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The Australian coaching seat is Tim Nielsen’s until after the 2011 World Cup, and it’s likely his South African counterpart is sitting even more comfortably.
Aside from entering the second Test at the MCG with a 1-0 series lead, South African coach Mickey Arthur can draw satisfaction from having the succession plan the Proteas envisaged two years ago bearing fruit.
Although South Africa must beat Australia here and in Africa next year to claim the No.1 ranking, the contrasts between the sides’ immediate futures are significant.
The Proteas are younger, settled and on the rise, whereas Australia are an older team with unanswered questions and, on recent form, on the decline.
For Nielsen, who has just signed a two-year contract extension, the great test will be emulating the sort of rebuilding South Africa began two years ago.
Although not hit by the exodus Australia were in the summer of 2006-07, South Africa began around the same time planning long-term – with success.
In the 22 Tests South Africa have played since early January 2007 – the time when Australia thrashed England and had a glut of stars retire – the Proteas have used 19 players, and kept largely the same side for the past 10 matches.
The results from that period read 15 wins, four losses and three draws, a series win in England and a drawn series in India, and a climb from No.6 in the rankings to No.2, not far behind Australia.
In the same period, Australia have used 23 players (six debutants) in 16 Tests, for eight wins, four losses and four draws, lost a series in India, with tours of South Africa and England looming.
In the era of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist, another of Australia’s strengths was their stability, but the selectors have not picked the same XI in succession all through 2008.
Aside from Cameron White in India, none of the debutants have strung together two matches.
Arthur said South Africa made some “big calls” and gave younger players a prolonged chance, and the show of faith had paid off.
“You’ve got to sit down plan and strategise and back the players that you picked to do the job for you,” he said Tuesday.
“It breeds confidence through the team, it breeds confidence through the players as well – it allows them to go out in the field and go and play.
“That’s something (captain) Graeme (Smith) and I have always addressed, we want our players to play with freedom.
“We don’t want them to be playing for their spots every time they go to the wicket.
“It does take a while. The watershed for us as a team was in Pakistan (in October 2007), when we won a series.
“That was the first sign of this team really gelling and coming together, and from there we’ve had a huge amount of success.”
Nielsen was excited by the challenge of developing international players when he took over from John Buchanan after last year’s World Cup, but acknowledged on Tuesday that Australia had endured their struggles in his tenure.
He said Australia had to be patient with new players, as they needed game time at the highest level before they became world-beaters.
“I’m a true believer that you can get your skills organised and yourself organised playing first-class cricket, but you don’t necessarily learn to play Test cricket by playing first-class cricket,” he said.
“You need to learn by being there.”
Nielsen said there was no need for the Australian public to lower its expectations of the national side, but allow for some form fluctuations.
“As a team we still expect to do the same things we’ve been doing in the past but there will be times when maybe individuals are a little bit more inconsistent,” he said.
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