Johannesburg — Dean Elgar refrained from uttering the “B word” on Monday afternoon as he processed the Proteas’ Test series loss to England and came to terms with its causes.
It was a poor move on the part of the South African skipper. “Bazball” was unable to defeat the Proteas. In fact, they likely taught England a crucial lesson at Lord’s, and Ben Stokes was wise enough to pay attention.
Elgar explained that England’s tempo wasn’t as explosive as it was when they defeated India and New Zealand earlier in the English summer, despite the fact that they executed the fundamentals exceptionally well.
“I did not believe they played ultra-aggressive Test cricket; rather, they played with a decent speed. I did not anticipate the ‘B-word’ to emerge. Elgar remarked, “I believed they had a good handle on the game, and they played the way the game demanded at that stage.”
Nonetheless, the Proteas may learn something from the mentality with which England plays. They have simplified matters. Their coach, Brendon McCullum, appeared on Sky Sports on Monday describing how he had fought to limit all extraneous distractions so that the players could focus on what was in front of them.
Throughout the most of the past two Tests, South Africa appeared overly influenced by their preconceived beliefs of the opposition, the pitch, and the conditions. The team selection and coin toss in Manchester were quite costly, and that’s before we even consider the poor batting.
The Proteas made difficult wickets appear to be minefields, while good bowlers appeared to be throwing hand grenades.
SA knew entering the series that their batting was weak, and the absence of Temba Bavuma, whose 47.93 average in the last two years highlights the steadiness he has offered during a period in which the Proteas have turned around their Test fortunes, did not help matters.
The void he left behind was impossible to replace.
Elgar stated that he will be meeting with Enoch Nkwe, most likely the director of cricket, to discuss the series and how he sees a solution to the issue that led to the Proteas blowing a golden opportunity to win their first Test series against England in a decade.
“I have always relied on experience. Elgar stated of the batting, “I know we don’t have it at Test level.” “Therefore, the next best question is: who plays first-class cricket at home?” Is this the best option? We do not yet know. There are still a few months until our next series, and we will only play a handful of four-day matches at home before departing for Australia. This is how I will phrase it when I get home. It is difficult now because the men must master the most difficult format without a large number of experienced heads surrounding them.”
The calender, which is dominated by limited-overs formats both domestically and internationally, makes it difficult for Nkwe and Cricket South Africa to deliver the kind of help that they can.
Nkwe stated last week that he would seek additional opportunities to play Test matches, despite South Africa’s Future Tours Programme including so few Tests. “During the red-ball phase, we will examine how to build a stronger support structure, focusing on the South Africa A squad, so that they have more game time and are well-prepared for the Proteas,” said Nkwe.
This pertains to the longer term. In the interim, with a three-match series against Australia in three months, the Proteas must look within and possibly adopt a more straightforward batting strategy.
Elgar was questioned about Marco Jansen’s performance in England, where the 22-year-old took nine wickets in two Tests, including his first five-wicket haul, and played two solid innings with the bat. Elgar stated, “He approaches the game with a distinctive mentality.” “He approaches the game with an optimistic frame of mind. He has no baggage, is unrefined, and has never truly failed, so he can play with a positive and open attitude.”
Perhaps the batters can learn something from this. As effective as England’s bowling was and as difficult as the circumstances were, the Proteas hitters frequently appeared burdened by everything that could go wrong.
A more optimistic and receptive attitude may be necessary for success in the future.