It almost certainly means the end of Ottis Gibson’s stay as coach of the side after he had been mandated by Cricket South Africa to win the trophy. South Africa entered the tournament ranked number three in the world in One-Day Internationals, having won their last five series in the 50-over format. “We need to be realistic, when the team left South Africa it was with only a bit of hope of winning the tournament,” former South Africa batsman and 2011 World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten told reporters. “There’s a lot of guys low on runs,” Du Plessis conceded. Du Plessis also blamed a poor start to the tournament where the side lost their opening three games, including a surprise defeat by Bangladesh, as a major factor.

Source: Hindustan Times June 24, 2019 09:56 UTC