- Proteas Test captain Quinton de Kock doesn't know how they'll resolve their collapsing issues.
- The Proteas had two batting collapses that gave Pakistan a seven-wicket win in the first Test in Karachi.
- De Kock said they batted better in the second innings and learnt from their mistakes.
When Proteas captain Quinton de Kock doesn't have a solution to stem South Africa's now terminal batting collapses, where and how the team will acquire the long-term band-aid for this serious issue?
South Africa's batting malfunctions on the subcontinent are now legendary, featuring heavily in their eight consecutive Test losses in Asia.
In gifting Pakistan a seven-wicket win in the first Test in Karachi, South Africa collapsed from 133/3 to 220 all out in the first innings.
In the second dig where they were faced with a 158-run deficit, they fell from a perch of 175/1 to a depth of 245 all out.
De Kock failed and fell to spin in both innings and was stumped for an answer when asked about a remedy to their collapsing.
"If I knew, I would let you know. If we knew how to fix them, we wouldn't be doing them in the first place. We have spoken about them and we are trying to find a way to fix them. They are not happening on purpose. It's something we're also trying to figure out," De Kock said.
The Proteas have lost eight of their last nine Tests in Asia. The other seven came when South Africa had lost the toss in India and in Sri Lanka, from where they were suffocated by scoreboard pressure.
In this Test, they had use of the best batting conditions, but didn't utilise them effectively to ask Pakistan the pressing fourth innings question on a pitch that was deteriorating on the fourth morning.
De Kock said travelling hasn't been easy for most teams, but cited India's success in Australia as one of the anomalies.
There's also England's recent success in Sri Lanka where their 2-0 series win meant they've won five on the bounce against Sri Lanka on the island.
"We haven't played very well on the subcontinent, but I think it works both ways for all the teams. Very few teams go abroad and win Tests, even though we've seen what India have done. Yes we lost, but for us, the way we lost wasn't our best," De Kock said.
"We want to get better and from what I saw now, we learnt from our first innings mistakes. That's a good forward step. I know our record on the subcontinent is not the greatest, but it's never easy. It's just a matter of finding a way of getting that first win, but I think things will roll out the way they should."
Fourteen of SA's 20 wickets fell to spin as compared to four out of 13 for Pakistan. This points to Pakistan not just having the better spin personnel, but also using them more effectively.
There also was Pakistan's batsmen, Fawad Alam and Azhar Ali in particular, diffusing SA's threats from a perilous position of 27/4.
De Kock felt they gave their wickets away in the first innings, with Pakistan’s application with the bat also being a telling factor.
"In the first innings, we gave them our wickets. In the second innings, there were one or two good nuts, which is part of the game. We'll prepare and come back mentally stronger," De Kock said.
"It was the batsmen who were the difference in how well they played the spinners and the way we didn't. It wasn't the bowling. They soaked up the pressure and found a way to bat in these conditions."