Sundaymail Editor
Dean Elgar did not blame off-field issues, quarantine or the absence of a warm-up match for South Africa’s lack of intensity in the first Test in Christchurch.
However, he thinks his team may be trying too hard in their quest to compete.
Like coach Mark Boucher, Elgar could not completely “wrap my head” around how South Africa have gone from the highs of beating India a month ago to the low of their second-biggest Test defeat ever, but could not fault their effort despite acknowledging a lack in intensity.
“The harder you try, the more you fail,” Elgar said in reference to his bowlers’ inability to hold an end on a seamer-friendly surface.
In 117.5 overs, South Africa only sent down 15 maiden overs, compared to New Zealand’s 28 in 91 overs across both innings, and allowed the hosts to bat them out of the match.
“It’s extremely frustrating being a captain and the ball has been hit both sides of the wicket.
“You can’t set a field for that,” Elgar said.
“That’s down to execution and the skills department. I can’t say it was nerves. We were so deep into the game, those nerves were out of our system.
“It’s extremely difficult to build pressure when runs are being scored on both sides of the wicket. It also boils down to guys trying too hard.
“The harder you try, the more you fail,” he said.
Ultimately, though, South Africa lost the match in the first innings, when they were dismissed for their lowest total against New Zealand – 95 – and looked completely at sea against the moving ball on a green top.
Although Elgar said it “would have been nice to have played a warm-up game” in the build-up to the match, he indicated conditions at Lincoln University, where South Africa trained, equipped them well for the Hagley Oval.
“I am not going to use quarantine as an excuse.
“We are here to represent our country and we need to be firing by the time match day comes.
“If that is an excuse, it’s a very weak excuse to be using.”
Instead, he explained the batters’ issues as a case of being too defensive, with 13 of the dismissals coming from catches behind the wicket.
“When the ball is going around a little bit, you still have to have a positive mindset.
“You will have to look to score but in the same breath, you have to remain pretty disciplined within your game plans. That ties in with our intensity. That is one area that I can put my finger on,” he said.
While it is unfair to single out one batter from South Africa’s poor performance, the spotlight has fallen on opener-turned-number three Aiden Markram, who averages less than 26 in his last 20 Tests and 9.7 in his last 10 innings. Elgar still backs Markram as a quality player, who is one good innings away from glory, but admitted there is an issue around his form.
“It’s not foreign that he has been struggling.
“I am sure that conversation will come up with the selectors,” Elgar said.
“Maybe it’s the mental game he is fighting.
“We know he is a quality player.
“He is only one innings away from turning a lot of things around for him,” he said.
Markam was moved down into the spot Keegan Petersen left vacant when he contracted Covid-19, but essentially operated as an opener in this match and could find himself benched when Petersen returns for the home series against Bangladesh, or sooner.
South Africa have Ryan Rickelton, who is averaging over 100 in first-class cricket this season with three hundreds from his last five innings, in reserve. They were considering playing him in the first Test and will likely do so again in the second. – Cricinfo.
Online Reporter