'Proteas a blooming disaster'

Former South African cricketers have blamed the home team's humiliating defeat in the Johannesburg Test to "boastful over-confidence" of the players and called for heads to roll.

Former captain Keppler Wessels said the hosts thought that they could run over the Indians by just some short pitched bowling.

"Graeme Smith and company thought that they could just pitch up at the Wanderers and walk all over the Indians, like they did in the one-day international series," he told the Daily News while calling the Proteas a "blooming disaster".

"Well, all I can say is that they were given a rude, rude wake-up call as India, who were down and out, went back to the drawing board, playing a four-day game at Potch and won that pretty well to get their confidence back and they came to the Wanderers far better prepared mentally and tactically."

Wessels said the fact that ever out of form batsmen were given 10 days off betrayed a lack of respect for the opposition.

"Our South Africans - the captain Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs plus others who are battling with the bat - were given 10 days off. That tells you nothing but sheer lack of respect for the opposition and boastful over-confidence - nothing else.

"Here we have batsmen lacking in form - Smith and Gibbs - yet the selectors gave them time off. I could not believe it.

"They needed time in the middle and their presence in the SuperSport series matches a week before the Test would have helped their confidence no end," he added.

Former spinner Pat Symcox was much more forthright in his criticism and called for "heads to roll".

"The fish is rotten from the head down -- the administrators, the selectors, whom I believe have lost the plot, and the team management which includes the likes of Mickey Arthur, his side-kicks and the captain as well.

"It's a sad day for South African cricket -- it's an international disaster. What South African cricket desperately needs is a strong batting and an outstanding bowling coach - that's what is lacking. Mickey Arthur has been found wanting. He's been exposed. And the sooner Cricket South Africa looks into it the better or we could sink deeper into trouble", said the fiery Symcox.

Symcox joined Wessels in condemning the selectors.

"I believe Haroon Lorgat has really lost it. There's trouble brewing between the players and the selectors - and it's being covered up pretty well. There's no experience at all. So how can you really pick a national team and expect it to perform at the highest level?".