Losing, winning and L'appuntamento

I have to wonder what the South African team must feel like. The 'choker' tag must be a burden to bear, and over time will become a malapropism that is going to stick. What must they do to convert these losses into victories, I wonder. For the longest time, I have believed that aside from Jonty Rhodes, Allan Donald and Herschelle Gibbs, they have never had any players who were gifted with flair. Look at their stars historically, Kepler Wessles, Clive Rice, Andrew Hudson, Pat Symcox, Cronje, Kallis, Smith, etc. All doughty men who would succeed 80% of the time, but simply not having that something extra to do something truly remarkable that critical 20% of the time. The 80-20 Pareto principle simply does not seem to apply to matches which SA lose, and thats really striking.

Maybe its the way they are taught to play. With a presumably smaller cricket playing population and lesser competition than say, India, Pakistan or even England, traditional, correct methods of playing the game seem to carry more weight than a focus on an ability to do something special 20% of the time.

You cannot escape this fact, especially if you have a look at their captains - Clive Rice, Kepler Wessels, Hansie Cronje. Shaun Pollock and then Graeme Smith. The latter is probably the least culpable, and for the most part because of his age. Good luck if you are a 'flair' player trying to get into a team led by these metronomes. If anything, the most flair among this lot was shown by Hansie Cronje, and for non-cricketing reasons.

In a cruch situation, it helps if the batsman is able to play a 'flair' filled wristy smear across the line for six rather than crash a purists straight drive to a waiting long-off for a single.

Lastly, success in life is definitely subject to more factors than those under the control of those seeking it, and thats undeniable. So, its safe to treat the semi-finals for what they are, a sport. If today should be a case of L'Appuntamento, I hope India turn up. Till then, have a blast and good luck!!

For now, have a look at Bocelli's rendition of Ornella's masterpiece. I have to say Ornella wins this one fair and square.