“We didn’t start off well,” said Proteas Head Coach, Mark Boucher, after South Africa succumbed to a 78-run defeat against Sri Lanka in the third and series-deciding ODI in Colombo.

Losing early wickets on a spinning wicket proved to be South Africa’s undoing, given the team had done well to restrict Sri Lanka to a meagre 205 in 50 overs. Boucher was particularly frustrated because South Africa’s top four are in good form and have produced at least one 50+ score in the last three games.

One of the positives from this series is the depth of spinners in South African cricket. Boucher attributes it to a “change of mindset,” and pointed out that in this series, “The stats said we were a better spinning attack.”

After Temba Bavuma was freakishly injured in the first ODI, Keshav Maharaj was, unexpectedly, appointed stand-in captain. Boucher said, “Kesh has a very smart brain. He’s performed really well as captain for the Dolphins.”