“I think it’s more mental, guys are getting out in the same sort of ways every time,” said Proteas Head Coach, Mark Boucher, while reflecting on the batting woes of the team.
“There’s a lot of scars from past tours to the subcontinent. I’ve seen the guys who’ve had technical issues in the past, like Aiden, come through and mentally get through it,” said Boucher, effusively praising Aiden Markram for his fighting fifth-day hundred.
Explaining the primary challenge confronting the Proteas, Boucher said, “We talk about mental application. The big moments, when we really need to drive home the advantage, we get a partnership, and then we find ways to get out.”
Citing Temba Bavuma and Wiaan Mulder’s partnership, when batting appeared to get easier, a run-out swung the momentum back in Pakistan’s favour.
Boucher was also critical of the match awareness shown by the Proteas batsmen. He revealed that the team had spoken about the importance of blunting the new ball, which, historically, has been easier to face after it was used for 15 to 20 overs.
Boucher seemed generally pleased with the Proteas’ bowling performance across the series. However, he was disappointed with the fielding.
“In the second innings, we had them at 80/5, two dropped chances in two balls. It cost us 150 runs.” Bouched rued that while the bowlers did create opportunities, the fielders were unable to hold on to them.
Fielding questions on whether the captaincy took its toll on Quinton de Kock, Boucher said when the captain goes through a bad patch of form, it gets highlighted, although he did not rule out that captaincy may have affected his batting. Boucher said he would have a conversation with the selectors regarding the next Test captain upon his return to South Africa.
