True grit makes our Proteas team excel

In the way only a South African could put it, Proteas fast bowler Kagiso Rabada summed up what faced the team at the start of the second and final Test against New Zealand.

The team had to “wake up, rock up and execute…” The fact that the players managed to do that – after a sound thrashing in the first Test, coupled with 10 days of Covid isolation – was testament to what Rabada called their “resilience”.

That resilience, or true grit if you like, is what can lead to a team achieving more than they would be expected to, “on paper”.

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That is what happened in the series against India, which ended earlier this year. Down and out after the first Test, the Proteas were written off, even by loyal fans. But they bounced back.

The same happened in New Zealand. And perhaps the best news from that big victory in the second Test was that new blood – such as youngsters Lutho Sipamla and Kyle Verreynne and Test debutant Sarel Erwee – were leading the charge.

That depth and variety of talent, coupled with a never-say-die attitude, mean that the Proteas are back up where they belong with the best in the world.