Kirsten pledges to address ‘patchy’ Proteas ODI performances to balance with Test success

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Johannesburg, Mar 10: South Africa coach Gary Kirsten has vowed to address the country’s consistent failure to win any big tournaments and admitted that it is necessary to improve the Proteas’ patchy one-day performances, although the country’s Test team has risen to the top of the International Cricket Council rankings with the recent 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan.

According to Kirsten, South Africa could play as many as 20 one-day internationals to improve themselves in that format before their next Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in October and November, Sport24 reports.

Stating that the one-day international (ODI) team is lucky to have an extended period of such games, Kirsten said that the immediate concern for the Proteas is the ICC Champions Trophy in England in June, which is the team’s next major engagement after the Pakistan series.

However, Kirsten said that he is not worried by the team’s less than stellar one-day record of 10 wins and eight losses under him, as the international schedule has dictated an emphasis on the longer format of the game.

Kirsten further said that he is also not concerned about a recent 95-run defeat in a Twenty20 international at Centurion against New Zealand, who beat them 2-1 at home, and dismissed the game as ‘one-off’ and irrelevant to the ODI challenge for the Proteas.

Meanwhile, Pakistan shape up as a bigger threat to the Proteas with players such as Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers, Kamran and Umar, all of whom missed their side’s recent 3-0 Test series defeat, adding experience and skill to the squad, the report added. (ANI)