‘South Africa should have won the World Cup in 1999’

The name Shaun Pollock is synonymous with South African cricket. Coming from a family of cricketing greats - Graham Pollock and Peter Pollock - Shaun weaved his way up the ranks and etched his name as one of the finest bowling all-rounders of his time.

The Business Standard caught up with him to talk about his career and the ongoing Test series between Bangladesh and South Africa.

How have you enjoyed your commentary stint in this Test match?

It's been good, a really interesting Test match. It's nice that South Africa came out on top, and I'm looking forward to the second game in Chattogram. South Africa played well, but I think Bangladesh will be disappointed, especially after being bowled out for 106 in the first innings. It's tough to fight back from there, but they showed some character and pushed it to the fourth day.

Why do so many South African fast bowlers, particularly those who have joined the 300-wicket club, like yourself, transition to commentary? It seems to be a trend, aside from Morne Morkel.

Yes, I suppose Allan (Donald) did a bit, as did Dale Steyn. Morné has also been in the commentary box before, and Makhaya Ntini does commentary back home in our language. I think we've spent so much time analyzing the game, always thinking of ways to pick up wickets and get batsmen out, so maybe that translates well. And you know, bowlers have better personalities than batters—it's just a fact; we're more exciting to listen to.

I'll put you on the spot here: among the six South African bowlers in the 300-wicket club, could you rank your top five?

Maybe not a top five, but if you're making a proper bowling attack, you'd need KG (Rabada) as the strike bowler. So, I'd go with Rabada, Steyn, and Donald. I'll sit this one out, and you can pick a spinner to balance the attack.

You come from a cricketing family in South Africa. Why do we see so many cricketing families back home, especially with young players in the U-19 teams coming from cricketing backgrounds?

I think growing up in a cricketing family means spending a lot of time on the field, which often leads you to fall in love with the game. In any field, if you have someone who's been there and done it, they can pass down their experience. I was lucky that my dad helped me with the basics from a young age. In such an environment, you gain a proper understanding of the game and, if the passion is there, maybe you push on to make something for yourself.

You retired as the No. 1 ranked ODI bowler and got the perfect farewell with a series win over the West Indies. Why don't players get such farewells these days?

Yes as far as my retirement goes, I think I got a good one so I'm thankful for that. As for players these days, maybe it's because the game has more formats and with franchise leagues growing, it's a very different landscape now. That could be a reason. 

South African cricket was an innovator in the late 90's with Bob Woolmer as coach, walkie-talkies in the field, and an emphasis on fielding. That style gained them a lot of fans, especially the 1999 World Cup.

We should have won that World Cup I feel. We came so close that time. We're starting to reach finals so hopefully we can go one better and win it. I'm absolutely sure that once we break the deadlock we will be winning many more World Cups in the future.

We saw the sudden retirement of Dean Elgar due to a lack of Tests being played by South Africa. Do you worry about the future of Tests?

It is a big worry when you see that happening. With so much white ball cricket being played and with franchise leagues growing in number, players are also thinking about their longevity and financial stability. You cannot play forever so you have to think about that and there needs to be a balance. Right now there is no balance and definitely, it's an area the organisers need to look at.

As a former bowler, how much work do modern bowlers need to put in to succeed in today's cricket?

Definitely more than in our days. Batters have developed and polished so many new skills. Back then, maybe only two or three batters could consistently hit it out of the ground, but now it seems like everyone can. That makes it tough on bowlers. Sometimes I think about ways to give bowlers more options. The one advantage is that batters focused on attacking shots may have slightly weaker defensive techniques, giving bowlers more chances in Test cricket to take them out earlier.

When it comes to sledging, what's the best you've faced?

The Australians were probably the best—they knew what to say and when. Sledging only has impact if you're in a commanding position; otherwise, it doesn't count for much. If you're under pressure, though, it can make you think differently and doubt yourself. Good sledging can be about throwing in that doubt, but anything too over-the-top and personal feels unnecessary.

Looking forward to the second match, South Africa has a strong chance of making the World Test Championship final for the first time. What's your take on that?

Well, it's in their hands, isn't it? The bottom line is if they win the next five matches, or even four, they should have enough points to qualify, which would be fantastic since four of those matches will be at home. They'll be excited but won't look too far ahead, especially in these foreign conditions with some less experienced players. I've been in Chattogram before; the wicket there is a bit flat, but hopefully, there's something in it for the bowlers so we can get a result.