Faf du Plessis feels South Africa will take time
After being handed a 191-run defeat by England in the fourth Test match, South Africa have plenty to chew upon. The side lose the Test series by a 3-1 margin and there is plenty to be desired for. Captain Faf du Plessis feels that the young side will only emerge stronger from this rebuilding phase. Here's more on what he said.
Test Championship: Proteas in a spot of bother
SA started the Test series with a convincing win to take a 1-0 lead. England came back strongly to thrash the hosts in the remaining three matches. And to add on that, they were also fined and docked ICC World Test Championship points for slow over-rate. The Proteas claimed 30 points from the solitary win. However, six points were deducted and they have 24.
'The experience we are lacking now will also take time'
Faf said time will be a major factor for the players' guidance. "That's the reality of where we sit. We've put some good things in place with the strong, experienced coaching team. We know that, through time, they will guide players," he said in a press conference. "But the experience we are lacking now will also take time."
What went wrong for SA in the series?
South Africa lost the Test series because of poor batting across the series. Nobody took the responsibility to take charge and a few individual brilliance here and there did not help the cause either. The lack of runs in the first innings hurt them badly. The team is also pretty unbalanced at the moment. The side fielded five debutants in the four-match series.
Faf had a poor series, says he is extremely disappointed
Faf is keen to carry on as Proteas Test captain despite the struggles facing him. He managed scores of 21, 20, 1, 19, 8, 36, 3 and 35. "I'm sitting here extremely disappointed and I know the coaching staff is disappointed and you guys and the fans should be disappointed, but every team goes through this," he said.
We're a team that will take time, says Faf
"We need guys to come into Test cricket and just shine. I think we've had nine debutants in eight Test matches ... and it just shows where we are. We're a team that will take time," added the Proteas skipper.
