espnstar.com’s Rajarshi Gupta caught up with former South African speed merchant Allan Donald for an exclusive chat.

Donald looks as fit, lean and mean as he did during his playing days for the Proteas. Six years after he hung up his boots, Donald has lived up his image as one of the greatest fast bowlers that ever played the game.

His view on South African cricket therefore carries that weight, a respect which come with his level of stardom.

Needless to say, Donald is a distraught man after seeing the way Graeme Smith’s men were knocked out of the ICC Champions Trophy in their backyard.

“I was on the flight with Gerald Majola (Cricket South Africa CEO) and he said the team needs to go and play Kenya to brush up on their cricketing skills.

The South Africans looked extremely rusty and a lot of work needs to be done on the team. You cannot go into a major tournament like the Champions Trophy looking as rusty as the team did.”

South Africa have had a poor record at the ICC events and though they won the ICC KnockOut as far back as in 1998, fans and the media had expected the Smith led team to do better than their first-round exit after defeats against Sri Lanka and England.

Donald opined that what the Proteas lacked was a genuine ‘shock’ bowler, who could turn things around for the team.

“We lack a shock bowler who can turn the match on its head. The team certainly needs more options in the bowling department,” Donald opined.

The South Africans were on a rampage in ODI’s this year, winning seven out of their 10 matches, all against Australia.

However, the Proteas played the last of their ODI’s before the Champions Trophy way back in April and no wonder they ended up looking like a shadow of their past.

One-day cricket is all about rhythm and the South Africans will need to get theirs back fast.

Hailed as the powerhouse of African cricket, it is ironical how the Proteas will now have to look at their weaker continental cousins to brush up on their skills. Times do change.

Click here to read Allan Donald: Part 2