CSA plots the way forward

Cricket South Africa's CEO, Gerald Majola, and Proteas' coach Mickey Arthur on Wednesday issued a joint statement on the way forward following yet another failure by the Proteas in a major knock-out competition.

The joint statement said: "There will be a brutally honest analysis of the Proteas' early demise in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy and other failures of this nature in knock-out competitions to ensure that it does not happen again.

"If mistakes have been made, then they must be acknowledged and remedied before the next World Cup.

"All credit must go to the Proteas for being ranked as the world's top Test and ODI team.

"However, this must not overshadow the urgent need to bridge the gap between these ratings and the failure of the Proteas to reach the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy on home soil as well as other major knock-out tournaments elsewhere.

"The best systems available have been put in place, such as:

A broad base of outstanding players which is the envy of the cricketing world
Variety and balance in key playing positions
Full-time support specialists in all relevant fields
An efficient high performance programme
Loyal and committed sponsors
A large and enthusiastic supporters' base

"With these basics on hand, a way must surely be found to get the Proteas to take their winning ways into knock-out tournaments.

"The analysis and remedial process is to begin immediately and a report on the way forward will be presented to the Board of Directors of Cricket South Africa by the National Coach at its next Board meeting on the 30th October."