“We were totally outplayed by a classy New Zealand outfit in all three departments,” said Proteas skipper, Dean Elgar, after South Africa lost the first Test to New Zealand by an innings and 276 runs.
Elgar rued South Africa’s intensity throughout the Test match. “Our intensity was lacking over the last two and a bit days. When our intensity is high and we’re operating at a certain level, we compete and give ourselves the best chance of getting a victory.”
The quarantine requirements agreed upon by Cricket South Africa and New Zealand Cricket meant that South Africa’s preparation was limited to practice sessions at Lincoln University. “It would have been nice to have played a warm-up game. It would have given us an indication on playing capacity.
It’s one thing maybe training at facilities and you almost give yourself a blueprint coming into a Test, but we all know that if you’re trying to replicate a match, you always more times than none get a clearer vision of what’s expected from a conditions and playing point of view,” explained Elgar.
With South Africa posting 206 runs across the Test match, South Africa’s batting came under immense criticism. Elgar explained, “When the ball is moving around, you still have to have a positive mindset. You still have to look to score. In the same breath, you still have to be pretty disciplined in your gameplans.”
Aiden Markram’s form, in particular, has been the subject of plenty of debate in the media. Elgar explained, “It’s not that he has been struggling, no doubt. I’m sure that conversation will come up with the selectors. From my point of view, maybe it’s the mental game he is fighting a little bit. We know he is a quality player. He’s only one innings away from turning a lot of things around for him.”
South Africa’s playing XI in this Test match stirred significant conversation. Elgar stated confidently: “I was very comfortable with the XI that was selected. Playing a spinner is always going to be a debate. I’m always a captain that is pro having a spinner just from a stability point of view
“A guy like Kesh has done that for us over the last few seasons. History tells you at the Hagley Oval that spin doesn’t have much of an effect. Even though Aiden took two wickets, they were pretty much batsmen-error wickets. Those are the kinds of decisions you have to make. To compete at this level, in foreign conditions, you have to go with what history tells you as well.”
