Proteas coach Ottis Gibson has admitted that the players have looked ‘hampered’ during another disappointing World Cup campaign.
On Wednesday, the team plunged to a defeat against New Zealand that has effectively ended their playoff hopes despite three more pool games remaining for the South Africans.
‘It’s disappointing, of course. We didn’t do what we left home to do. It’s still a bit raw, but the initial feeling is one of disappointment, for sure,’ the coach commented after the loss at Edgbaston.
‘I can’t speak of past World Cups, but certainly in this World Cup it seems like guys have been sort of hampered. That’s probably the only word that comes to mind at the moment.’
Gibson added that there had been a failure from the Proteas’ senior players to really make a decisive impression.
‘When teams have won World Cups, their experienced players are the ones that have stood up. Our experienced players haven’t stood up … That’s just the way it is.
‘We’ve got class players in our team as well, but they haven’t shown it on the grandest stage of all. That’s difficult.
“There are guys here playing their last World Cups and I would have thought they would want to go out on a high note. The top and bottom of it is that 30s, 40s and the odd 50 are not going to win you a World Cup.’
The Proteas next face Pakistan on Sunday.
