Cricket SA takes ‘full accountability’ for Proteas failure — Enoch Nkwe

While the national federation insists it will take accountability for the SA team’s latest defeat, as part of an in-depth review into the Proteas’ poor performance at the T20 World Cup, Cricket South Africa (CSA) director of cricket Enoch Nkwe says it is most crucial to find a way to turn things around.

Looking to embark on a five-year plan in an attempt to shake off the ‘chokers’ tag the squad continues to carry, after the Proteas crashed out of the T20 showpiece in Australia ahead of the playoffs last week, Nkwe said CSA was willing to take some responsibility.

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In the wake of regular administrative issues behind the scenes in recent years, Nkwe said the players had been trained to switch off the “noise” off the field and focus on the game, but he admitted they needed to ensure the CSA ship was steady and the Proteas were competing in a stable environment.

“We’ll always take full accountability because we are like one team as an organisation. If the team loses we all lose, and if the team wins we all win,” Nkwe said after the Proteas returned home on Wednesday.

“If we lose we need to ensure we give the players the support needed so they are able to win moving forward and they can prepare better for World Cups that are coming.”

World Cup drought

Though the SA women’s team reached the semifinals of the one-day World Cup this year, neither the national men’s or women’s sides have ever reached the final of a global championship in any format.

Nkwe remained confident, however, that they could break their drought as CSA looked ahead to next year’s women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa and the men’s 50-over World Cup in India, and beyond.

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“For the next five years there are going to be ICC events every year, so it’s important now that we don’t look back and dwell on the past,” he said.

“We find ourselves in a situation and we need to ensure we have the best possible systems and structures in place to support not only our men’s team but also our women’s team to win World Cups moving forward and dominate world cricket.”