Does South Africa deserve to be in the WTC finals?

WEB DESK: South Africa has faced criticism for their journey to the World Test Championship (WTC) final, in which their participation is now ensured after beating Pakistan in the first test of their two-match series.

South Africa’s journey to the finals is “like making the Wimbledon final without playing a seed on the way,” said former Australia spinner Kerry O’Keeffe. Former England captain Michael Vaughan shared the sentiment, stating that South Africa had beaten “pretty much nobody.”

South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad responded by defending both South Africa and the opposition they have faced.

“One of the nobodies we beat won a test match in Australia,” Conrad told ESPNcricinfo, referring to the West Indies triumph over Australia back in January. He went on to detail how New Zealand beat India, and Sri Lanka had victories over both England and New Zealand.

“I don’t buy this thing about us beating nobody,” he said.

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So how impressive was South Africa’s run to the finals?

South Africa have played a total of 11 games, seven of which they have won, three of which they have lost, and one that they drew.

The Proteas first faced off against India. They won the first match by an innings and 32 runs, thanks to a couple stellar bowling performances from Kagiso Rabada and Nandre Burger, as well as a fantastic knock from Dean Elgar. But, they would fall short in the second test, suffering their first loss of the cycle.

South Africa then fell short in both tests against New Zealand. The Kiwis batting prowess was simply too much to overcome in the first contest, and Will O’Rourke’s bowling was too much to withstand in the second.

The next series for the Proteas pitted them against the West Indies. After drawing the first match, they would return to their winning ways thanks to a couple impressive performances from Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj.

South Africa won the next series as well, in which the Proteas faced off against Bangladesh. The first contest saw Rabada dominate on the bowling side, while Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, and Wiaan Mulder all had great knocks in the second.

Sri Lanka was up next in November. Marco Jansen dominated the first game, taking a total of 11 wickets as he dismantled the Lions. A century each from Ryan Rickelton and Verreynne put the Proteas in the driver’s seat in the second test. Maharaj’s 11th five wicket haul would wrap the series up.

South Africa’s most recent outing, and their last series of the WTC is their two matches against Pakistan. They have already won the first match after they narrowly avoided a comeback upset, as Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas took six wickets in the second innings to put the Proteas on the backfoot. But, South Africa prevailed in the end, winning their eleventh match and confirming their place in the WTC finals.

In total, South Africa have won series against the West Indies, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. They also won games against India and Pakistan. Nonetheless, cricket experts are casting doubts as to whether the Proteas truly deserve a spot in the WTC finals.

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An issue with the format

Endless comparisons can be made, and each team in this trio has something over the other.

Take England for example. They played in 22 matches across the season (the most of any team) across five series. England picked up three series wins against Sri Lanka, West Indies, and New Zealand. They drew against Australia and lost to both Pakistan and India.

When compared to South Africa, the two teams share two series wins, but England did best New Zealand in their three-match series, while the Kiwis whitewashed the Proteas. However, South Africa fared better against India and at worse will draw against Pakistan, should the men in green win the second test.

Australia competed in five series this season, the last of which they are in the midst of. They have drawn two series, against England and the West Indies, and won two series, against New Zealand and Pakistan. The Aussies are 2-1 up in their series against India with one test remaining.

When compared to Australia, the Proteas fared better against the West Indies, but worse against New Zealand.

While both England and Australia have done better in series that the Proteas struggled in, the same sentiment applies the other way around.

The true issue, and the source of Michael Vaughan and Kerry O’Keeffe’s frustration, likely stems from the nature of the tournament. Firstly, not all teams play the same number of contests. Thus, the rankings are decided based on the percentage of points won out of all possible points up for grab. However, another caveat is that not all teams face the same level of opposition.

In order for teams to truly determine who the best red ball side in the world is, the WTC requires a complete overhaul. A change which would ensure that teams compete in a near equal number of contests, and against near equal competition. However, that is easier said that done, as rearranging the schedule for so many different teams is an impossible task. The International Cricket Council (ICC) designs the WTC schedule based on nearly solidified future tour programs between different cricket boards.

Thus, South Africa may have had an easier route than some other teams, but they capitalised on the opportunities presented to them, something that others failed to do. To criticise them is simply misplaced discontent that should be directed to the ICC. The Proteas did not choose the opponents they faced and so they have no reason to apologise. Nor will they.

“I’m never going to apologise for getting into the final,” said test coach Conrad.

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