While acknowledging that he is proud of the South African cricket side’s exploits in England, national coach Eric Simons has nevertheless insisted that he is far from satisfied.
The South Africans returned to a rapturous welcome at the Johannesburg International Airport on Tuesday after three months in England.
In that time, they drew the five-match Test series 2-2 and lost in the final of the triangular limited overs competition.
It was losing the final Test at The Oval though that clouded an otherwise highly successful tour for Simons and skipper Graeme Smith.
Needing only to draw the fifth Test to become the first side since readmission to win a series in England, the South Africans failed to exploit a dream start and eventually lost by nine wickets.
”It’s hard to say where we actually lost it,” said Smith.
”Perhaps when we lost Herschelle [Gibbs] near the end of the first day we lost our momentum.
”They then batted well on a good wicket and we didn’t handle the pressure they put us under very well.”
Smith and Simons agreed that a pattern was emerging whenever South Africa were placed in a pressure situation.
”I think we can handle the pressure when there’s a tomorrow,” explained Smith, ”but when there’s no tomorrow
we don’t handle it so well.
”We really have to learn to be more ruthless.”
For his own part, Smith, at 22 the youngest captain to lead his country, was utterly ruthless with the bat in the first half of the Test series.
In the process of shattering a plethora of batting records, Smith virtually won the second Test at Lords single-handedly,
finally providing South Africa with a batsman who can not only occupy the crease for long periods, but score at an extraordinarily brisk rate as well.
While the batting, for the most part, was sound, the bowling was less impressive.
Smith, however, denied that the South Africans lacked a genuine strike bowler.
”We played on some great wickets and I think we had a far better bowling attack,” responded Smith.
”Makhaya [Ntini], Jacques [Kallis], Hally [Andrew Hall] and of course Polly [Shaun Pollock] all had some great spells. You really can’t say we lacked a strike bowler.”
For Simons, who oversaw the disaster that was South Africa’s World Cup campaign, the lengthy tour provided him the opportunity to instil his own, no-nonsense, approach to cricket.
This month’s tour of Pakistan will present him with another chance to hone the side.
”Of course I’m proud of what they did in England, but I’m certainly not satisfied,” he said.
”If anyone in the side is satisfied, I’d be concerned. We could have taken the series and that’s disappointing.”
The side will leave for Pakistan next weekend, provided a three-man investigation team feels that the country is safe to visit. — Sapa