Review of South Africa's World Cup 2019 campaign
South Africa were one of the major disappointments in the ICC World Cup 2019. The Proteas were far off the mark since the start of the campaign and they never managed to get a grip. Although, victories over Sri Lanka and Australia will give them some heart. They finished seventh in the league. Here we decode their campaign.
SA get off to a poor start
The Proteas got off to a horrific start in their 2019 World Cup journey. They faced three big defeats against England, India and Bangladesh. That somehow affected their morale. The fourth game against West Indies was a washout as well. With nothing to show upfront, SA were always going to lag behind. And that was the story as the tournament progressed.
Batting let SA down big time
South Africa's batting was never up to the mark. Throughout the campaign, SA struggled with their batting. Only Faf du Plessis showed some resistance, but the rest of the unit lacked impetus. The senior players needed to take more responsibility, but nobody went on to get those big runs. Lack of adjustment and application derailed the side.
Bowling not quite up to the mark for SA
One felt that South Africa will be lethal with their bowling attack, but somehow things went wrong. Kagiso Rabada never quite managed to lead the show and 11 wickets was an average run. The injury to Dale Steyn and losing him hurt the side. There were a few good shows here and there, but the overall depth and shine was missing this time.
Few positives for SA in CWC 19
The big positive for SA was the impact of Faf. He was in strong form and ended the campaign with 387 runs. Rassie van der Dussen is a positive player and will shoulder this team in the near future. Dwaine Pretorius came in and did well. He looked sharp with the ball and took his chances. Imran Tahir signed off on a bright note.
SA didn't present their true identity: Our take
The victories against Afghanistan, Lanka and Australia showed the promise this side has. Beating an in-form Australian side was something that will make them happy. But they needed to show this energy from the beginning. SA will hope to move on quickly from this disappointing campaign. They are capable of much more, but unfortunately they didn't present their true identity.
