The Abraham Benjamin Effect
Are you perplexed what this Abraham-something stuff is? And who this Abraham Benjamin fella is?
You might think this sounds like an artist. But then, you see the 'Effect' word there too. Might make you think 'magician'. What if I tell you he is both and more. Singer, golfer, tennis player, etcetera. Don't even get started on that list. But most importantly, Abraham Benjamin De Villiers, or more famously, AB De Villiers, is a professional cricketer, who plays primarily for the South African Cricket team.
Now the Abraham Benjamin effect is a term of my own invention - 'AB effect is defined as the complete mesmerization of the crowd supporting either team, by a player with an 'A', a 'B', and sometimes a 'C' plan for every ball, to the extent that the team to which the player in question belongs, starts appearing much stronger than it really is.'
Oppositions have come to fear the arrival of this man on crease so much over the past few years, so much so that, it is rumored some deliberately failed to get the earlier batsmen out. While this evidently sounds too far-fetched to be true, what is not is that the bowlers would have prayed for it even if they did not act upon it.
The South African Cricket team, not coincidentally, is as respected and feared around the world, as the man himself. Currently, they sit on the summit of the ICC Test rankings and are 3rd placed in ODI rankings. They reached the semi-final of the ODI world cup 2015, before losing out honorably in the last over. They boast of one of the world's finest bowling units, possessing the world's best bowler - Dale Steyn. They have the run-printer Hashim Amla, the stoic Faf Du Plessis, and extremely talented players like Quinton De Kock and David Miller. Picture perfect, right? Errm, not completely.
Despite possessing the best of three worlds, including fielding, the current South African team is only the second best South African side to take the field, first being their immediate predecessors. That summit they sit upon is a pretty slippery one, with India and Australia closing in on them days and nights alike. Being third placed in ODIs is a demotion for South Africa, who made the second spot their own in the 2000s. They let that nobody-in-world-cricket Grant Eliott wrench victory out of their jaws after posting a mammoth total, and in the process betrayed the infamous Proteas' nerves for the hundredth time in cricket history.
That most-vaunted bowling unit became less so that day itself, with the best bowler in the world serving rank length balls, before finally being carted for that massive six, that ended it all, one that will forever trouble Steyn's sleep. A few weeks later, he was sent out of the park for much more by a rookie Indian batsman and had to sit out many matches to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Ya, that bowler!
As always, they possess no real spin attack, despite Tahir's intermittent wickets between his >6 economy overs, no matter the format. The run-printer seemed to have its cartridge stuck for the most part of 2015. Du Plessis appeared too stoic for his or his team's good, playing in a shell whenever he came out to bat. Probably the only batsman worse on the India tour would be Stiaan Van Zyl, a shining example of SA's dwindling bench strength. Miller is all right, though, except he too decided to go on a lean patch. De Cock, according to reliable sources, possesses a magic potion, that lets him hit hundreds at will against India. Only against India.
Despite these minuscule issues, statistics show that South Africa have done well for themselves. In the last two years, South Africa have won 27 out of their 43 ODI matches, while losing just 15. But wait, there's a catch there. 6 of these wins were against Zimbabwe, 5 against West Indies, 1 apiece against Ireland and UAE. In fact, against the top 8 nations according to ICC rankings, which unfortunately no longer includes West Indies, South Africa have won just 14 games out of 30.
Yeah. South Africa has won less than 50 percent matches against proper cricket-playing nations. And this is the reason why, from being the first and the only team till date to achieve numero uno status across all three formats simultaneously in 2012, they have slipped to being 3rd in ODIs and 5th in T20s.
Some two years back, the great Jacques Kallis retired after scoring a gallant century in his last match against India, leading the Proteas to an excellent match and series win against India. Graeme Smith, the able captain and batsman, retired 3 test matches later. And behold!
Post that match, South Africa have won 5, lost 6 and drawn 6 test matches out of 17 they have played. And two of those wins came against West Indies, a team that loses by 10 wickets against an Australian club team. Mind you, not the best one in Australia.
Not enough for you still? Consider these. The two years before these two, South Africa played 21 Test matches, out of which they won a staggering 13, and lost 2. Go figure that. Going into the details, these included series wins in Australia against Australia, crushing England in England, and drawing level with India in India.
I think this now presents a more wholesome picture of the steady and stealthy decline of the South Africa of old.
But wait, there is some counter-intuitive information hidden there. De Villiers, the batsman-cum-wicketkeeper-cum-insane-fielder, who also captains South African ODI team, and now their Test side too, has done something staggering. In the last two years, AB has scored 2,072 runs in just 34 ODI innings, at an average of 76.81, with 7 centuries and 11 fifties. So, coming out at number 5, he practically posts more 50+ scores, than he doesn't. Please don't even get started on the strike rate in that period. Suffice it to say that he has now taken his strike rate above 100. With an average above 54!
Another wonderful fact there is that before these two years, AB had 6331 runs from 153 innings, at an average of just 49.46.
How is that possible? The two sets of data seem oppositely correlated. It's like those construction companies in U.S. that made hay while the world was sunk in recession. Also, despite his team's unflattering performance in Tests in that duration, AB scored 1123 runs at an average of 48.83. And that includes 4 test matches in those dust bowls in India, where none of SA's totals went past 220 in 7 innings.
These statistics are an unfailing testimony to how important has De Villiers been to South Africa's successes and even its respectable defeats. He scored an important 65 in that semi-final; he scored a century against Mitchell Johnson at his best, during that second match at Port Elizabeth which South Africa won; he was there when they stonewalled against India, and showed the world the extremes of Test cricket.
The extent of the AB effect can be gauged by the fact that when he goes on a paternity leave (mind you AB never gets injured), they lose to Bangladesh 2-1 in ODIs, dismissed for sub-200 two times in a row. So AB comes back, and they beat the hell out of the 2nd placed team in ICC ODI rankings, with him scoring 3 centuries in 5 matches, and SA piling up one more 400+ score, the fourth in 2015. AB has hit centuries in three of those four 400+ scores. Period.
So is there no hope left for South Africa on the rare rainy days when AB is not up to his mark? Thankfully not. There is a silver lining at the end of that tunnel. Silver 'linings', I rephrase.
The brightest being Temba Bavuma. This 5ft-4in 25-something cricketer, the first black South African to score a Test century, is a breath of fresh mint into the tired-looking South African side. Nicknamed 'Sachin' at his club team, Bavuma showed immense potential in that 'stonewalling' against India, before scoring the century to save the Test against England. His indomitable energy in the field, aided by his child-like face, is a far-sight from the dour Proteas and is a treat for the viewers to watch. Another equally good omen is Kagiso Rabada. Taking a hat-trick in first ODI, only the second player to do so in cricket history, and earning the best bowling figures in a debut ODI. He now has a staggering 21 wickets in his first 10 matches.
These two, along with clever off-spinner Dane Piedt, and well-established Vernon Philander, have the potential to completely solve the Black-quota problem of South African cricket team for once. Sooner or later, 'Killer Miller' will come into his own, and will dismantle the oppositions ruthlessly and single-handedly. De Cock is as young as they come, and gradually he will mature into a top wicketkeeper-batsman for South Africa if he hasn't already. Amla is already back and packing punches. Faf and Dale are world-beaters. No need to worry about them.
And if ever they all fail, or they collectively are not enough, you know what to do. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and say, 'Have no fear, coz AB is here.' Repeat that chant one or two times more, and you will be fine, I promise.
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