Dismal Proteas must man up

The face of Proteas batsman David Miller – whose groans after his dismissal in Wednesday’s ODI in Port Elizabeth were so loud they could almost be heard around the ground – summed up South Africa’s dismal series against the touring Indians.

Needing a win to stay in the six-match series because they were 3-1 down, the Proteas showed, as they have so often done recently, little backbone in their batting, coming up 73 runs short.

To add insult to a series loss, the Indians have now wrenched away South Africa’s title as best one-day cricket team in the world.

What has characterised the performance of the team – and what is worrying with the Australians about to arrive – is a lack of grit and determination.

While it is true that injuries of key players have hurt both the Test and one-day squads, the reality is that there could have been a lot more application from both bowlers and batsmen and in both formats.

Certainly, the loss of the one-day series is not the end of the world and South African sides have done a lot worse.

But losing can become a habit if the players’ minds are not right.

Let’s shake this off, boys.

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