Share

Moroe urges fans to have patience with the Proteas

Cape Town - Cricket South Africa (CSA) has called on fans to show patience with captain Faf du Plessis, interim team director Enoch Nkwe and the Proteas as they regroup and build a new era following the retirement of its senior players.

The Proteas were outplayed in the second Test in Pune as India won by an innings and 137 runs.

CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe stated in a press release on Monday that the new generation needs "time to settle" following the retirement of several experienced players.

"It was always going to be a difficult challenge taking on the top team in the world - certainly under their own conditions - in India at a time when we have introduced a new team structure," commented Moroe.

"In the past two years we have had to bid farewell to some of the great names of international cricket such as AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn who between them played nearly 450 Test matches for the Proteas. You don't replace that kind of experience overnight and we need to give a new generation time to settle.

"These things take time and I am confident that we will already see improvement in our next Test series when England are our visitors during the festive season. I am sure that our supporters will rally behind them on home turf. These are, in fact, exciting times for South African cricket with new names and faces coming to the fore. Our talent pipeline has produced the likes of Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Zubayr Hamza over the last few years and our development systems are clearly in good shape.

"There is a huge incentive on our young players to put pressure on the incumbents. There is nothing like good competition for places that brings out the best in all," concluded Moroe.

With the Indian team having written themselves into the history books, with their 11th consecutive Test cricket series win at home, CSA acting director of cricket, Corrie van Zyl, has urged for patience with the new look Proteas outfit that has a lot of new faces.

"We need to appreciate the quality that is in this Indian side," says Van Zyl.

"This is an Indian team that has been together for some time now and is well accustomed to playing in their home conditions. I strongly believe we, as the Proteas, have the players to win games and the youngsters will come right. The team are constantly trying to find ways to win. It's not like they're not doing a great job with it. We believe in them that they're going to make the right decisions to do the best they can do to help us win Test matches."

The hosts take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with the final Test scheduled on Saturday, October 19 (06:00 SA time).

- Cricket South Africa

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1213 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1411 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2142 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE