Proteas admit pace failings

Morne Morkel and Co were well below their best in the opening npower Test match

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South Africa’s pace attack believe they let their team down by becoming “overawed” at Lord’s - and are determined to put things right at Headingley Carnegie in the second Test.

Assistant coach Vinnie Barnes, largely responsible for making sure South Africa get the best out of their much-touted fast bowlers, admits Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel allowed the occasion to get to them on their first appearance at the home of cricket.

It is Barnes who has been credited with helping to put Steyn on the fast track over the past year to becoming the number one quick bowler in the world and he says there were a number of factors which scuppered the tourists as England piled up 593 for eight declared after being asked to bat first.

“We have a young attack and it was a huge occasion for them playing their first Test at Lord’s,” he explained. “There’s no doubt that they were overawed.

“There was also a lot of hype in the media about the South Africans having the fastest attack since the West Indies in the 1980s - and the guys started to believe it all,” he conceded.

Barnes was left to reflect on an unlikely draw after the tourists found themselves following on 346 runs behind before three second-innings hundreds came to their rescue.

He added: “We were also unable to get onto the field [because of the bad weather preceding the Test] and couldn’t get a feel of the ground, and in particular the slope.

“They all have a strong feeling that they’ve let the team down - and they’re desperate to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

The key now for Barnes and coach Mickey Arthur is how to ensure the South African attack - completed at Lord’s by veteran pace bowler Makhaya Ntini and slow left-armer Paul Harris - do reach their potential at Leeds, from Friday.

“We’ve reminded them that they lost their game plan,” Barnes said.

Dale Steyn failed to live up to his billing at Lord's

“Bowling is all about patience, pressure and operating in partnerships. The guys just didn’t apply their skills.”

Barnes is convinced it will be a very different story in the remaining three matches - and he predicts Ntini will also improve as the series progresses.

“Makhaya has tended in the past to make slow starts to series,” Barnes said.

“We worked hard to get his intensity up, so that he knew his first ball had to be his best ball. But it didn’t happen. Nevertheless, we are confident he will get better.”

South Africa anticipate at this stage fielding the same attack, although Andre Nel was considered as a last-minute call-up in place of Harris at Lord’s.

He may come into the equation again if Headingley Carnegie looks set to serve up a surfeit of seam-bowling conditions - as is often the case under cloud cover.

Whatever the make-up of the bowling unit, though, the preparation - as ever with South Africa - will be meticulous.

“I’ve done technical work with the guys and a lot of video analysis,” said Barnes.

“I’ve sat down with the bowlers individually, for two hours each, and shown them examples of what they can do when they were bowling well.”