Déjà vu as Proteas stumble again to Australia in a Cricket World Cup semifinal

Sorry, South Africa, but you cannot blame this shocking loss on any one player. That's damn unfair! The game was lost when we won the toss and elected to bat first. Those Aussie bowlers were unplayable for the first hour or so! Perhaps QdC also was a bit impatient under those conditions. I see there was criticism about the low run rate in the early stages of the match, but those critics obviously don't know much about cricket pitches. There are times one cannot just come out with guns blazing. That's suicide! The team management should have identified the slow pitch with lots of bite and elected to bowl first, even though we always do better batting first. It was just not the right wicket to bat first.

It is most regrettable but at the end of the day the stats do not lie. Bavuma is in the team for only one reason and that is not his captaincy skills, nor his batting skills, nor his fielding skills. He is woefully short (no pun intended) in all of these areas. Reeza should be in his place and at least then we will get those extra runs. Aiden has shown himself to be a captain and apart from one glaring fault of being white will do a better job than Bavuma. He blew the match in 3 clear areas - the first was the decision to bat first, the second when he allowed an obviously out of sorts Jansen to continue bowling, and finally he screwed up the field placing. I just wish that they would take the stupid politics and stick it up in a dark wet place.

Perhaps there was more money offered for loosing than for winning ... perhaps another Hansie manouvre?

If Temba was not fit and considering his poor form, he should have deferred to Reeza - another 30 runs up front and we would have won. Team should always come first.

The only thing Bavuma has shown this World Cup is 1. He is not a reliable batsman. 2. He doesn’t have the capability to even set his field the correct way. 3. He is too concerned about his ego to just step back and allow others a chance. 4. He definitely puts himself before the team. 5. Terrible choices when winning the toss (especially with regards to allowing Aus to bowl first, as well as the Netherlands game) 6. He is a product of the politics within CSA. 7. He is extremely out of touch with reality, this is also shown through the coaches and CSA who constantly give him praise. CSA and Bavuma should learn from the springboks and Rassie that no individual is bigger than the team. And sometimes the best decision for the greater good, out weighs the needs of the individual.

Nobody seems to have commented on SA's fatally low run rate while batting, and not only in this last match. Time after time, we watched top-and-middle order batsmen - yes - including Miller, Coetzee and others, carefully play defensive forward shots to moderately good-length balls, or move to the back foot to block, leaving themselves open to LBW appeals. Against slow bowlers, especially, a class batsman knows how to use his feet to get to the pitch of the ball, turning it into a hittable half-volley. All we need do is to watch the Indians, who adopt an offensive attitude and stance from the first ball during their time at the crease. They obviously plan to score off every possible delivery right from the start of their innings.

Andrew your comments are spot on. Bavuma was selfish not to put the team first. It does not matter if you are the captain. At the same time, Rob Walter is also disingenious with his support for Bavuma. Yes he was in good form over the past 12 months. But to win the World Cup, you require inform players to step up. Secondly, not only was Bavuma totally out off form, he was also carrying an injury. His inclusion in the team, despite failing to impress in the seven games prior the semis, smacks of POLITICS. Rob Walter is sucking up to politicians in his support of an out off form Bavuma, to retain his position. I am gatvol of South African cricket, will not support them again. The next world will be held in SA, Namibia and Zimbabwe. South Africa already have an excuse for failing there as well...HOME PRESSURE.

Catches win matches...we dropped a few...so...cough...cough.cough!!!

The deadliest ball from a fast bowler is the yorker. A ball which, for me, is not bowled often enough. When, Mr.Captain, Warner and Head were on the rampage surely that was the ball to demand - yes demand. The only fast bowler I can recall bowling 6 consecutive yorkers was Fanie de Villiers and that helped South Africa to beat Australia in a test match when the Aussies needed a second innings score of like 110 0r 111 runs. Mr. Bowling coach that is what you need to teach - 6 consecutive yorkers - deadly stuff.