They saw it coming

There is one consistent thing with Proteas is failing to win an ICC tournament. why this is? Choking

Plan B, courage, and fighting spirit lacked in the Proteas performance throughout the tournament.

Let me put special emphasis. The team lacks balance as well. If Smith, De Villiers and Kallis are not on form in a game, we know for sure that we are going to lose.

We need more courageous match winners in the team. Sometime when the technical (tactics) side of your games fails, adaptability, natural skill and ability should win you games.

Our Protea squad lacks the latter.

Choking refers to the situation of a team that has been performing very well suddenly performing very poorly in a crucial match. That has happened to the Proteas in previous tournaments, but it was not the case here. In this case, as the article's author says, it was mostly a lack of intelligent preparation, which would have included tactical flexibility. And also: poor bowling.

True about the Cronje era and then we saw the difference between us and Australia - grit, determination, national pride and everything that makes the Aussies what they are - formidable in any sport. I think we have the talent, loads of it, we have the staff and coaches but I rarely see hunger to win...

Fire the coach and the captain. England changed and they now look good.

You've got to transform the team. South African Whites sportsmen are way too conservative and it shows in their whole demeanor. Jacques Kallis is too big for the team, and he should focus on Test cricket. Blacks are more radical and are prepared to take risks. That cricket team is now more untransformed than it ever was. But nobody is going to accept criticism because only money talks, regardless of how pathetic they play.

Look what Peter De Villiers did with the mainly White Springboks. If Jake White was still in charge, we'd still be hoping for a Tri-Nations win.

Leon McClusky, do you expect to be taken seriously when you say things like "Blacks are more radical and are prepared to take risks"?

To say nothing of the absolutely groundless racial profiling, here are three examples that refute your statement: AB de Villiers, Graeme Smith and Albie Morkel. All white, all players with flair.

> If Jake White was still in charge, we'd still be hoping for a Tri-Nations win

Shit yeah, I guess we'd just have to make do with the World Cup. (And the Tri-Nations, which came this year under de Villiers, was won by a team with hardly more supposedly 'more radical and risk-loving' black players.)

Seriously, if you can't talk sense, do us all a favour and keep it under wraps.

Hi Jabu Ncayiyana
They didn't choke.The debacle in the World Cup may have been influenced by the Administrators, It was great to see the Sri Lankans take on the Pakistanis after that dreadful terrorist incident in Pakistan.Other losses I can attribute to other forces at play. Look carefully and you will be able to see a similarity with Hansies Game Plans.

Somebody is cheating the SA public. Wonder who that can be?

I've read several articles written by Neil Manthorp and whenever it comes to India, Indian cricketers and the BCCI, he is highly prejudiced. Sour grapes?
In this article, where he sets out to analyse SA's early exit, he dismisses the Indian team in one sentence: 'Millionaires playing like paupers!' This is simply not true. While the Indians didn't play to their potential, luck was not on their side either. First of all the opening match against Pakistan was a game they could have won as they cruising along during the chase, and secondly the game against Australia was a washout. India could well have won it....nobody knows! They did trounce the WI in a lost cause. But its easy to forget that Sehwag, Zaheer & Yuvraj were missing, guys who could turn a match on its head single-handedly! So Mr. Manthorp, a little more objectivity and respect towards Indian players would be much appreciated.

Hi Ramesh
The Indian players continue to prove that they are "paper tigers".
Great in India but pathetic outside. You do have some great players though : Zaheer,Yuvraj and Gambir. Tendulkar should be put to pasture.

Cheers