Why is the South African cricket team referred to as ‘Proteas’?
(C.Amarnath, Secunderabad) The cricket team has been named after the national flower of South Africa. I understand that the protea flower with its cone-like head is native to southern Africa. The flower itself gets its name from the Greek god ‘Proteus’: a sea god capable of assuming different shapes. Earlier, the South African cricket team was called ‘Springboks’. The springbok or the ‘jumping antelope’ is the national animal of South Africa.
