‘That was slightly embarrassing,’ Conrad admits after Proteas’ record loss

To the uninitiated it would seem an appalling excuse. Every match for your country should matter, but in a packed schedule, across three different formats, some matches matter less. In such circumstances, with that competitive edge missing, blowouts can occur. 

Which is what happened to the Proteas in Southampton in the third ODI on Sunday. A loss by 347 runs was the largest in one-day international history. At 7/4 in the fifth over of their innings, they were flirting with a record low total for an ODI and for most of their innings they were in danger of coming up short of 69, South Africa's lowest total in ODIs. 

But there is no solace from avoiding that.

“We were definitely off today and against a top side such as England when you are not on top of your game you will get exposed the way we did,” said Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad.

“If we were going to be poor at something you’d much rather be poor at games that aren’t clutch games. But not to make light of today’s [Sunday] defeat, that was slightly embarrassing.”

Everything that could go wrong went wrong. The fielding was sloppy, with two easy catches dropped. The bowling lacked accuracy, with 19 wides offered to England and then with the bat — admittedly in the face of a storming spell from Jofra Archer — the batters looked all at sea.

“It’s difficult to put a finger on it. Aiden’s dismissal to an innocuous delivery summed up the day. Then there was the disruption of Temba not being able to bat that played a part as well. If the edge is not there and you’re not on top of your game, you will get exposed,” Conrad added.

The Proteas are prioritising next year’s T20 World Cup, with the start of the defence of the World Test Championship title which begins in Pakistan next month. Hence there has been caution in managing players. Kagiso Rabada could have played on Sunday, said Conrad, but he was being treated carefully with an eye on the future. It was the same with Lungi Ngidi. “We earned the right to give them a break.”

As chastening as Sunday’s result was, skipper Temba Bavuma said it shouldn’t define what has been an excellent few weeks for the Proteas. “There were lots of positives in the series. Coming to England with a fairly inexperienced side we wouldn't want today's [Sunday] performance to diminish that. There are shining moments so we'll try to highlight those. They can't be wiped away by one performance.”

Before the 2027 World Cup, South Africa’s goal in ODIs over the next two years is to build experience for young players such as Dewald Brewis, Matthew Breetzke, Tristan Stubbs and Corbin Bosch. “I’m pretty happy with the way the batting line-up is stacking up,” said Conrad. 

Despite the absence of a century for any batter for the second series in a row, the way Stubbs and Breetzke played at Lord’s in their 147-run partnership that set up that victory, with Brewis coming to grips with the international stage, is a big positive for South Africa. 

Perhaps the only concern is the inconsistency at the top of the order, with Ryan Rickelton yet to make an impression since returning from that lengthy break after the WTC final.

Keshav Maharaj was named player of the series — a second consecutive award for him after doing so in Australia — illustrating his importance to the ODI side. Conrad may have been looking for spinners who bat better, but when someone bowls as well as Maharaj it is impossible to ignore. 

The T20 series starts on Wednesday. Players such as Marco Jansen, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira and Lizaad Williams will start training for that on Monday.