Skipper Dean Elgar rues Proteas failure to execute basics

New Zealand handed the Proteas their second-worst innings defeat in history on Saturday and skipper Dean Elgar conceded many failings.

Elgar conceded his team were poor in every department of the game and failed to execute the basics.

No excuses from Proteas skipper

The skipper would not use the ten-day quarantine, which left them with little time to prepare for the first Test, as an excuse for their abject display.

“We were outskilled in all three departments and failed to execute the basics,” Elgar said

“Not a very good showing considering what we built up prior to this series. I don’t like to use [ten days of quarantine] as an excuse. 

“Maybe some people might use that as an excuse but I’m not going to. Getting outdoors a bit earlier might have been a little more effective for us, but it’s hard for me to put my finger on what exactly went wrong.”

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Elgar opined that the secret to a second Test fightback lies in increasing the level of intensity from his Proteas.

The captain has promised that the Proteas will show more backbone in the second Test after they aggregated just 206 runs in their two innings.

“We’ve got a few days to reflect and have a few looks in the mirror,” Elgar added. 

“It boils down to intensity. Test cricket demands intensity and we know when we up our game we can play an extremely competitive brand of cricket. 

“A lot went wrong. 

“Not a lot went right. 

“A bit of a self-reflection may not be a bad idea. 

“We have some unplanned days off to do that. 

“We should be a hell of a lot more competitive. 

“Clearly what we produced out there over the last few days is not reflective of us as a squad.”

The second and final Test of the series will also take place at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. It starts on Friday 25 February.