Is it really IPL versus Country?
At any other time, it is a discussion that can be had, but is it worth it to have it now?
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The IPL versus country issue
A conversation that seems to refuse to die down is the small matter of the Proteas releasing all their IPL contracted players to go and join their franchises midway through the series. This was seen by some local fans and commentators, both locally and internationally, as a lapse in judgement. It was considered to be Cricket South Africa pandering to the whims of the BCCI and players putting money before their country.
It is tempting to open with an argument of players' security and need for money, considering the shortness of their careers. That is an argument that even those against the decision to release players to go to their IPL teams somehow manage to piggyback and somehow make a point. But, I will not do that because this is not about that.
It's about the world cup.
I see it as part of the 2020 T20 Cricket World Cup preparation. If this year was an ODI World Cup year, I would have a very different perspective on this. But, it is not.
You see, world cup preparation takes various forms. There is strength and conditioning; making sure that players are at the peak of their physical fitness in the period before and leading up to the event. Then there is team building.
Indeed, the series against Pakistan provided an opportunity for the team to gel and grow as a unit, for team members to find their place and develop an understanding of their role within the team on and off the field. This is especially important given the recent appointment of Temba Bavuma as captain of the white-ball sides.
However, it's entirely a missed opportunity for development in that regard as there are more other international tours this year.
The other way to prepare for the world cup is skill development, and that is where I believe there is merit in releasing the players.
Fram the ship
In the 1800s, Fridtjof Nansen set to work on building a ship that could work with nature instead of against it. The reason for this was so that he could explore and collect data about the North Pole, an expedition that was proving to be very difficult for all explorers.
Voyaging ships often found themselves caught in the ice. And as weather conditions changed, sea ice could pile up on top of itself, making ridges and icequakes. The grip of this ice could grind ships to pieces. Therefore, Nansen's success depended on whether his ship could work with the conditions in the North Pole and not whether it was the strongest one available.
And that is how they designed Fram, a chubby and round ship that was only 39 metres long and 11 metres wide. Fram was unlike other ships of the time. The ship had a smooth curvy hull, almost no keel, and engines and rudder that could be lifted right out of the water. When the ice came, the Fram became a floating bowl. And if you squeeze a curved shape like a bowl or a cylinder from below, it will pop upwards. If the squeeze from the ice got too much, the Fram would just be pushed upwards to sit on top of it.
Nansen's bulbous stout little ship did become the first vessel to sail closest to the North Pole and back. Not only that, but because of the data that he and his team collected, the first map of the area was developed.
As Helen Czerski writes in Storm in a Teacup, "Fram's success was due to trying to answer one question, ‘How can I work with the world, not against it?' Instead of fighting the inexorable expansion of the ice, the Fram had used it to ride across the top of the world."
What does this have to do with the Proteas and the players who left for the IPL?
Building for conditions
Cricket consistently demonstrates that many teams fail abroad not because they lack the talent, but because of foreign conditions. It is because they struggle to adapt their skills to alien conditions. Almost every international team enjoys a significant home advantage.
One can argue that every international T20 player possesses the ability to play a great innings. But, that ability is subjective to specific conditions. Generally, cricketers excel in their native countries. The current leaders in Test cricket, New Zealand, win more at home than they lose, and has risen to that position because, since February 2020, they have played all their Test matches at home. And they have won all matches.
Therefore, at events such as World Cups and similar events, it is not the team with the most talent that wins, but rather, the team that plays the conditions best. By releasing the five players to join Faf du Plessis, Marco Jansen and other South African players already with their IPL franchises, the Proteas make a huge step towards this end.
One can argue that the Proteas have an upcoming tour to India later in the year. True, that tour will help with acclimating the team as a unit, but it will not do a lot to the overall preparation. Last stop series before a major tournament rarely do that. Last-minute practice does not lead to mastery.
In any case, that tour lacks what the IPL brings: elite competition under conditions that mimic or might surpass those of a world cup tournament. The IPL is a high-pressure competition, a pressure that is difficult to replicate in a bilateral series.
Also, not only will the players playing with and against the best current T20 Indian players, but they will also be with and against top talents from other countries too. Then add the fact that they will be receiving coaching and technical support from some of the best T20 coaches and analysts.
The fact that the IPL is a melting pot of most of the best in the format, it offers a great platform for World Cup preparation. Maybe not preparation for all members of the Proteas squad, but an important one for a large number of them.
In the short term, the decision looks bad, especially if the focus is on winning a series in the short term. However, the question that should always be foremost on people's minds is what problem you are trying to solve? What is the plan driving the decision-making process? Is it based on immediate or long-term results?
This is an either-or situation.
If the contingent that left for India had not been released, the probability of a series victory would be high. The best of the Proteas at home, even at their worst, the Proteas are no pushovers at home in white-ball cricket.
But, that was sacrificed for a move that has many long-term benefits to the team's world cup aspirations. It is the Frams of this world that enjoy success, the players with the right skills for the right conditions. That is a competitive advantage.
In keeping with IPL spirit, here is an episode of the Idea-Sharing Project that I recorded recently with Prasanna Lara as he shares his thoughts on playing T20 in India. The episode is also available on Anchor FM.
