South Africa's sole bright spot so far from the ongoing Jo'burg Test where England seems destined to prevail 3-1 in the Basil d'Oliviera trophy, pacer Anrich Nortje defended his teammates after their miserable performance and tried to explain what is plaguing this Proteas side. 

Nortje picked up his maiden Test five-fer (5/110) as the hosts conceded a total of 400 in the first innings before being bundled out for just 183 runs in response, conceding a lead of 217 runs. 

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"Each bowler had plans. It is about executing‚" the 26-year-old told reporters after Day 2. It was embarrassing to see the ease at which England's tailenders took the game away from the home team. "Maybe one or two (chances) we missed. It is difficult to say. They were hitting the ball cleanly. They were hitting it for six‚ all over. I really don’t have any answers," he added.

When South Africa won the first Test in Centurion, optimistic supporters felt it's a fresh beginning for this young team; however, that was obviously a false dawn with the issues running deep into the system. 

"They are highly experienced. This is Beuran’s (Hendricks) home ground as well. They know what to do," Nortje, however, said. "They know how to handle situations. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way for quite a period. I’m sure on any other day it would have gone our way. It just didn’t happen."

“I’m not blaming anyone. It is a collective unit. It is our job as a unit. It is not on one or two guys to finish up the game," he added. “We had a target and had some plans. Unfortunately, they were hitting the ball cleanly as well."

"Maybe that is a chat we can have again. I think it was similar to Keshav (Maharaj) and (Dane) Paterson last week at the end as well. Maybe we need to sort out these 11s and 10s. We have to look at what we did wrong and where we could do better."

On a personal note, this wouldn't be as forgettable a game for Nortje, especially since his five-fer came while replacing spearhead Kagiso Rabada. "It is a great feeling to actually get it," he said. "I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. To get a reward and a fifer and to be doing it in SA as well is quite special."

"I won’t say I was trying to step into his (Rabada's) shoes but definitely I was trying to lead from the front‚ trying to lead the attack‚ in a way."

"It is definitely a goal. It is something I would like to do in the future. It was about every ball and trying to be the best I can. Luckily I got the fifer at the end."

(Inputs from timeslive.co.za)