Cricket
Kallis: 50-overs not a lottery
2011-03-23 15:09
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Neil Manthorp - SuperSportDhaka - One of the first perceptions, amongst many, that Bob Woolmer tried to change amongst the national players when he became Proteas coach in 1996, was that one-day cricket was a ‘lottery’.
“Anything can happen” and “It just takes one player to have a good day” were common sentiments expressed by players around the world 15 years ago, but Woolmer instilled in his players the belief that 300 balls was comfortably sufficient time for the better team to assert its authority and superiority over an inferior one.
Jacques Kallis was at the very beginning of his long and illustrious career when Woolmer took over but he remembers the lesson well.
“We didn’t even have 20-over cricket back in those days but it has only reinforced what Bob said,” Kallis recalled in Dhaka on Wednesday, two days before South Africa’s World Cup quarterfinal against New Zealand.
“There is plenty of time to recover from setbacks in 50 overs. If you are a good team, have strength in depth and believe in yourself, then you back yourself to win over 100 overs with bat and ball. Gone are the days when one player can have a great day and that’s it, game over. Players’ allround skills have improved and that should show itself over that much cricket.”
The team have looked, sounded and acted remarkably relaxed in the build-up to the knockout stage of the tournament but Kallis has a simple explanation: “I see it like studying for an exam. If you have done your studying and preparation then you just sit down and write the paper, there’s no hassle. You’re only tense if you have doubts.”
New Zealand, however, were in no way being under estimated: “They have amazing depth, they always have. They bat down to number ten and just about everyone bowls.
"They also revel in their reputation as underdogs and that always makes them dangerous. I know it’s an old cliché, but we really will need to be on top of our game to beat them,” Kallis said.