England and New Zealand have the resources to turn themselves into better versions of themselves. South Africa, comparatively, do not.
Sunday Times
TELFORD VICE in London
ENGLAND have drunk deeply of the Kool-Aid of how good people have said they are on their march to Sunday’s men’s World Cup final at Lord’s.
New Zealand, whose coach, Gary Stead, once washed the windows of the august Pavilion, seem almost embarrassed to share a field with these legends of their own lore.
Eoin Morgan’s Irish accent got in the way, but his Churchillian intent shone through after his team’s emphatic eight-wicket semi-final win at Edgbaston on Thursday: “Sunday’s not a day to shy away from; it’s a day to look forward to, much like today.
“We have created the opportunity to play in a World Cup final. It will be a matter of the same again trying to produce everything that we can performance-wise, but enjoy the day.”
Contrast that with what Kane Williamson said about handling the pressure of hanging onto the steepler offered by Ravindra Jadeja, who seemed to be smashing India to victory in the other semi, at Old Trafford on Wednesday: “Someone goes ‘catch it’ and it’s above me so it must be mine.”
It’s a neat script for one of sport’s most compelling screenplays: David versus Goliath.
Better yet, there are lessons in the protagonists’ contrasting approaches for South Africa, whose performance at the tournament was far below their capabilities.
Having believed for so long that they were among world cricket’s big boys, they weren’t ready for the bleak truth that they aren’t — even after trying to tell themselves exactly that.
Not so England, who did not reach a semi-final for six tournaments after losing the 1992 final to Pakistan. Group stage exits in half of them tells, unarguably, a tale of decline.
But this time England have some of the most booming bats in the game. Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy average 69.47, more than any other opening pair in one-day history. Joe Root has scored two centuries, Morgan and Jos Buttler a ton each.
This marks the sixth time in a dozen World Cups that New Zealand have forged to or past the semi-finals. They are the little country that can. Almost. They went one step further four years ago, but were swiped aside by Australia in the final.
Unlike South Africa, New Zealand know who they are and what they can do. They bring an attack that rasps with the pace of Lockie Ferguson and the swing of Trent Boult, and the key on Sunday will be how the batters in blue square up to the bowlers in black.
England and New Zealand have the resources to turn themselves into better versions of themselves. South Africa, comparatively, do not.
But it comes down to more than money. It’s also about belief, and South Africa are all out of the stuff. For now.
Bulletproof Truth 