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Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – An apparent technical blooper with the national anthem, Johan Botha unusually opening the bowling, and the move paying a spectacular early dividend ... that was the Proteas’ dramatic entry into World Cup action against West Indies in Delhi on Thursday.
LIVE CHAT: Proteas v West Indies
GALLERY: Smoking hot CWC WAGS
South Africa had earlier also gone against their traditionally conservative instincts by omitting left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe to allow for the inclusion of much-discussed leg-spinner Imran Tahir in an attack generally heaving with slow options.
Off-spinner Botha then caught everyone – the opposition presumably very much included – by surprise as he was entrusted with the first over instead of the more customary Dale Steyn.
And after just three balls he was in gleeful business as Windies kingpin Chris Gayle, who has often cause heartache for the Proteas in the past with his cavalier hitting, poked at a length Botha delivery outside off-stump and edged to Jacques Kallis at slip to be sent packing for a flimsy two.
The early-doors drama wasn’t quite done: South Africa sent a leg before wicket appeal against Darren Bravo “upstairs” for referral from Botha’s last delivery of the over, although it was unsuccessful.
Steyn, meanwhile, took up the attack for the second over from the other end.
Just before the start of play, there was bemusement at the Feroz Shah Kotla venue as the recording of the South African anthem suddenly fizzled midway through – seemingly just an innocent technical gremlin.
After a moment’s hesitation and some smiles from a few of the Proteas players, they and the pockets of flag-waving SA supporters spiritedly sang it on to its conclusion.
It was not the first time South African sport has experienced an anthem “incident” before the start of an international contest – the Springboks will well remember the Ras Dumisani controversy in France two years ago, when the Rastafarian gave a particularly eccentric rendition of it.
Cape Town – An apparent technical blooper with the national anthem, Johan Botha unusually opening the bowling, and the move paying a spectacular early dividend ... that was the Proteas’ dramatic entry into World Cup action against West Indies in Delhi on Thursday.
LIVE CHAT: Proteas v West Indies
GALLERY: Smoking hot CWC WAGS
South Africa had earlier also gone against their traditionally conservative instincts by omitting left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe to allow for the inclusion of much-discussed leg-spinner Imran Tahir in an attack generally heaving with slow options.
Off-spinner Botha then caught everyone – the opposition presumably very much included – by surprise as he was entrusted with the first over instead of the more customary Dale Steyn.
And after just three balls he was in gleeful business as Windies kingpin Chris Gayle, who has often cause heartache for the Proteas in the past with his cavalier hitting, poked at a length Botha delivery outside off-stump and edged to Jacques Kallis at slip to be sent packing for a flimsy two.
The early-doors drama wasn’t quite done: South Africa sent a leg before wicket appeal against Darren Bravo “upstairs” for referral from Botha’s last delivery of the over, although it was unsuccessful.
Steyn, meanwhile, took up the attack for the second over from the other end.
Just before the start of play, there was bemusement at the Feroz Shah Kotla venue as the recording of the South African anthem suddenly fizzled midway through – seemingly just an innocent technical gremlin.
After a moment’s hesitation and some smiles from a few of the Proteas players, they and the pockets of flag-waving SA supporters spiritedly sang it on to its conclusion.
It was not the first time South African sport has experienced an anthem “incident” before the start of an international contest – the Springboks will well remember the Ras Dumisani controversy in France two years ago, when the Rastafarian gave a particularly eccentric rendition of it.
