South Africa's problem lies in technical flaws

The bowling was poor, but a large part of South Africa's problem was their predictability. England's pre-game team meeting focused on four things: don't get out to Steyn, wait for the bad ball from Parnell, attack the third seamer (Morkel) and don't allow the spinners to settle into a rhythm. England believed strongly that Morkel's confidence was brittle, and that Botha and (especially) Van der Merwe, werehttps://blogs.cricinfo.com/MT/images/formatting-icons/quote.gif spikey individuals who would respond poorly to early pressure. And they were right. But as much as the competitive spirit of the spinners will see them through, Morkel's role as third seamer -- even when shared with Kallis -- may be doomed. As gloriously as his Kluseneresque hitting entertains the crowds, and even wins matches, as it did in Australia at the beginning of the year, Mike Procter and his fellow selectors will now have to address the value of Morkel's batting against the liability of his bowling.