'Death bowling' issues solved: Mickey Arthur

South Africa may have failed to clear the semi-final hurdle yet again in a major cricket tournament, but coach Mickey Arthur believes that his team has solved the problem of bowling at death.

South Africa finally seems to be getting to grips with "death bowling" which has been an ongoing problem in both the 20 overs and 50 overs format for the side. This is particularly applicable looking ahead to the Proteas' next challenge, the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa at home in September.

“This was one of the biggest positives to come out of our campaign,” commented coach Mickey Arthur. “The way Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell closed both the West Indies and Pakistan down in the last four overs of what were very tight matches was very encouraging. Looking ahead to the Champions’ Trophy these two look to have solved one of our few problem areas.”

The way Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell closed both the West Indies and Pakistan down in the last four overs of what were very tight matches was very encouraging. Looking ahead to the Champions' Trophy these two look to have solved one of our few problem areas."

The 19-year-old Parnell was the South African standout of the Twenty20 tournament with his ability to fire in yorkers almost at will and his ability to adapt to changing match circumstances. The left-arm pacer credited the success to his stint with Kent before the start of the tournament. “I quickly learned at Kent that the white ball does not swing much, so I learned to alter my length accordingly,” he commented.