By Zaahier Adams
Twenty20 cricket is causing quite a stir in the cricket world at the moment.
First it was the money-spinning Indian Premier League and now it's Texan millionaire Allan Stanford's gazillion dollars that is revolutionising English cricket.
With the English media being saturated with reports of Twenty20 cricket, purists may wonder whether Michael Vaughan's team are aware that the Proteas arrive there in less than a fortnight with a side hell bent on achieving their country's first post-isolation Test series victory in the land of the old enemy.
Crucial to achieving success in the four-match series will be No 5 batsman Ashwell Prince.
By his own admission not the most pleasing of batsmen to the eye, the left-hander makes up for his perceived technical deficiencies with dollops of courage, guts and tenacity when at the crease.
One of the hardest workers off the field, the 31-year-old new father, the first black player to have captained the Proteas, tells us who he views as a threat in the English bowling attack, his views on Kolpak players blaming transformation for leaving South Africa and why he has decided to to leave the Cape Cobras.
Why have you left the Cape Cobras for the Warriors in such acrimonious circumstances?
Basically, there are a lot of things that have disappointed me on and off the field. On the field, I have felt that if we had lost a match, it was as if it was 'okay'. Back when I arrived in Cape Town and played under guys such as Duncan Fletcher, Vincent Barnes and Eric Simons, that was unthinkable. Things just didn't feel right in the Cape any longer.
Off the field, I had been in Cape Town for 10 years at the end of last season, and most of whom I've played with before who had been there for that long, had been afforded a benefit season. I was not even approached by the CEO. It's not about the money as players hardly actually make any money out of benefit seasons any longer, but about the recognition. I mean, I would like to think that I have contributed a great deal during my time here. Western Province (now the Cape Cobras) won the SuperSport Series four times and the 45-overs limited-overs competition twice in my 10 years, and I would like to think I played a big part in that success. I've got quite a couple of good memories here in the Cape, so not to be recognised was quite disappointing.
The last time you toured England was with the SA under-19 team close to 13 years ago. There were some really promising players in your team, yet the Junior Proteas were still crushed 2-0 in the Test series. Tell us about that tour.
If I can think back to that, for me it was the first time out of the country, still wet behind the ears, as they say. In terms of the cricket, it was basically just "see the ball, hit the ball" kind of cricket. Although there were lots of talented players in our team, we did not have a lot of experience. A lot of the English guys were playing county cricket already. We have a few of the same players going on this tour like Makhaya Ntini, Neil McKenzie and Mark Boucher, so we're really looking forward to changing things around a bit!
Which English bowlers do you believe pose the biggest threat to the Proteas on the upcoming tour?
I think there entire bowling attack is quite strong. They've only got one young bowler in Stuart Broad. Ryan Sidebottom is quite new to Test cricket, but he has been playing first-class cricket for a long time, so he knows his game. He's left-arm and swings it and was in particularly good form last year, which saw him earn the England Player of the Season award. James Anderson looks like he's got his pace and swing back. He's always in the high 80 miles per hour. That's good pace. Broad is also young and fit and he will run in all day, while they've got a good spinner in Monty Panesar. He took a six-for the other day, and has raced to 100 wickets. There's also talk of Andrew Flintoff coming back, so we definitely won't be taking their bowling attack lightly. Their pace bowlers are certainly not slow and they will swing it if the conditions are suited. It will certainly be a good battle.
Most definitely. Dale (Steyn) and Makhaya are amongst the best in the world. Makhaya bowled particularly well during the latter stages at the IPL. For me, however, the guy is Morne Morkel. I always have to face him in the nets. I'm part of the second group that also includes Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers, so the three of us have seen a lot of him. We know what he is capable of.
There are hardly any "acclimatising" matches scheduled ahead of first Tests in the Future Tours programme these days. Are you happy with the two warm-up games the Proteas will play before the first Test starts at Lord's on July 14?
Most definitely. A tour of England has always been the most traditional of tours, and the guys kind of like it that way. A lot of us would not have played any first-class cricket for a while, so it will be nice to settle in and get accustomed to the conditions. We, however, have lots of guys who have played lots of cricket in England like Graeme (Smith), etc, so there will be enough guys to pass on information about the wickets and that sort of thing should anybody require it.
