Captain has the cure for choking

"Chocking is being in a position to win, and then experiencing some critical failure of nerve or spirit. That never happened to me. And I can't help but think it was because I was never afraid to lose."

This quote from tennis legend Pete Sampras highlights two of the biggest issues facing the Proteas in their build-up to next year's World Cup - the chokers tag and the fear it can bring to their game.

The tag has become a byword for their cricket and one which has not been put to rest either through a satisfactory explanation or a World Cup trophy. Whether it is deserved or not is irrelevant because, come the tournament, the world's cricket press will launch an unprecedented attack on their psyche.

Coaches and players will be scripted with the right things to say and try to deflect the issue, but should they not be dealing with it now so they can become familiar and comfortable with it?

Letting the world know they may choke again but it won't be through a fear of losing or having to deal with the issue would be a refreshing change from the self-denial talk of the past.

So where does it all start?

AB de Villiers - through his leadership, honesty and brilliance - is the man to tackle the issue and I would encourage him to take the matter into his own hands.

Where he bats is the first step in making a statement. He is one of the most talented and most destructive batsmen in world cricket, but batting him at No4 is a defensive move and won't lend enough credence to the above move if he makes it.

My only thought why South Africa bat Faf du Plessis at No3 and not De Villiers is that they fear losing an early wicket and exposing him too early, or because he has the added responsibility of being captain.

The point missed though is that with him at 3, he has the best chance of batting for most of the innings, and who could out-bat him in the Proteas team?

A big 100 from him and nine times out of 10 you win the match.

If you look at teams who have won World Cups in recent times, they have played their best players in positions that give them the best chance of winning.

The best has been Ricky Ponting of Australia, who batted at No3 and was also captain. He took it all on himself and De Villiers is good enough to do the same.

There is no time for "in the event of" thinking and shielding players, especially your most experienced and best-performing ones. Certainly not in a World Cup.

Taking from strength to plug a weakness has crept into the Proteas' Test cricket thinking and if they carry this over into the 50-over format, they won't have to deal with the chokers tag next year, because they will be home already.