New Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief Haroon Lorgat has said that massive improvement is needed from the South African team before they can again become a force in one-day cricket.
According to Sport24, the Proteas are the world top test team, but have struggled in ODIs in recent times, and lost 4-1 in their recently completed series in Sri Lanka.
Stating that he expects the Test team to stay at the top for a long time, Lorgat, however, said that he is not as upbeat about the one-day side's fortunes, adding that coach Russell Domingo and captain AB de Villiers are aware of the hard work that lies ahead of the one-day team.
According to Lorgat, the team had already known that the Sri Lankan tour would be a tough one, adding that it did not help them that injuries to three key players with over 700 matches combined had destroyed plans.
However, Lorgat requested the team's fans to remain patient, saying that the Proteas needs public support currently as things are not going well for them.
The Proteas now shift their attention to a three-match T20 series, starting in Colombo on Friday, the report added.