There is a Cricket World Cup at stake in 2019. However, if South Africa is under any additional pressure, it will not be from inside the team. As his squad prepares to make their way to England where they won’t be considered the favourites to win this tournament for once, Faf du Plessis won’t be demanding anything extravagant from his team this time around.

Instead, he believes that sticking to what worked for them in the past and focusing on enjoying the tournament after a summer where they managed to win 11 games from 13 ODI’s and defeating Australia 2-1 away, will offer an exact formula for success.

South Africa’s Chances in the 2019 Cricket World Cup

In previous cricket world cups, South Africa wanted to deliver superhuman performances. They were under the impression that they had to provide something extraordinary and had to, which was not the outcome in the previous two World Cup tournaments. South Africa is not known for playing the best cricket when it comes to the World Cup tournaments because they place too much pressure on themselves, which isn’t necessary.

Seven team members of the squad that are making their way to England this year formed part of the World Cup team in 2015 when New Zealand defeated the side with four wickets in hand during the semi-finals. Dale Steyn, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Hashim Amla, and Faf du Plessis were also part of the team during the 2011 World Cup when they were second best during another nail-biting contest with New Zealand.

Faf du Plessis as Captain

Faf du Plessis is regarded as a thinking captain but can also be considered a feeling captain at the same time. Instead of shying away from the pressures that are coupled with competition on an international level, he urges his team to look at things positively. He also hasn’t been afraid of discussing this with the media in terms of the mental aspect.

He recently informed reporters that the South African cricket team started preparing over two years ago to get their mental preparation in order. This is one area that du Plessis believes the team can improve on when compared to previous World Cup encounters. He is someone that has been to several World Cup tournaments and is well aware of the pressures that come with it. This is one reason why he believes that the South African cricket team of 2019 should play more freely and enjoy themselves as opposed to feeling too much pressure and failing horribly.

Faf du Plessis’s new approach will also get noticed when it comes to selecting the South African squad during the tournament. He believes that the team should be picked according to their performance and experience. The squad decision is going to be made during the two warm-up matches based on form.

From beginning to end, a trace of panic managed to linger over the way the BBL and its cricket clubs handled the dead and brief flirtation of AB de Villiers during the tournament. Considered the most game-changing addition when it comes to Australian cricket, the Big Bash League deserved better than to host a competition that didn’t have any winners.

AD de Villiers Losses Interest in BBL

Whether it was the broadcasters from Fox and Seven News/Sports Corp, the clubs, or even Cricket Australia, the eagerness to finally secure AB de Villiers after he decided to decline participation in the tournament in the previous season looked motivated by belief and worried about the strength the cricket tournament already had.

The management team of De Villiers and the cricket star himself, having received offers by more than half the cricket clubs, stated on Friday that he is no longer interested in participating in the tournament, offering no specific reason other than complaining about the repeated media leaks regarding his interest along with the terms by which it could be secured.

When you look at the length of the cricket tournament, the BBL salary cap constraints, there’s enormous proximity of Australian news on white-ball players that will be away for an ODI tour in India during January. It essentially deprived the cricket tournament of loads of talent which made AB de Villiers a must or bust situation, leaving plenty of unanswered questions in the air.

Money Was Always a Problem

For one, the money that needed to be gathered by the broadcasters, the Cricket Australia marketing funds, and successful cricket clubs. All involved with discussions to sign de Villiers made a huge mockery of the salary payments that are usually available to the players that participate in the tournament, while they raised the issue of whether AD de Villiers would be in the cricket tournament as a billboard or cricketer.

A $350,000 figure for a handful of cricket games made the headline of a 5-year contract worth $1 million inked by Chris Lynn look puny. There was loads of pressure from the global market and elsewhere that forced the broadcasters, clubs, and CA to look over and above the norm. However, there were loads of voices that questioned the integrity of the deal and how successful it would genuinely be to pay one player that much money in broad daylight.

Imagine if you will see a salary cap league like the AFL where broadcasters were initially approached to provide additional money for players to ensure they arrive at a specific club. This was mainly a display of how the BBL spent way too much money to get one elite player to increase the popularity of a cricket tournament that never needed to be expanded in the first place. All the uncertainty and scrambling by the BBL made them look less like a cricket addition and more like a struggling league.

With the surprising return of David Warner and Steven Smith, loads of attention has been given to the batting order of Australia ahead of the Cricket World Cup in England and Wales this year, while the spinning role has also been discussed in great detail. However, how are the quick bowlers doing at the moment in preparation of the World Cup?

