The Proteas victory in the World Test Championship (WTC) as a truly diverse team was the most special moment of South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince’s career.
That’s quite a statement for the gritty left-handed batsman that played 119 games for South Africa across all three formats. The majority of those matches came in the 66 Tests where Prince scored 11 centuries and as many 50s.
Since transitioning into coaching, harnessing all the available talent became one of the keys for Prince.
That’s why when the Proteas beat Australia in the WTC final at the home of Lord’s led by Temba Bavuma and featuring Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj it was a moment of unadulterated pride for Prince.
Prince Reflects on the Significance of Winning as a Diverse Team
“It’s the most special thing in my sporting career. I remember being a young coach at the Cobras. And it’s exactly something that I mentioned to my team back then that I want to achieve. But if you achieve that at provincial level or franchise level, the Titans are not going to be happy about that. I’m talking about winning as a diverse team,” said Prince.
“Other provinces won’t be happy about that because that’s one province winning. But when you achieve that as the country, this is exactly what it is about. And so, to have the opportunity to be a part of that, it’s truly special. It’s a special occasion for all of us and for the country.”
As the batting coach, it would be expected that Prince’s role would always be quite technical for his willow warriors, but he explained how his strategy for their run-chase in the fourth innings was purely a mental approach.
The Importance of Staying Calm During a Run Chase
“So, before the start of the run chase, I only said two things to the guys. I said, “You, we’ve got the betting group together.” And just basically said, “You guys are good enough to get these runs.”
“And I was a little bit more experienced now as a coach. So certain words and phrases are important. So, I was quite specific in not saying, “Don’t rush to the end of the game.”
“Rather, don’t rush to the winning runs. Because the end of the game can mean that they win. Right?
“The winning runs mean we’re winning. But when you’re in that situation, you’re so anxious to get there that you want to keep going. You want to keep going.
“And there was more than enough time for us to get there. It was never … time would never be an issue. So, why that message was important for me is so that people can stay calm.
“The winning runs will come. Don’t rush to get there. It will come, just stay calm.”
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