Talking about tradition: it is usually every visiting player's dream to score a century at "the home of cricket" for his name to go up on the Lord's honours board among the other greats of the game. Do you have similar ambitions?
I have been on a tour of Lord's, but never been into the changing rooms and all that. It will be interesting to see all the names on the board. I have scored a 100 at Sydney which is also quite a traditional ground, and it was good to see my name on the board. It will be no different for me than for any of our players going to Lord's. Maybe that's why England don't have a good record at Lord's, as all the visiting teams have the added motivation of getting their name on the board.
When you arrived in Cape Town from Port Elizabeth 10 years go, you had a reputation as a flashy "40-something" player, but you have since transformed yourself into a compact Test-quality batsman. Did you deliberately change your technique, and if so when?
Yes, I did get into the 30s and 40s and then get out. It took me a while and with gaining experience over the years in first-class cricket, I realised that even 50s and 60s were not match-winning scores, that you had to make 100s. Fortunately when I got to Test-match level, I had that experience, so when I went past 50, I could go on and make sure I got a 100. If you look at my Test record, my conversion rate is much higher at Test level than at first-class level. That only came with experience. It comes with understanding your game. When you are young and you're batting out there, all you want to do is express yourself. You realise that 50 is not actually that good, it's not going to win the game.
So it had more to do with your mindset than your technique?
Yes, it was definitely more my mindset. It was my whole mental approach to the game. I worked with Paddy Upton, who helped me to improve, but unfortunately he's now with India. It looked like he knew a few things about me when we played India, but, on a serious note, I did have a conversation with him and he assured me that nothing would be divulged and that everything would remain professional.
Is that flashy player still hidden inside Ashwell Prince, itching to be unleashed on opposition bowlers?
I think there's a misconception about my game whether I can or can't play one-day cricket or Twenty20 cricket. When I was in the national one-day squad, I had a specific role to play. We had the likes of (Shaun) Pollock, (Justin) Kemp and Boucher coming in at 6, 7, and 8 behind me. My job was to make sure that when we got to the last 15 overs, their wickets were still intact. They were not to be exposed too early. I was instructed to play a low-risk game to try to protect them for as long as possible. People then turned around and said that my strike rate was not good enough, and sometimes it was the selectors who were saying these things when that was the job they had asked me to do. That was very frustrating. I believe I can play one-day cricket. The season before the World Cup when the Cobras won the MTN Domestic Championship, I averaged over 40, and of all the Cobras players I had the highest strike rate. I don't think anybody knows that, but it's fact.
So you don't see yourself as a Test specialist?
I don't. I can play a role in all forms of the game. But you can only perform if you are given the opportunities. Life is all about opportunities.
You do, however, seem to be somebody who thrives when the Proteas scorecard reads 45/3 instead of 245/3. Why is that?
Yes, it is a weakness in my game at the moment. It seems that I tend to concentrate harder when we are in trouble. It is definitely something that I'm working on at the moment, as it all boils down to self-motivation. I mean, in the second Test against Bangladesh when we were something like 500/2 and Neil and Graeme both had double centuries already, and I go in and get two. Looks a bit silly, doesn't it? I mean Jacques Kallis went in just ahead of me and scored 35 not out. Guys like Jacques and Sachin Tendulkar score runs any time in any situation. That is what makes them that good. It's all about putting a price on your wicket.
Besides your two big innings against the West Indies during the New Year period, the 2007-08 season was much leaner than the previous year when your rich vein of form saw you win the coveted Proteas' Castle Test Player of the Year award. Did it bother you at any stage that you were perhaps not contributing as much as you would have liked?
It has been a frustrating period for me, right from the World Cup in the Caribbean through to the IPL, where I never played a game. But the England tour is the beginning of a new 12 months, so I'm really looking forward to making a greater contribution to the team.
You were not selected for a single IPL game with the Mumbai Indians. Do you think "Test specialists" could possibly lose out financially if corporate and millionaire business continue to pour money into only Twenty20 cricket?
