May 3, 1999
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SOUTH AFRICAN CAPTAIN HANSIE
CRONJE Coolest of Them All Cronje affects the unflappable exterior of an elder. But within him lies the passionate heart of a winner. By Peter Roebuck
Cronje has a burning desire to win this World Cup. Everyone wants to win, of course, but Cronje and his team almost need to. After all, their rugby brethren took their trophy a few years ago. And though the cricketers have done well they fail to take that extra step. Cronje realises he must provide the necessary leadership. Although he is still young, it is not a role new to him because responsibility has fallen upon him as hats upon a hat stand. His captaincy has better reflected the expectations of his people than the dictates of his temperament. As an Afrikaner, he is a member of a patriarchal tribe, a people that believes in respect and obedience and sets store by fathers and headmasters and priests. Cronje realises he must be the elder of the team, unyielding and indomitable. Accordingly, he has cast aside the humours of his youth and adopted a calm exterior. Really he is like a chilli, cold on the outside but hot once the skin has been removed. Cronje has been captaining his country since he was 24. He has followed in the wake of Kepler Wessels, a staunch and stubborn man appointed as South Africa's first captain after its return to respectability. Wessels was a fighter who gave nothing away. He was the right man for his time because he was experienced and tough and could inspire raw players. But he was limited, too, and one critic gently pointed out that it was a German physicist Keppler who had discovered inertia, a remark that did not please the incumbent. Since his appointment Cronje has searched for something more. He has much in common with Wessels. Both men were raised in the same town. Bloemfontein where men cry twice, when they arrive and when they leave. It is a small town lying in the plains, and an Afrikaner stronghold. Few Afrikaners played cricket because it was a game for effete Englishmen. But Wessels' sister was courted by Johan Volsteedt, son of a local headmaster, who had found a copy of Wisden and had become fascinated. Wessels was converted and presently convinced his people that cricket was a game worthy of their attentions. At last Wessels retired and Cronje took his place. He is an altogether more extrovert and confident man and he set out to attack. He'd been captaining Free State since he was 21 and was not afraid to impose himself upon older players. Hearing his players grumbling in Pakistan, he rose from the table and reminded them that "we're professionals and we're lucky to be here" and strode from the room. None complained again. Cronje also realises the importance of appearance and words, especially as South Africa rebuilds itself, and he speaks with discretion and generally along the lines favoured by W.G. Grace. A reluctant orator, WG once found himself called upon to speak regularly in Canada. Lost for words he said the ground was "the best he'd ever played upon", a sentiment that proved popular. WG promptly said the same about the tea, pitch, hospitality, opponents, womenfolk and anything else that came to his mind (since this speech went down so well he regretted it at every match). The tour was a great success. South Africa has prospered under Cronje's leadership. Of course he has made mistakes. Indeed, he can be as stubborn and unscrupulous as his chum Steve Waugh. His escapades include a battered door in Adelaide and a damaged ball in Sydney. He's been lucky to escape from these outbursts. Nonetheless he has proven a fine captain. Doubtless, it's helped that he is not quite a great cricketer, a fact he realises, besides which he is intelligent and usually good-humoured. But his hopes run higher than mere recognition. A victory is needed, a fulfilment of desire or else the limitations of South African cricket will continue. Cronje feels his team is ready and its time has come but the result is important. For Cronje and his side. EXTRAS Signing on a Cricket Record Watch Out for this New Model An Impressive fan following No Pain, More Gain: |
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Hansie
Cronje cuts an impressive figure on the field and he stands erect and imperturbable,
surveying the scene with every hair in place, unbowed by misfortune. Always he seems calm
and resolute, biding his time, committed to a cause and not easily distracted. Outwardly
he appears contemplative and then, suddenly, he bursts into action, chasing and throwing
down the stumps as he did at a critical moment in Sydney, or else taking wickets with his
apparently innocuous mediums or using his height to despatch the ball over the boundary.
Captains come in all shapes and sizes, from Arjuna the crafty to Hansie the implacable.
It's the contest that counts. 
