South Africa must learn from England if they are to rebuild from World Cup disaster, claims Jacques Kallis
- South Africa were beaten by Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup on Sunday
- The Proteas have won only one of their seven matches at the tournament so far
- It comes four years after England failed to qualify for the quarter-finals in 2015
- Jacques Kallis says South Africa must take inspiration from England’s rebuild
South Africa must look to emulate England as they look to rebuild their squad and change their one-day international (ODI) mentality following a premature exit from the World Cup, former all-rounder Jacques Kallis has said.
The Proteas lost by 49 runs to Pakistan on Sunday, ruling themselves out of contention for the semi-finals in the process having won only one of their seven matches at the tournament – a win over minnows Afghanistan.
England had similarly failed to qualify for the quarter-finals in 2015. The humiliating exit prompted them to rethink their strategy and it bore fruit as a new core of aggressive players led by Eoin Morgan catapulted them to the top of the ODI rankings.
South Africa were beaten by Pakistan on Sunday as their poor World Cup run continued
Now the Proteas must look to emulate England as they look to rebuild, claims Jacques Kallis
‘South Africa need to take inspiration from England as they rebuild their team for the next World Cup,’ Kallis wrote in a column for the ICC.
‘Four years ago, England were perhaps one of the lowest ranked teams in the world after really struggling at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
‘They used the disappointment of their performances in 2015 to rebuild their team and totally change their mentality and approach to one-day cricket. England now play without fear and aren’t afraid to make mistakes.’
Kallis said South Africa did not need to take drastic calls and make ‘wholesale changes’ to the squad, instead urging them to have frank opinions about how they could improve as a team and learn from the setback.
Four years ago England similarly failed to qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals in Australia
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis speaks following his side’s defeat at Lord’s on Sunday
‘The first thing that needs to be looked at is the brand of cricket South Africa are playing and all the players will want to be part of that conversation,’ he added.
‘South Africa have some great young players in their twenties (Kagiso Rabada, 24, Lungi Ngidi, 23, Andile Phehlukwayo, 23, and Aiden Markram, 24) and they can be the foundation for the future.
‘What those guys have been through at this World Cup will be invaluable and the process starts with them… England are proof how quickly things can change in four years, so long as you have the right approach.’
South Africa next play Sri Lanka in Chester-le-Street on Friday.