Jacques Kallis put personal accomplishment aside and said a third batting collapse in four innings in their series against Australia was down to poor batting.
South Africa lost six wickets for 25 runs on the first day of the second Test to be bowled out for 266, following hot on the heels of their collapse to 96 all out and Australia's 47 all out in the first Test in Cape Town.
"There were a lot of soft dismissals, far too many. It was poor execution and shot making, we were a bit too loose and it shouldn't happen in Test cricket," Kallis told a news conference last night.
Kallis typified the day with his innings of 54 off just 41 balls at the Wanderers, before getting out with a poor shot.
He reached his 55th Test half-century when he flicked Peter Siddle for six over square-leg. Three balls later, a similar shot for four saw the 36 year old become just the fourth batsman to score 12,000 Test runs.
But Kallis then casually flicked Siddle's next delivery to midwicket to be caught by Usman Khawaja above his head.
"Unfortunately there was one too many events in that over!" Kallis quipped. "When you play, as long as I have, then the milestones come automatically. But it was disappointing to get out the way I did."
But Kallis, whose side won the Cape Town Test, offered hope for his bowlers. "There's enough in the pitch, we saw the ball move around, and if we bowl well and in the right areas, then there's no reason we can't do the same to Australia," he said.