Listening to stand-in One-Day International (ODI) Proteas skipper Aiden Markram in his post-match presser after the catastrophic performance against Afghanistan, one could be forgiven for thinking his side competed strongly in their first clash on Wednesday.
There was no mention of the fact that Afghanistan reduced an inexperienced Proteas side to 36/7 in Sharjah, and only a half century from Wiaan Mulder meant the South Africans were able to avoid a complete disaster.
Still, the victory was never in doubt for Afghanistan as they romped to a six-wicket win chasing down the paltry 107 for victory with 24 overs to spare.
Markram, after the match, spoke about how the team was intent on giving new faces in the squad the chance to experience international level cricket, while the lack of depth did not seem to be a concern.
Everyones in a really good placeWe are a team that's growing at the moment, and exposing guys to the next level is fantastic, said Markram.
