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The New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg witnessed a one-sided affair as India convincingly outplayed South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series on Sunday (December 17). The Proteas faced a humiliating eight-wicket defeat in the contest after managing a mere 116 runs in the first innings before being bundled out in just 27.3 overs.
It was the pace duo of Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan that led the Indian bowling attack, leaving the South African batting lineup in shambles and setting the perfect stage for Indian batters. As a result, the Men in Blue chased down the target comfortably with eight wickets in hand, courtesy of outstanding fifties from Sai Sudharsan and Shreyas Iyer.
Shaun Pollock’s fiery salvo at Proteas
The dismal performance of the South African side didn’t escape the scrutiny of fans and experts alike. Among them, former Proteas cricketer Shaun Pollock didn’t hold back as he lambasted the team for their approach. In a scathing critique, Pollock expressed his dissatisfaction with the modern players’ mindset, terming it “nonsense” and “unacceptable.”
“Try and work their way out of the situation and get themselves into trouble and get bowled up very cheaply. And you can’t do that. I mean, I can’t accept that. The modern player will say, oh, you’ve got to be positive, all that nonsense. I can’t accept that as a former South African, that always when you get put into pressure, you just fall down,” said Pollock during the post-match show at Star Sports.
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Missed opportunities, lack of responsibility and ‘”old dinosaurs” jibe
Pollock pointed out missed opportunities for the Proteas to post a respectable total. He criticized the aggressive approach of the batters, emphasizing the need for absorbing pressure in challenging situations.
“For all honesty, what you could have been done there today is you could have just blocked out ten overs. You couldn’t have scored a run for ten overs just to absorb some pressure and then you could have continued to bat and they would have posted 200 and something on the board,” emphasized Pollock.
The former cricketer also took a cheeky jab at the current generation, referring to their generation as “old dinosaurs” and highlighting the lack of responsibility in their game.
“So I do get the point. We were old dinosaurs. We didn’t play as positively as the modern player plays. But I’m afraid at some stage you have to take on that responsibility and say, I’ve got to dig in here today. Unfortunately, the best thing for the team is that I don’t be positive and I actually just get myself in and get decent runs,” highlighted the veteran pacer.
A wake-up call for South Africa
Pollock’s candid remarks serve as a wake-up call for the South African side, urging them to reevaluate their approach and take responsibility in challenging situations. As the series progresses, all eyes will be on the Proteas to see if they can bounce back and address the concerns raised by their cricketing legend.
