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Scoreboard tells you everything - Proteas coach

cricket05 November 2023 17:10| © SuperSport
By:Neil Manthorp
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Lungi Ngidi © Getty Images

South Africa’s head coach, Rob Walter, made no attempt to put lipstick on the pig after watching his team crash to a record 243-run defeat against India in their penultimate World Cup group match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.

“We were completely and totally out-skilled today, you only have to look at the scoreboard to know everything you need to know,” Walter said.

“India are a hell of a team and it will take something special to beat them.”

“Fortunately it wasn’t a ‘must-win’ game for us today so we get a chance to put things right and remember all the good cricket we have played at this World Cup before today,” Walter said.

There was much talk in the South African camp about the fixture being ‘just another game of cricket’ despite the fact that it was against India, in a World Cup and at the country’s spiritual home of cricket in front of a capacity 70 000 crowd.

They looked tense and nervous before a ball was bowled.

“To be dead honest, I didn’t get the impression that they were nervous. They were excited and looking forward to it. If you go into our change room now you will find a group of players desperately disappointed not to have done justice to what was a great occasion,” Walter said.

Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi set the tone with an especially profligate first five overs which saw India off to a flying start reaching 61-0.

Jansen conceded eight wides in his first over: “Marco has the skillset to bounce back from this, we’ve all seen him take wickets in the Power Play and he will do so again.

“Keshav and Lungi were outstanding but we failed to execute our skills in other departments, sure. We conceded 70 to 80 too many runs on that pitch and we were behind the eight-ball and trying to play catch-up for most of the game,” Walter said.

Asked whether the pitch was at fault he replied, smiling: “I’m not going to blame a pitch that sees one side score 320 and other bowled out for 80, that’s not a good look. No, the pitch wasn’t to blame.”

South Africa play their final group match against Afghanistan in Ahmedabad in Friday before confirming where their semifinal will be, and against whom, although it appears likely that it will be back in Kolkata and probably against Australia.

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