'Conditions have played a role; our execution wasn’t there', admits SA batting coach Duminy

Johannesburg, Dec 18 (IANS) After suffering an eight-wicket thrashing at the hands of India in the ODI series opener, South Africa’s white-ball batting coach JP Duminy noted that conditions did play a role in them being bowled out for 116, but noted that the execution from his batters wasn’t there.

"Conditions have played a role, but in no way can we use that as an excuse; we still have to find a way, If we go back to a few nights ago (final T20I on Thursday), India bowled particularly well and we didn't have any answers in terms of understanding our options in those conditions."

"It was pretty similar there. Our execution wasn't there. The intent to score was certainly there. The thing we will have to reflect on is understanding our options in those conditions. We will always be judged on our execution. This is something we will have to take accountability for," said Duminy in the post-match press conference.

He was also in praise of the relentless shown by the Indian bowling line-up, led by Arshdeep Singh’s 5-37 and Avesh Khan’s 4-27. “The thing that stands out for me is consistency. If you assess conditions and understand where the biggest threat is, you have to land the ball there consistently. Think of Arshdeep and his ability to swing the ball up front as well as nibble it.”

“He was asking those questions consistently, so you were always under pressure and when you don't have those answers, today happens. It's about coming up against the conditions and the opposition and finding the right formula."

Duminy also thinks that South Africa are still figuring their way out of batting in ODI cricket in the post-World Cup world, where their batters smashed nine centuries and had four totals upwards of 350 in India.

"When you are trying to build a brand and a style of play, you are potentially going to have those contrasting experiences. That's where the learning happens. Part of how you find consistency is actually experiencing either or and then understanding why things are happening.”

“That's the journey for us. When it's good, we are really good. When conditions are good, we can score 400 but how do we still find our way to 280 on a tough wicket? That's the question for us."

"If you think where do we go from here - the Champions Trophy and the 2027 World Cup - it may be far away but understanding that brand is important. For now, it's about identifying the how. In certain conditions - how are we going to play?" concluded Duminy.

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