In all the kerfuffle that emerged in the days following South Africa's exit from the ICC Champions Trophy, it is perhaps worth reflecting on the words uttered by skipper Graeme Smith about half-an-hour after the last ball was bowled.
Smith said: "We are not going to make excuses about wickets or whatever, we are a good team and ultimately it's the responsibility of the group of players to go and take control of one of these tournaments and go and win.
"We know we are good enough and it lies in our hands and is ultimately our responsibility going forward. I don't want to make excuses about wickets and where we should have played or what happened today.
Continues Below ↓
"Unfortunately we weren't good enough in our three games and we've got to look at ourselves and improve," Smith concluded.
Smith being Smith, those forthright words will have been delivered to the South Africans players at some stage, to their faces.
Of all the words written and spoken since last Sunday night, nothing sums up better what the South African team is and needs do than what their captain said.
It would appear that some in the squad didn't pay it much heed. There were quiet grumblings later in the week that some members of the squad were unhappy that chief executive Gerald Majola had wanted to do an "analysis" into why South Africa keep coming up short at ICC tournaments.
It was apparently felt that had Majola and Cricket South Africa not got into a spat with the Gauteng Cricket Board over the Indian Premier League and thus not withdrawn all South Africa's matches from the Wanderers, the national side would have beaten one of or possibly both Sri Lanka and England at the 'Bullring.'
That's just small-minded.
Yes, the ball was doing all sorts for the seamers at the Wanderers, and South Africa's quicks, like fast bowlers from any other team ,would have loved to bowl there.
Continues...
|
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Delicious
Newsvine
Facebook
muti
Twitter
