‘We miss Dale, we miss Vern, we miss Kallis’

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Cricket365
January 25, 2016

South Africa captain AB de Villiers has conceded that the lack of experience in the Test side has hampered their efforts against England, and that he'd go so far as to wish Jacques Kallis were still playing.

The Proteas lost the third Test against England on day three at the Wanderers, after an astonishing batting collapse, and thus lost the series two-nil with a game to play at Centurion.

With pacemen Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander injured, it was down to Morne Morkel to lead three very inexperienced bowlers, and then the batting line-up collapsed to Stuart Broad's fiery spell.

De Villiers, who skippered his first Test here, said: "We miss Dale, there's no excuse with that. We miss Vern, we miss Kallis as well."

Then he added: "But this is the team we have and the team I believe in. It's up to the 11 here and the 11 that get picked at Centurion to do something special. That's the way past players like a Kallis and a Smith did it.

"They had some tough times and they found a way to get through it to get to the top of the rankings. We've now got to find a way with what we have to become the best.

"We're not the same side anymore. There are lots of different players. We're still up there in the rankings, but that means absolutely nothing. I believe our form of late has been really poor and it will take something really special to turn it around.

"It's important for us to try and find that mould of cricket we're looking to play. We're a little bit offbeat at the moment, that's for sure."

The defeat meant South Africa dropped from top spot in the Test rankings down to third, and if they lose the fourth Test, they with go down another place. A mighty fall indeed.