After years of suffering the pain of late eliminations from the tournament, South Africa are on the brink of history and glory in their first ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final.
And after several tenures as top-level international coaches, it was the relatively unknown Rob Walter who brought them here.
The Proteas booked their place in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final with a brutal defenestration of Afghanistan and will now face India in Barbados on Saturday.
Walter is the antithesis of high-level coaches – he has never been a star player, remains firmly grounded in interviews and, if he is prone to outbursts of raw emotion, does not expose them publicly.
Only one journalist attended his press conference ahead of the South African semi-final on Wednesday.
FINAL LIMITATION | #SAvAFG
The dream continues, South Africa!
For the first time in history, the Proteas have qualified for the ICC T20 World Cup final. See you in Barbados! #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt#Out of this world #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/yW7n6vgyrI
– Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 27, 2024
Monkey on the back
The previous 12 South African white-ball coaches include famous names such as Mike Procter, Bob Woolmer, Mickey Arthur and Mark Boucher and yet it was 48-year-old Walter who managed to shake off the chokers dogging one side. which could reach the semi-finals, but no further.
Walter said he believes the team has already overcome its biggest psychological obstacle.
“Getting through the semi-final, without having done it before, came with its own pressure,” he told the AFP news agency.
“Now that they’ve done it, I just hope the guys go out and play freely and express themselves.”
Until now, South Africa’s results in the knockout stages of the ICC Men’s World Cup have made for sad reading.
The Proteas have played in six 50-over World Cup finals and lost them all, in a combination of cruel and comical circumstances. In the T20 version, they were eliminated twice in the semi-finals, in 2009 and 2014.
While South Africa will be relieved to have the semi-final monkey off their backs, their former players and fans will be hoping their team can deliver the ultimate prize on Saturday.
Former fast bowler Dale Steyn, who is part of the tournament’s expert panel, was seen on the sidelines after South Africa’s victory over Afghanistan.
The speedster was on the losing side in South Africa’s last two semi-finals, the 2015 50-over World Cup against New Zealand and the 2014 T20 World Cup against India.
Steyn was visibly emotional as he hugged the South African players and later admitted in a social media post:
It’s exciting down here.
We are in a final-Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) June 27, 2024
If they win, it will be a significant triumph for Walter, whose playing career peaked at school level and who was only involved as a coach at age group level before becoming South Africa’s strength and conditioning coach in 2009, a role which he held until 2013.
A recommendation from previous coach Gary Kirsten helped Walter get a job as coach of the Titans, South Africa’s most successful franchise.
The team won three titles in three seasons, leading to head coaching roles in Otago and Central Districts in New Zealand.
He was appointed South African white-ball coach in January 2023 and has brought calm to the dressing room, although he admits external appearances do not tell the whole story.
“I wouldn’t say there aren’t deep emotions, but there is a need for calm on the sidelines,” he said.
“Our job as coaches is to prepare the guys in advance and make sure everything is in place before the first ball is thrown.
“When that happens we try to maintain communication with the captain, but basically it’s the players’ decision.
“I try not to get too emotionally attached to the result, but rather focus on how we prepared.”
‘Very sensible, very calm’
The results, however, were all positive for South Africa, with eight consecutive victories, several of them very close.
The only truly comprehensive victory was against Afghanistan in the semi-final in Trinidad on Wednesday, where the Proteas claimed a nine-wicket victory after bowling out their opponents for just 56.
Walter has high praise for captain Aiden Markram, who he describes as “very sensible, very calm”, with a tactical astuteness that allowed him to make crucial decisions under intense pressure.
Given that his team has been playing on atypical and unpredictable pitches, Walter said he would have no preconceived ideas about what to expect in Barbados.
But Walter is confident they will be able to rise to the occasion if conditions in Barbados are more favorable for the batsmen, as previous results suggest.
“All the hitters contributed at different times. We had two decent wickets for batsmen, which in eight games isn’t much.
“The bowling unit has been incredibly good, but I’m sure the batsmen are eager for better conditions.”
If South Africa are successful on Saturday, there is no doubt that Walter’s low profile will not remain that way for much longer.
Ricky Ponting has some words of wisdom for the Proteas before the important stuff #T20WorldCup End of 2024 #SAvIND | More pic.twitter.com/EHQ9teXoHM
– T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 28, 2024
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
