10 South African cricketers who failed to live upto their potential

The South African tale has to be one of ‘the’ most unbelievable, heartbreaking stories in cricket. They had the firepower, the ingredients and the right mix to lift the World crown; not once but more than that. Some of the biggest names of the cricketing globe hail from this nation.The picturesque nation has always produced a good harvest of cricketers; some going on to make a mark by overshadowing others and some not making the most of their potential. In this article, we will try to identify the cricketers who could have but didn’t make it big in world cricket.

#1 Daryll Cullinan

Cullinan should have averaged more than just 33 in ODI Cricket

At number 4, everyone believed he was meant for big things. He was a true delight to the eyes when he played square of the wicket. He was the pillar around which the South African batting revolved in the 90’s. No avid cricket fan from that era would have missed his supremacy against spin.

Cullinan also set the South African record for the highest domestic score (337 not out against Northern Transvaal in 1993) and after 6 years he whistled past Graeme Pollock's highest Test score of 274 by a run at Eden Park to claim the then South African record. He made 14 hundreds in Tests. His inclusion is debate worthy but to look at it from another point of view, one feels he could have scaled much higher.

#2 Paul Adams

Adams could have done more with that action

With an uncanny action, more like a ‘dive in a mixer’ style, he introduced the world to the ‘chinaman’ and straightaway tasted success against England in the 1995-96 series. He remained the ‘ultimate mystery’ for a year but soon faded away once he was worked out.

Known among his colleagues as ‘gogga’ he lacked the drive to evolve and ended up being too predictable. His record of 134 wickets in 45 Tests does not justify the promise he showed early on.

#3 Charl Langeveldt

Langeveldt has a hat-trick to his name

A proven match-winner who disappeared even before he grew. A story of a prison warden who did not let the dream of representing the nation, die. He was raw, fast and could swing the ball at pace and late.

A player who was not a regular fixture in the starting line-up, for the major part of his life and then vanishing when he was at the peak of his powers in 2005-06. He was an ODI specialist who ended up with 100 wickets to his kitty in 72 matches. He will always be remembered for that epic one run win at Barbados where he claimed a hat-trick.

#4 Jacques Rudolph

He began with a bang

He was technically sound and had a great acumen for accumulating runs. A victim of reverse discrimination, he swam the ‘rough’ political tides to forge a successful international career. When he was all set to debut, he was replaced by Justin Ontong and became the talk of the globe as he was vetoed out on the grounds of racial discrimination. He had the potential and came back strongly in 2005 at Sydney by scoring 102 in a match where he played out of his skin to bail SA out.

Then he took a step back to improve his game and returned in 2011 successfully. He had a great season in 2011-12 but was soon dropped. The selectors did not show a lot of faith in him and he was to a great extent ‘the biggest tragedy in SA cricket’.

#5 Andre Nel

Nel had a controversial stint in international cricket

He was fast and furious; never shy or short of a word. He was at the face of the batsmen every time and he guaranteed entertainment. Big-built Nel was fast, hit the deck hard and relied on seam movement.

The ‘true badass of SA cricket’ was also caught drinking while driving and was sent back while on an ‘A tour’ game in Australia. He had the talent which was spotted early; he made headlines in 2001 and then hitting Donald on the head with a lethal bouncer which was later revealed as a strategy employed by Ray Jennings to injure the premier fast bowler.

Controversies have followed him everywhere, but secretly one was tired of watching him. He was a victim of racial taunts in Australia but gave it back with a 4-wicket haul on a Boxing Day Test. Soon he was in India and his world had changed, the Indian batters clobbered him after he tried to sledge a few. Today, he is a thing of the past, a character that left the scene early. He ended up with 123 wickets in 37 Tests at an average of 31, which does not justify his talent.

#6 Colin Ingram

Ingram’s exploits with the Warriors turned many heads

Well, now showing promise and oozing with potential is one but to capitalize on it is the ‘real deal’. Colin Ingram is still fairly young and has time to make a comeback but if he cannot it will be a tragic story. He is a middle order batsman like David Miller, almost identical in posture, technique and repertoire.

This could be a classic case of having too many talented batsmen who play identical roles; Miller and Duminy in the same age and time. He has also not done any good to help his cause by notching up 843 runs at a below-par average of 31(finishers are expected to have higher averages) in 31 ODIs. He played his last ODI in 2013.

#7 Andrew Hall

Andrew Hall started out as a very useful all rounder

A sound, hard working cricketer who had the ability to be a match-winner and a showman on his day, an impact player to the core. He could be the only player to have survived after being shot from a point blank range, what a story!

Andrew Hall represented SA for long but could not create the impact his fans would have expected. One of his best knocks was against India at Kanpur where he scored a brilliant 163. But he could not maximize his power like Shaun Pollock or a Lance Klusener. He could not score 1000 runs in either ODIs or Tests, neither did he scalp 100 wickets in both the formats, which tells you a sorrow tale!

#8 Morne van Vyk

De Kock and de Villiers have prevented Van Wyk from nailing down a spot

The Bloemfontein man was a creative and a gutsy cricketer, fearless in his approach and ever ready to learn. A natural athlete, he represented SA in various sports before taking cricket. Morne quickly caught the eye in 2003 with his dynamic style of play and also had the ability to don the gloves whenever required.

But with Boucher earlier, followed by AB and now Quinton, it seems Morne is out of favour with the selectors and with age not on his side it seems tough for him to make a comeback. Another case where potential did not bloom, thanks to circumstances and he too, did not make use of the limited opportunities that came his way.

#9 Nantie Hayward

Hayward played only 16 Tests

SA is a fertile land for the growth of raw fast bowlers; they keep churning the goods. Nantie Hayward is another of those raw materials who fizzled out when exposed to the ‘big world of cricket’. He has worked his way up the ranks; a perfect blend of pace and swing.

But his record tells you a completely different story, 54 wickets in 16 matches, so what happened to him? Where did he disappear or was he a victim of being born in an era of supreme paceman? The later could be the answer. He had a zing about him and a presence on field with his red-headedness. World cricket misses him, dearly!

#10 Justin Kemp

Kemp once smashed an 89-ball 100 against India

Big hitting Kemp had earned a reputation for himself early on in his career and was punted on as the next big thing in the SA circuit. He cleared the ropes with utmost ease and was a threat to bowl to. Tough with the ball in his hand, he did not leave a lasting impression but he was an impact player.

His career caught derailed for many reasons; one of them being marijuana. Slowly but surely he faded away from the International arena only to be seen playing league matches. One gets the feeling that he was a victim of discipline. He played 85 ODIs but could not amass a lot of runs which automatically saw his downfall.