It's difficult one to answer. Whatever a person does in cricket, he will always be judged on his Test career. I don't think people care what happens in Twenty20 cricket, besides the crowds who are entertained. However, if somebody like Stanford has plenty of cash to throw around and it's being sanctioned by the ICC, there's not much wrong with that. Before all of this started, Test players had a good living. If you are a regular Test player for your country, you're not starving. Ultimately the goal of any young cricketer should still be to play Test cricket for his country.
Many people have compared you to former Protea and current Indian coach Gary Kirsten. Would you agree?
I have always admired Gary. Many people say we are similar as he too would be the first to admit that he never had all the shots in the book, but he stuck it out in tough situations for his country, and that is something that I too have done recently. So maybe, yes.
Having played club, provincial and now international cricket with JP Duminy , do you see yourself as a mentor towards him?
I think for a young guy, JP's got quite a good head on his shoulders. Whenever he's had an opportunity, which has been mostly in one-day cricket, I've tried to guide him, give him some advice, and some encouragement. We have a good relationship. I'm 100% sure he'll make a fine Test player. As he's shown in first-class cricket in South Africa, he's got a great temperament. He's always calm. You can say whatever you want to him.
So you don't see him as a threat to your place in the Proteas' Test team?
Eventually he will take my place. It's inevitable. I try to look at things from a broader perspective. At the end of the day, there's going to be somebody who comes in and who does the same or even better than you have done. He's establishing himself now, so there's every chance he could play on this tour. We should just be cautious about rushing him. If you look at the Aussies, they only get into the team in their late twenties. He's only 24. What he's doing and what is good is that when he plays domestic cricket, he is dominating. The more he does that, the more confidence he will have when he plays Test cricket. You must understand your game when you play Test cricket. I know when you are young and you've scored a couple of hundreds and people are talking about you, it's a great feeling, but you don't actually understand what you doing. A guy like McKenzie, who has come back into Test cricket and even though he is out of position, he understands what an opening batsmen needs to do, therefore he has been successful. Even before Boeta Dippenaar signed a Kolpak, he acknowledged that he is much better now than when he was in and out of the team in his early twenties, and that he would serve his country much better if he played now. It's all about understanding your game. If you look at the domestic first-class averages every year, you will see the older players at the top of the list.
The number of South African Kolpaks playing for English counties has been a big talking point of late. How do you feel when players blame transformation for leaving South Africa?
Firstly, it has to be said that it's purely a monetary thing. I mean I can respect guys like HD (Ackerman) and Dale (Benkenstein) who gave their best years to South African first-class cricket and now went in search of extra money to secure their long-term financial future. But I don't understand young guys, some of whom have not even played first-class cricket in South Africa, blaming transformation for leaving. That is just ridiculous.
What has been the worst sledge that has been directed at you in the heat of battle?
This was definitely the funniest. It was against Australia in Australia and somebody from behind the wicket, I don't know who, said I wouldn't be able to catch a pig in a hallway because of the shape of my legs. That was funny. I think on the upcoming tour of England it will get heated sometimes, especially with the likes of Kevin Pietersen in their team. The worst? Unfortunately, if you are player of colour in a South African team, the opposition will always have a go at you about you not deserving to be there, and that type of thing. I think that is possibly why I've been misunderstood about my stance on "targets" in the past. I just don't want the next young crop of players of colour to endure the sledging I've received from opposition teams.
Talking about transformation within the national team: do you not feel some extra pride knowing that you will always be the first black Test cricket captain of South Africa?
Sometimes I really feel that people make way too much of being black and white. I think if you are captain of your country, regardless of your colour, you should be proud to lead your country into battle.
Have you set yourself any personal goals that you would like to achieve before you retire?
I have set myself a personal goal of scoring a century against each Test-playing nation. I have scored seven centuries, six against different teams. Not many players in the world have done that. The three teams left on my list are Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and England. I had a great opportunity against Bangladesh in the first Test there last season when we struggled in the first innings and I was on two overnight. I went to bed thinking that we are not likely to be in this position anytime soon against Bangladesh, so I better get stuck in the next day. Unfortunately I was run out for 10, so it was an opportunity missed.