Pat Cummings

After receiving the Allan Border Medallist for a player of the year, including tours to UAE and India, Cummings decided to have some downtime before the Brisbane camp. His form has not been dampened after taking a few weeks off. He managed to strike twice during the opening over against New Zealand and finished off with 3 for 36. He can be a star when it comes to the upcoming World Cup.

Mitchell Starc

Starc hasn’t played a match since the Sri Lanka Test where he, unfortunately, suffered a severe injury to his pectoral muscle. He bowled quite well in Brisbane, but it’s unlikely that he will participate in the next three matches. Perhaps the managers will allow him to play at least one game before he makes his way to England. In the last 15 months, he only played in 3 OD I’s due to his injuries. However, adding him to the mix for a quick bowler in the World Cup will be the right choice.

Nathan Coulter-Nile

It’s been an exciting couple of months for this quick bowler. Nathan managed to take ten wickets in only five games against Pakistan and India after he was overlooked entirely for the India series, allowing him to make several comments regarding the lack of communication. During the opening match where Australia faced New Zealand, Nathan showed his worth with three wickets for 34. He is someone that could bring a positive change to the squad if he makes his way to England.

Jason Behrendorff

After enduring loads of accidental injuries, Jason received his opportunity on the big stage where he enjoyed his first ODI match against India in a recent home season. He will likely become an understudy for Mitchell Starc during the World Cup. However, once he is warmed up and ready to go, he can be a dangerous left-arm quick bowler. He managed to collect 3 for 34 on Monday and was the only one of the frontline for Australia to make his way to the IPL where he enjoyed five matches.

Josh Hazlewood

Josh is still busy with recovery after his stress fracture. This, unfortunately, ended his season following the India test series, and he has ruled him out for the upcoming World Cup team. He managed to make his return to the next recently but is still not bowling for the A tours. His best chance to make an appearance in the World Cup is if Australia requires a replacement after the group stages are done and dusted.

The Sydney Sixers are shaping up to be the likely destinations for AB de Villiers in the Big Bash League. This forms part of the package deal that was presented to AB de Villiers from Cricket Australia, along with its broadcasters, that could be worth a jaw-dropping AUD350,000 for a spell at the back end of the tournament during the summer.

The Cricket Australia Deal

Cricket Australia and broadcasters have recently confirmed to the clubs within the Big Bash League that they will offer financial assistance to successfully secure AB de Villiers signature before a brand-new season where the ODI men’s team will be absent for most of January in Australia. Cricket Australia’s contribution is set to be around $50,000 where they will receive marketing services in return.

The Sydney Sixers appear to be the frontrunners to receive AD de Villiers as a player for reasons over and above the broadcasting, marketing, and playing deal that can formulate for the South African cricket player and his management team.
Big Bash League Clubs

Most of the cricket clubs that form part of the Big Bash League have shown interest in signing the phenomenal cricket player from South Africa. The Adelaide Strikers would have claimed de Villiers if he was available for the entire season. The proposal from the Sydney Thunder’s was strengthened thanks to the salary cap afford to him by Shane Watson who is going to limit himself to shorter T20 international matches instead of a more demanding and extended Big Bash League schedule.

However, the Sydney Sixers have plenty of advantages that cannot be matched anywhere else. Not only will AB de Villiers have a former teammate and friend at Sydney Sixers, thanks to Morne Morkel. He is spending 6 months of the year in Sydney due to his family, but he will also be able to participate in home matches at the SCG, the stadium where he managed to score a remarkable 162 runs from only 66 balls while playing for South Africa who faced West Indies during the World Cup in 2015.

High profile signings that come equipped with financial assistance from Cricket Australia and broadcasters, including Fox Sports, have long been part of the Big Bash League history. This includes Kevin Pietersen and Shane Warne with Melbourne Stars. The recent news that the ODI team of Australia would be pressed to provide a pre-existing commitment to participate in a tour to India in January 2020 has assisted the push to secure AB de Villiers for at least a portion of the upcoming competition.

Apart from AB de Villiers joining the Sydney Sixers, other cricket stars will also join in on the action in the next few weeks. This will include Fawad Ahmed that will eventually form part of the Perth Scorchers, while Nathan Coulter-Nile, who is a paceman in West Australia, will likely join the ranks of Melbourne Stars for their 2019/20 season.