- Proteas bowling coach Charl Langeveldt admitted the bowlers didn't have the best day in the office in the ongoing Test in Melbourne.
- The Proteas conceded 575/8 and went to bed on the third evening at 15/1 with only an innings defeat or draw available to them.
- Langeveldt also applauded the quality of the wicket prepared by Melbourne Cricket Ground curator Matt Page.
Proteas bowling coach Charl Langeveldt admitted the Melbourne Test against Australia had been a tough exercise for the bowlers.
The Proteas' bowlers slogged it out late on day one until the end of day three, where Australia racked up 575/8 declared on the back of 200 from David Warner and 111 from Alex Carey.
After the Proteas batters failed again and were bundled out 189, the bowlers found themselves in a position where Australia batted through the gears to post their massive total.
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Langeveldt was happy with how fast bowler Anrich Nortje applied himself, but felt there was a general lack of control that allowed the hosts to bolt away in the second Test.
"It's been a tough three days for us as a bowling unit," Langeveldt said.
"We didn't start well on day 1, but the next day was kind of rewarding with the effort and Anrich bowled with a lot of heat.
"If there's something we need to speak about, it's our control because it's something I think we can improve.
"The bowlers have played a few Tests together, so it's being able to control the run rate for longer periods, but I was happy with the enthusiasm they showed."
Langeveldt was also more than happy with the pitch prepped by Matt Page, adding that it rewarded patient bowling.
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Langeveldt was also quick to point out that the batting malfunction was a group matter and not just something that should be pinned on the specialist batters alone.
"We haven't played on a good cricket wicket in a while and this is a good cricket wicket," Langeveldt said.
"You get the reward if you stay patient with the ball. We've played in Tests where the conditions were bowler friendly, so I think in this Test, we were tested.
"There isn't a lot of pressure on the bowlers if the batting unit fails because the bowlers are also part of that group.
"There's no bowlers up against the batters because everyone is part of the group."