Proteas captain Dean Elgar says a lot of hard work went into his team’s success in the Test arena this summer.
On Monday, the Proteas completed a 332-run victory over Bangladesh in Gqeberha to sweep the Test series 2-0.
That followed a come-from-behind 2-1 series win over then No 1-ranked India in South Africa and a 1-1 away series draw with Test world champions New Zealand.
Those results have put the Proteas in second spot on the 2021-23 Test World Championship log.
“Not a lot of people would’ve given us those stats at the start of the season,” said Elgar. “It’s great to have those numbers on our side.
“There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that went behind this and it didn’t happen by fluke. We’ve had an extremely successful summer and it’s not just the Test side but a cricketing nation.”
The Proteas crushed Bangladesh despite missing several first-choice players, who are on IPL duty.
“I think we’re on the right path from a team point of view. There’s a lot of things to build on,” said Elgar.
“I’m extremely proud of the Test side and the depth that we’ve showed and by getting guys opportunities. There are a lot of positives for us to grow.”
Elgar admitted the Proteas batsmen, himself included, needed to score more hundreds. Temba Bavuma came the closest in the Bangladesh series, scoring 93 in the first Test at Kingsmead.
“That’s a lot of emphasis on my plate as well. Our senior guys, when we get into those positions, we have to get those three figures.
“We know how much it means from a batting point of view and the pressure that gets put on the opposition.
“Our batting department is probably one of the ‘negative’ departments where we haven’t been nailing down those hundreds.
“It’s one area of focus that we as a group are working extremely aware of; we’re working bloody hard to get those hundreds. It’s just a case of trying not to work too hard and focus on the moment and not too far ahead.”
