“We found ourselves in the position where we came up against one of the best spinners in the world. Guys didn’t pick him. When you are indecisive, you can be caught off guard. That is unfortunately where we find ourselves,” Duminy added.
The excuses are starting to wear thin. The Proteas lost back-to-back T20 series against the West Indies, a home ODI series against India last summer and have now suffered this historic defeat, with the majority of the problem being the team’s batting.
That those losses have also occurred while the side is seeking to give opportunities to some new players has also put the spotlight on the quality of the domestic game, the number of matches being played and the overall absence of a game plan.
Fourteen of the 20 South African wickets that fell in the first two matches were taken by Afghanistan’s spinners, though Duminy claimed the Proteas had improved from the first to the second game.
“We made strides in the power play, in that we were 36/7 in the first game, and did better (on Friday),” he said.