 managed to live up to their status as favourites by winning the trophy. And India in 1983 and Pakistan in 1992 were the most unfancied teams that went on to lift the World Cup. Not for nothing are Kapil’s Devils continued to be feted in India for heralding a cricketing revolution in the country. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan might be currently in the lowest ebb of his political career, but the sheer scale of his triumph as cricket captain in 1992 could explain how he managed to reach a peak in popularity in Pakistan. 

Table 3 | The table lists the Elo ratings of all the teams currently playing in the 2023 World Cup.

 (With technical inputs from Rishywanth Ambalam)

Source: ESPNCricinfo, outside_edge at github (Work of Gaurav Sood and Derek Willis)

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India’s cricket in the World Cup so far has been excellent. Things are falling into place with a rapidity that must worry the other teams, although one hopes that New Zealand get a fair tilt. They were denied in 2019 when they lost the final to England through a combination of bad luck, bad rules and bad umpiring.

However, in denying visas for fans from Pakistan, India have displayed a churlishness that sits badly on a nation of its size and influence. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has been acting like an arm of the government since the Home Minister’s son took over as its secretary. In India, sport is politics.

The most telling comment after the much-hyped but ultimately one-sided India-Pakistan encounter came from Pakistan’s team director Mickey Arthur. “It didn’t seem like an International Cricket Council (ICC) event; it seemed like a (domestic) BCCI event,” he said referring to the lack of Pakistan supporters in the vast Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.

The website ESPNcricinfo calculated there were just four American-Pakistanis to cheer the team. Only a handful of journalists got visas. In 2011, about 6500 visas were issued for fans from Pakistan for the semifinal in Mohali where India and Pakistan met.

Sport can divide peoples just as easily as it can bring them together if that is what the government of the day wants.

Pakistan has been painted as India’s ‘other’, the enemy who encourages terrorism. As a political entity, Pakistan have lived up to this image often enough, with the attacks in Mumbai in 2008 and the wars fought between the two countries a matter of historical record.

The worst insult a politician (and the trolling fraternity) can deliver to a dissenting citizen is: “Go live in Pakistan!” Nuance is not a quality either possesses. You can, however, cheer for an India win while bemoaning that fans of the other side were not allowed into the country. Once it was decided that the cricket team was welcome, visas for fans should have followed.

That the visas for the team were delayed, as was the visa for the Pakistan-born Australian opener Usman Khwaja when that country toured earlier points to a pattern.

Sporting competition is not just about two teams facing each other. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need big stadiums. Supporters play a role too, cheering and living vicariously through the feats of those actually performing.

Whenever Indian and Pakistani fans have got together to watch their teams, they have been grateful for the chance. Many wear outfits with half the colours of one team and half the other’s. Some carry flags stitched together to emphasise oneness. Each group has supported its own team. Some sections from both groups have tended to overdo things, but that is not unusual.

Player-taunting

Pakistani players were taunted with religious chants in Ahmedabad. This is in keeping with the attitude of the visa-denying authorities. Pakistani fans have taunted Indian players too in the past. In fact, player-taunting is a traditional sport in stadiums around the world. There are rules in place to handle racism in the chants, but none that deal with religion or gender identity.

It is ironical that for all their animosity towards Pakistan, the authorities love an India-Pakistan cricket match. It is a huge money-spinner, it gives politicians an opportunity to be seen by millions on television (the Home Minister was seen waving the victory sign once it became clear India were winning), and there is the feel-good factor which distracts from political, social and economic issues. It is the same in Pakistan too.

The fond hope now is that the two clash in the final at the same venue. It will be interesting to see politicians appear or disappear depending on how their team is faring. There is a chance that the teams might meet earlier, in the semifinal; if they do, then obviously only one will play the final.

Now with India hoping to bid for the 2036 Olympics, they will have to work on ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family), the theme that was given yet another airing at the G20 meeting recently. The International Olympic Committee may not take kindly to selective hosting.