South Africa's defeat to the Netherlands at the Cricket World Cup would have dented the confidence of the team but is far from the end of their campaign.
The loss naturally hasn’t made the South Africans’ task of finishing in the top four any easier, but with six matches left in the round-robin phase, their fate is very much in their own hands.
However, it does leave the team chasing the game just a little, with crucial clashes coming up.
Particularly concerning will be that their next clash comes against the defending champions England, who also suffered a shock defeat to Afghanistan in recent action.
England await South Africa in the first part of a two-legged visit to the Wankhede in Mumbai.
Just three days separate the two clashes at the Wankhede, with SA then set to take on Bangladesh in the coastal metropolis. At this stage, the Proteas really cannot contemplate the impact of another loss to Bangladesh at a World Cup.
That is followed by an incredibly tough trifecta of matches starting with Pakistan on 27 October in Chennai.
Just a few days later, they will be pressed back into action in Pune where they face title contenders New Zealand.
SA would like to get as many points on the board as they can before they have to take on India in the great cathedral of cricket that is Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Once their final match against Afghanistan rolls around, South Africa, they would already want to have their foot in the door in the semi-finals if they have not already clinched a spot.
What they cannot afford to do is dwell on the mistakes made against the Netherlands and should instead work on shoring up the weaknesses that allowed the defeat to transpire.
The defeat asks questions of the South Africans’ ability to chase a score as they seem to bat a whole lot better when they are inserted.
Still, they should not lose sight of the positives in their performances so far.
Improvements in the bowling and batting had suggested they could be genuine World Cup contenders.
They will have to pick themselves up but SA could still make the knockouts even with the loss to the Netherlands.
Remaining SA matches
vs England (21 October), Mumbai (Wankhede)
vs Bangladesh (24 October), Mumbai (Wankhede)
vs Pakistan (27 October), Chennai
vs New Zealand (1 November), Pune
vs India (5 November), Kolkata
vs Afghanistan (10 November), Ahmedabad
