Nkwe borrows from Barcelona for Proteas ‘Artistic Hunters’ doctrine

Kolkata — From “tiki-taka” to Artistic Hunters. Tiki-taka is a style of football that reached its zenith in SA in 2010 when Spain won the World Cup. Artistic Hungers sounds like a folk rock band that is still waiting to make it big, but should really consider its future because Mumford & Sons have cornered the market.

Artistic Hunters is not a title you would expect to be attached to a style of cricket, but that is what director of cricket Enoch Nkwe has done. And he didn’t go paging through names of bands to get there.

In fact, he borrowed from his love of Barcelona Football Club and the style adopted under Pep Guardiola of “tiki taka”.

If it sounds like a stretch, that is because it is. But it’s also provided clarity for the players and hopefully for domestic coaches, who need to implement this philosophy.

Nkwe immersed himself in the Barca way long before he became a cricket coach and then Cricket SA’s director of cricket. The bookshelves at his home are dominated by the personalities — mostly Guardiola — and the club he managed for four years.

“Creating a brand was about the mindset and finding the simplest way to try and play a more attacking style of cricket. So, when the opportunity is not there to be as explosive or attacking, then how do we continue to attack without having to take high risks?

“I describe it in a football way; I’m a big Barcelona fan, so like tiki taka, when you are in control of possession, you keep a high line and you are attacking, but if you lose possession, how do you rebuild? So — in cricket terms — if you lose quick wickets, how do you rebuild, without putting yourself under pressure, and continue to move the game forward,” said Nkwe.

If there is a cricketing version of “tiki taka” it’s more likely to be the laborious process of taking ones and twos, rather than go in search of diagonal long passes which would be akin to smashing the ball over the boundary.

But it’s the mindset that is crucial. SA don’t want to take a backward step. In boxing parlance, a phrase multiple generations of Proteas players have used is “throwing the first punch”. That is still very much part of the Artistic Hunter philosophy.

“We thought of words like being artistic, that’s being creative, and certain players are very good at that, playing laps, reverse, popping it over the top, they have their own way of being creative. Artistic is also being street smart.”

The hunter element is the aggression, being bold and self-confident, Nkwe explained. “We summed it up as being ‘Artistic Hunter'.”

While Nkwe may have been clear in his own head about this Artistic Hunter philosophy, there are grizzled coaches and veteran cricketers dotted around SA who would have been tasked with implementing this, that could be forgiven for laughing it all off.

How, in practical terms, does it all work? “It’s probably easier to illustrate with batting,” said Nkwe. Which is exactly what he did when conducting a roadshow of the provincial unions in August. He used the second T20 International between the Proteas and the West Indies, played in Centurion earlier this year as his “show and tell” for the domestic coaches.

In that match SA set the world record for a run chase in a T20 International when they notched up 259/4, winning that match with seven balls to spare. Quinton de Kock scored 100 and Reeza Hendricks 68, with the pair’s opening partnership worth 152 runs, which came off 65 balls.

“The partnership in that game between Quinny and Reeza — was aggressive, it wasn’t reckless, there were proper cricket shots. Quinny was Quinny, Reeza was Reeza, That was the Hunters mindset but they did it in a way that wasn’t reckless,” said Nkwe.

The loss of four wickets for 64 runs in 29 balls demanded utilisation of the artistic element. SA scored 24 runs off 23 deliveries following Hendricks’ dismissal, with just two fours. “Klaasie and Markram applied the artistic mindset where like losing possession in football they worked to get it back to regain control — they went about eight balls without a boundary, just hitting ones and twos. That process was being artistic without having to put yourself at risk, while still moving the game forward. We maintained the scoring rate and they put themselves in a position to go for the kill.”

The hunter mentality at work to end the match.

It is understandable if the players in the Proteas’ World Cup squad are a little shy of outlining the Artistic Hunter philosophy, because it could provide ammunition for the opposition. The fact that they are able to apply it, in very practical terms is a credit to them.

Four SA batters have made hundreds at the World Cup, and Quinton de Kock, less a hunter and more a fisherman, is the leading century maker in the tournament with four.

Nkwe offered proof that the philosophy was starting to hit home with domestic players by pointing to the final Division 2 One-Day Cup, where an SA Emerging side, made up mostly of under-19 players smashed 273 in just 32.2 overs to defeat the Knights.

“There was no slogging, they won by playing proper cricket shots,” said Nkwe.

“We know we’ve got the talent in SA, it's been about how we allow our cricketers to express themselves.” By being Artistic Hunters it seems.