‘We were outplayed’: Elgar admits Proteas lacked intensity

Proteas captain Dean Elgar seemed unsure of exactly where his side had gone wrong in their woeful two-and-a-half day defeat in the first Test against New Zealand that ended on Saturday.

The Proteas were dismal in all three departments during the match, with Elgar pointing to a lack of intensity as a large contributing factor in the performance.

Their batting department scored just 206 runs over two innings; their bowlers conceded runs at more than four an over; and their fielders dropped seven catches that cost over 200 runs, while New Zealand amassed 482 in their only innings.

It was a bitterly disappointing effort for South Africa after they had come into the series off the back of an impressive 2-1 Test series win over India in SA.

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“It’s something that I’m still trying to wrap my head around and hopefully in the next day or two, I can process it and give an answer,” Elgar admitted after the match.

“I do feel that our intensity was lacking throughout the last two-and-a-bit days. We know, as a side, that when our intensity is high and we’re operating at a certain level, we compete and give ourselves the best chance of victory.

“The reason why we were lacking in the intensity department is something I still have to process. It was something I was trying to process last night, and I still haven’t come to anything yet.

“We were totally outplayed by a classy New Zealand outfit in all three departments.”

One of the key failings for the Proteas was their batting department, which just couldn’t handle the New Zealand pace attack, as Matt Henry ran through them with 7/23 in the first innings and Tim Southee with 5/35 in the second.

They were unable to handle the swinging ball with 13 of their 20 wickets caught by either the keeper or in the slip cordon, which was a really poor effort.

“When the ball is moving around, you still have to have a positive mindset. You still have to look to score and keep the scoreboard ticking, but in the same breath, you have to remain pretty disciplined in your game plans,” Elgar said.

“But that comes back down to our intensity. I did feel our intensity wasn’t up to standard with regards to Test cricket quality.

“That is one area I definitely can put my finger on, but again there are still other areas we need to iron out in the next few days.”

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For New Zealand, their star of the day, Southee, celebrated a notable milestone as he passed Kiwi legend Sir Richard Hadlee’s record of the most international wickets for the Black Caps (201), with Southee ending the match with 202 scalps.

“It’s a special victory. It’s obviously a side we haven’t had a lot of success against. They are a very good side and as history suggests they are a tough opposition,” Southee said.

“We know they will bounce back, but we will sit back and enjoy what has been a pretty impressive performance by everyone.

“I guess when you play for long enough you can tick off a few milestones along the way, but I guess whenever you’re in the same conversation as Sir Richard it’s always a special moment.”