The Cricket Interview/Hansie Cronje
'As long as I am captain, I won't bother too much about my individual achievements'
Hansie Cronje is
widely considered one of the finest captains in contemporary cricket.
His intelligent leadership and ability to get the best out of
his players has enabled South Africa to be one of the world's top teams
today.
But then all this is not surprising, considering the fact that
he has been a leader throughout his cricketing career.
He took over the reins of the Orange Free State with smashing
success when he was barely 21. Since then his record as captain
in South Africa's domestic tournaments has been just about
fantastic.
The South African skipper spoke at length about his captaincy and his team
in a recent interview with Haresh Pandya:
Don't you think you are very lucky to be playing for your country,
considering that many South African cricketers were not so fortunate
because of its absurd policy of apartheid?
I feel sorry for those talented players who
missed out because of the political problems that we had. Twenty-six
years is a long time. We had some exceptionally good players at
that time -- Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards, Eddie Barlow and
Mike Procter. We had a world-class allrounder in Clive Rice.
So I think I am extremely fortunate to be in a situation to play
for South Africa.
Who do you think played a major role in abolishing the
brutal practice of apartheid, paving the way for South Africa to re-enter international cricket?
I think that apart from Nelson Mandela and others, it was the
general attitude of the people of South Africa that helped. Also sports, particularly cricket, helped to unite the country.
Were the international sanctions on South Africa justified?
Yes, of course. I think so.
What does it feel like leading a talented team like South Africa?
It is obviously a great privilege to be the captain of my country.
And it is again a big privilege to have good quality players in
the side. We have an exceptionally good coach in Bob Woolmer.
All the guys are extremely motivated.
Have you modelled your captaincy on any particular
captain?
I've learnt a lot from the captains of many countries.
Clive Lloyd, Mike Gatting, Clive Rice, Kepler Wessels,
Graham Gooch and Allan Border immediately come to mind. You take
good points from them and model them into your own style of captaincy.
What, in your opinion, is your plus point as a captain?
I think I always try to bring the best out of my players. I
want them all to feel they are an important part of the team.
I want them all to contribute and I want them all to enjoy playing
for South Africa. That's where I think I have played
a big role.
Did the captaincy come to you at the right time?
I was fortunate to be the vice-captain when Kepler Wessels
stepped down. Yes, I think captaincy came to me at an appropriate
time.
It seems that because of the weight of captaincy you have not
been able to give consistently good batting performances. Do you
agree? At least you have not been batting as well as you did in
1993-94...
Maybe it has got to do with the captaincy. But I
feel captaincy has made me more responsible as a batsman.
I may not have played bigger knocks but I have played more important
innings for South Africa as a captain.
Have you ever thought of changing your place in the batting order?
No, I haven't felt the need for that.
Which of your Test innings has satisfied you the most?
Probably my 122 against Australia at the Wanderers in 1994.
Can you throw some light on your double century for the Orange
Free State against the same Australian side?
We were chasing 460 runs on the last day. And we reached 400. I got 251. So it was obviously one of my best first-class
innings. It was my highest score, too. I scored my runs against
the likes of Merv Hughes, Paul Reiffel, Shane Warne and Tim May.
So it was a good attack, wasn't it?
Although you have done pretty well against spinners like Shane
Warne and Anil Kumble, your technique against hostile fast bowling
is a bit questionable...
Yes, I tend to struggle against the fast bowlers. But I think I
have been improving my technique against such bowlers.
How do you look at your international career at this stage?
I've played a lot of competitive cricket in the past five years
or so and I've still got three or four good years as a Test batsman.
So I am looking forward to doing well and improving my career
graph.
Like many cricketers, do you also set goals for yourself?
Not really. I work on short term goals for the team rather than
for me as an individual. As long as I am the captain, I won't
bother too much about my individual achievements.
Do you have any trump-card in the South African team?
We've got very good players in the side. I don't think
we have any superstar but we have different men for different
jobs. Allan Donald is a match-winner. Brian McMillan, Lance Klusener
and Shaun Pollock are world-class allrounders. Gary Kirsten has
been scoring runs. Jonty Rhodes is one of the best fielders in
the world; Dave Richardson is one of the best wicketkeepers in
the world. We have got extremely talented young players in Paul
Adams, Herschell Gibbs and Jacques Kallis. More and more promising
players have been joining the team. We will soon be one of
the top teams of the world.
How do you view South Africa's former coach Mike Procter and
the present one, Bob Woolmer?
There is a difference between the two. Mike Procter was obviously
a legend. He was a very knowledgeable person. Bob Woolmer is different
in the sense that he is more scientific.
What has been the strength of your team?
I think we are a good all-round team. To me, the main strength
is team unity and the team spirit.
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