South Africa look to right 'choker' label
Overview
It's that time of the season South Africa dread: major tournament time. No matter how much they try to convince supporters, the media and themselves, there is no doubt that major ICC events inevitably invoke anxiety. This undoubtedly leads to the same questions: Will they finally win? If not, how will they exit this time? And how bad will the aftermath be?What makes this time different is…. Absolutely nothing. Instead of talking up the current squad as being the one that will change South Africa's fortunes, Gary Kirsten did not promise anything. He only "hopes" that the team can do better than they have in previous tournaments, and even if they don't, he said he would leave the job a happy man.
That will not lessen the pressure on the fifteen who will travel to England. They know that apart from saying goodbye to Kirsten, they have fans to appease and a point to prove.
With no Graeme Smith or Jacques Kallis, they are low on experience and will rely on the more quiet leaders such as Hashim Amla and Robin Peterson, to assist AB de Villiers. Their batting line-up is the less settled of the two departments, which will put extra responsibility on the bowlers. Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe have been through enough campaigns to have seen what it takes to win.
Key player
AB de Villiers has been called one of the most talented players of his generation, and was voted the most innovative batsman at the recent IPL. His contributions will be crucial to South Africa's success. Whether he promotes himself up the order to allow more time to launch an assault, or saves himself for a late burst, de Villiers will set the tone for South Africa's totals.He will play an equally important role as captain, where his tactical acumen will have to be at its highest in the absence of Smith and Kallis. While not having the senior men around could be a disadvantage, it could also give de Villiers the space he needs to establish his own leadership style, which will be important for South Africa's development.
Surprise package
Having established himself in the Test team Alviro Petersen earned a recall to the one-day side on county form and reputation. In two championship matches for Somerset, he accumulated 437 runs, but his only notable limited-overs contribution of late was an unbeaten 63 in the Yorkshire Bank 40.Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors, said Petersen was picked over Henry Davids and Quinton de Kock because of the experience he could add to a line-up missing Smith. "We don't want to be 10 for 2 upfront, we'd rather have someone who can give us solid starts," Hudson said. Petersen is not known for his big shots, but is level-headed and can build an innings. With South Africa aiming for safety first, this could be his opportunity to show he belongs in the shorter formats too.
Weakness
Since 1999, South Africa's biggest challenge in major tournaments has been overcoming themselves and dealing with expectation. So far, they have not been able to get it right. Be it miscalculation of a Duckworth-Lewis target like in 2003, or mind games in 2011. When pressure mounts, South Africa struggle.Any opponent who has done their homework will know the best way to beat them is mentally, although this time they can also exploit an unsettled batting line-up. With a new opening pair, a young No.3, and inexperience running through parts of the squad, South Africa will be vulnerable in this department too.
Champions Trophy history
South Africa have reason to remember this competition with pride because it is the only ICC event they have won. They were the inaugural champions in 1998 when the format was still a knockout, beating West Indies in the final.In the next edition, they broke another common misconception by winning a knockout match in a major event when they beat England in the quarter-finals. They did not defend the title, though, and their results went downhill from there.
In 2002 and 2006, they lost in the semi-finals, but the real heartbreak came when they hosted the tournament in 2009. They were set a steep target of 324 to beat England in the group stage and qualify for the next round. Smith scored a century in the cause but was denied a runner by Andrew Strauss, and eventually fell with South Africa too far behind.
Recent form
At fourth place on the ICC's ODI rankings, South Africa do not go into this tournament as one of the favourites, but that is probably more because of the transition phase they are in, than where they lie on the charts. Their results have not been as consistent of late as Kirsten shifted the focus to Test cricket for the two years of his tenure.Last summer, South Africa lost a home series to New Zealand 2-1 and beat Pakistan 3-2, but it was a hard-fought series that went down to the final fixture. Since Kirsten took over in 2011, South Africa have played 24 ODIs, won 13, lost 10 and had one no-result. Their win percentage has dropped to 54% from around 62% overall.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent