THE dust has settled on the Proteas‘ disappointing semi-final loss to Pakistan. I have no doubt South Africa had the strongest combination, and had they followed the right tactical game plan in the run chase they would have won. In an international Twenty20 competition one cannot expect to chase fewer than 150 runs to win, so one can argue that the bowlers and fielders did their job.

The bowling and fielding was not quite up to the standard that we saw earlier in the event but it was adequate, particularly towards the end of the Pakistan innings.

The problem was the construction of the batting order. Throughout the event, there was a lingering doubt regarding the order. Many felt that Herschelle Gibbs should open the innings with Graeme Smith.

The management team felt that the only place Jacques Kallis could bat in a 20/20 match was at the top of the order. The compromise was to bat Gibbs at three. This was always going to be risky.

This strategy worked during the qualifying matches. Kallis did well at the top. Gibbs was not great at three but South Africa kept winning so they persevered with the batting order during the semi-final. This was understandable.

The problem was that Gibbs at number three struggled against the turning ball. This was exposed badly by Shahid Afridi.

Smith struggled with the bat in the semi- final and the early exit of Gibbs at a crucial stage was a setback. But the big problem came when the management team sent in JP Duminy to bat with Kallis during the middle overs of the run chase after the dismissal of AB de Villiers.

De Villiers and Kallis both play this version of the game well enough to warrant a place in the team but they should always be separated in the batting order. They both play the same way. They accumulate runs and need a big hitter at the other end. It was inevitable that while they were together the required run rate was going to climb to a point that the rest of the batting order was going to come under too much pressure.

Either Kallis or Duminy should have taken risks earlier. They conceded four overs against Afridi, forgetting that on previous form Umar Gull would be impossible to hit at the end.

South Africa had only 12 overs in real terms to play with in the run pursuit, which was going to be very difficult. Considering the fact that they only lost by seven runs it is quite bizarre that big hitters like Albie Morkel, Mark Boucher and Roelof van der Merwe played virtually no part in the game.

It does not matter how one tries to spin it, the reason for the loss was due to incorrect choices.

Let us not take anything away from Pakistan though. They were down and out early in the tournament but regrouped to the point where they thoroughly deserved their win. They worked out an excellent game plan that worked very well.

Their senior players stood up to the challenge and this tournament win will mean the world to them after the trauma Pakistan cricket has been through lately.