South Africa opener Dean Elgar feels the team’s intimidation factor pales in comparison to the side he joined in 2012, pointing to the possibility of bans as a reason why players can’t say “boo to a goose.”
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Elgar said that the South African team in 2012, the year he made his international debut, was full of naturally intimidating players, who didn’t need to indulge in verbal attacks to stamp their authority.
“In 2012, we had big, tall fast bowlers, and guys like Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis who could just puff out their chests and they were intimidating,” he said. “They didn’t need to say too much. Now you can’t really go hard at guys, and you don’t want to be in a situation where you do something and then are banned, because you are letting the team down.”
The current set up, Elgar feels, is more cautious in its approach, not able to express itself the way it used to before. Elgar cited the example of teammate Kagiso Rabada, who was banned for a Test in January this year after giving Joe Root a pumped-up send-off in Port Elizabeth.
“We have seen that with KG [Kagiso Rabada] recently, and that’s just pure emotion. It shouldn’t be taken out of the game. In 2012, we had big, imposing guys; now you can’t say boo to a goose. You need to be more cautious.”
