NZ vs SA: No Excuse to Make After the First Test Loss Against New Zealand, Dean Elgar
NZ vs SA, 1st Test: South Africa looked on another level after a series win over No. 1 ranked Test team India. And it was looking like they could also defeat the Kiwis at their home ground. But who would have thought that the Proteas would have to face a thrashing by the hand of New Zealand?
The Kiwis smashed the visitors by an innings and 276 runs in the first match at Christchurch. And this was the first time that South Africa got all-out for under 100 runs in an innings since 1932. In an interview with the media, skipper Dean Elgar denied making any excuses for their loss in the first test.
He didn’t blame anything related to less preparation time due to the 10-day quarantine or the racism matter involving the head coach, Mark Boucher. Skipper Elgar expressed that they knew what kind of situation they were going to face as a touring team. The skipper pointed out that batting first on a green track at Hagley Oval was always a challenge, especially against a relentless Kiwi pace attack. The South African opener further added,
“We were totally outplayed by a classy New Zealand outfit in all three departments of the game. It would have been nice to have played a warm-up game but … we are a professional outfit and ultimately we need to be firing by the time match day comes.”
The top four of South Africa’s batting order didn’t contribute much. Skipper Dean Elgar himself made one run in two innings of the match, and none of the batters scored a single half-century in the entire test match for South Africa. Adding to that, Elgar said that as a group, the team needs to focus more and, hence, there is no need for an excuse.
NZ VS SA: “Have to respect the rules of New Zealand,” says Dean Elgar
Elgar also pointed out that it would have been great if the team had gotten to okay a practice match. However, the left-hander further clarified that they are professionals, so they need to adapt to the situation in which they are playing instead of making any excuse. He further concluded,
South Africa has never lost a test series against New Zealand and, having lost the first match, the second test will be more crucial for them to win if they want to maintain this record.
The current WTC champions got 12 points after defeating South Africa in the first test. So the WTC table
The South African skipper stated that if the team needs to do well in WTC, then they have to gather themselves and prove that they deserve to be at that level. He also added that the hard work South Africa put in in the last few months was not seen in the first match. The opener concluded,
“Why we were lacking in that intensity department I’m still trying to process. We should be a helluva lot more competitive out there. We’ve achieved a lot over the last few months as a unit and clearly what we produced out there the last few days is not a reflection of us as a squad.”
Both teams will again meet at the same ground on February 24 for the second test match
