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Cape Town - South Africa great Jacques Kallis has urged the Proteas to learn lessons from England's one-day international revival following the team's miserable early exit from the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
A 49-run defeat by Pakistan at Lord's on Sunday ensured that, with two games in the 10-team round-robin phase still to play, there is no way South Africa can qualify for the semi-finals.
Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis did not pull any punches, labelling his side's 259/9 in response to Pakistan's 308/7 as "borderline embarrassing".
But Kallis, the outstanding all-rounder of his generation, said South Africa should take heart from the way England recovered after suffering an equally woeful first-round exit at the 2015 World Cup.
Eoin Morgan's side have since risen to the top of the ODI rankings and are among the leading contenders to lift the trophy this year.
"Four years ago, England were perhaps one of the lowest ranked teams in the world after really struggling at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
"However, they used the disappointment of their performances in 2015 to rebuild their team and totally change their mentality and approach to one-day cricket.
"England now play without fear and aren’t afraid to make mistakes. For me, South Africa have approached things too defensively at this tournament and they need to attack each match with much more positivity going forward.
"You don’t need to make wholesale changes, England are still captained by Eoin Morgan, as they were four years ago.
"Some will demand everything is changed but a total clean out is just not the way ahead, we need to be more considered and thoughtful," Kallis said.
Kallis, who played 328 ODIs for South Africa before his final 50-over cap in mid-2014, said the brand of cricket the team is playing needs to be urgently addressed.
"The first thing that needs to be looked at is the brand of cricket South Africa are playing and all the players will want to be part of that conversation.
"In my career I always improved after a setback, that’s sport. It’s human nature to want to learn when things don’t go according to plan.
"There will need to be some honest conversations and they will need to trust each other. However, you cannot keep chopping and changing a team and I don’t think they will
"South Africa have some great young players in their 20s (Kagiso Rabada, 24, Lungi Ngidi, 23, Andile Phehlukwayo,23, and Aiden Markram, 24) and they can be the foundation for the future.
"What those guys have been through at this World Cup will be invaluable and the process starts with them and hard work begins with the very next series.
"England are proof how quickly things can change in four years, so long as you have the right approach," Kallis concluded.
The next edition of the Cricket World Cup in 2023 will be played in India.
