South Africa's shock Test series defeat against Sri Lanka came as a major jolt to a team which had become accustomed to dominating Test matches at home.
The unheralded Sri Lankans exposed flaws in both South Africa's top-order batting and their much-vaunted fast bowling attack in winning both Tests in a two-match series.
Coach Ottis Gibson was asked after the second Test in Port Elizabeth whether South Africa's policy of playing on pace-friendly pitches had affected the form and confidence of the home team's batsmen, who struggled to totals of 235, 259, 222 and 128 against Sri Lanka.
"No," he said. "We've got runs on these pitches before. We just haven't batted well enough in this series."
- 'Not good enough' -
=====================
"You're talking about a top-order that is experienced. Talking about them to be replaced is a big call. They've done well for a very long time. One series doesn't make you a bad player."
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content