The Proteas were remarkably upbeat on their return to South Africa on Saturday, after the disappointment of losing to Pakistan in the semifinal of the ICC World Twenty20 (T20) in England.
"Of course it was disappointing," said Proteas captain Graeme
Smith. "We know the team's potential and we know we are capable of
winning a big international tournament. We believe in ourselves
and we are determined to tick that box.
"Pakistan just played brilliantly that day and they outplayed us
in all facets of the game."
Coach Mickey Arthur rejected the tag of chokers that has dogged
South Africa over the years.
"Choking is when you panic," he said. "We didn't panic. We just
have to take our hats off to Pakistan - sometimes the opposition is
allowed to play well.
"Things like this can happen in a knockout tournament. We beat all those sides during the tournament, except for a
couple like Australia and the Netherlands that we didn't play.
"I believe we are the best team in world cricket at the moment,
and our time will come to prove that.
"The past 18 months have been incredibly successful and we are
still capable of reaching an even higher level."
Smith and Arthur also rejected suggestions in the English media
that South Africa were one-dimensional and robotic in their
approach to T20 cricket.
"We have plenty of players who play with flair in our team, and
I think we're a very exciting team to watch," said Arthur.
"Yes, we play a structured game where everyone knows his role,
but there is nothing stereotyped about our batting and our fielding
is the best in the world."
Smith said he had been particularly pleased with the way younger
members of the team, such as Wayne Parnell, had performed.
"It was so exciting to watch the way Wayne and Dale (Steyn)
bowled at the death.
"I think the success of youngsters like Wayne is a tribute to
the success of the structures in place in South Africa to identify
and develop talent."
The Proteas have a break of nearly three months before their
next mission, which is the ICC Champions Trophy, to be played in
Johannesburg and Pretoria between September 24 and October 7.
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