WTC final to kick-start a new Golden Era?

One-off format suits South Africa - Graeme Smith

More and more often the ICC is described as ‘nothing more than an events organising company.’ It is often said or written with a sneer but only because the observer believes that the game’s global administrators should be doing a bit more than organising World Cups – not because they’re no good at organising showpiece tournaments and matches.

Actually, they’re very good at it. And it’s not through a lack of desire or ability amongst the people at the ICC that they are not ‘stronger’ administrators in other areas, it’s because they are not empowered to be strong or effective by their employers. There is enough independence at FIFA and World Rugby to dissuade member nations from unilateral decision-making. Not so in cricket.

Anyway, Lord’s is already buzzing four days away from the start of the WTC final on Wednesday. It’s not just a matter of sticking logoed photographs on the walls of the famous venue, those things are straightforward. But for years the ICC’s events team has focussed on the smaller, more intimate details which remind the players of how special a World Cup is and how great the achievement in reaching one. Personal towels embroidered with their names, embossed kit-bags, that sort of thing.

Just playing at Lord’s is a lot to digest without all that other stuff. Eight of the current squad have never played there. The 2008 squad only arrived in London two days before the Lord’s Test and many of them, notably Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, were overwhelmed by the atmosphere and occasion on the first day. They spent the rest of the match trying to save it which they did, of course, with Graeme Smith, Neil McKenzie and Hashim Amla all earning a place on the Honours Board with centuries in the follow-on innings.

Four years later coach Gary Kirsten made a point of organising a full-on Tommy Tourist guided tour of the place three days before the Test just to “get it out of their system” and they went on to win not just the match but the Test mace in the days before there was a final. They stayed at number one for pretty much all of the next three years. Graeme Smith is in London, partly to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame on Monday, and wonders whether a win for Temba Bavuma’s team might kick-start a new golden era:

“They're at that point now where they're putting the pieces together. For Test cricket to remain strong, you absolutely need a South Africa that's competing and strong. We've seen when the team does well people are still engaged in Test cricket and want to support it,” he said.

“In a T20, one person can come off and upset the apple cart, but in a Test match, over a number of days, it's attrition, it's a test of your mental ability, and your skills can be tested dramatically. They've got talent and ability and match-winners, especially with the ball. In a one-off Test match, they definitely stand a chance. If it was over three to five, maybe it would be a little bit tougher, but in a one-off , I absolutely think they've got enough fire power to compete with Australia.”

It’s one thing putting posters up and organising a series of live, televised events before the match but Smith – given his status and reputation – is perfectly capable of ramping up the hype on a different scale. And seemed perfectly happy to.

“It's obviously an exciting time for Temba, but it's also a big game. It will be about playing the moments, handling the pressure as the game goes on. The thing about tense Test matches, in every session, as a captain, you say it's an important session, because it starts to feel like that. You can't have a soft session. They're going to have to make sure that every session they're up for it and that they don't give away an inch.”

It’s all very exciting…