<p>Choke is a word which has haunted South African cricket for three decades but rather than shy away from it, departing coach Gary Kirsten has embraced the term in a bid to end their jinx. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The heavy defeat to England in the Champions Trophy semifinal at The Oval on Wednesday was their eighth last-four loss out of nine played in major tournaments. "We need to be honest with ourselves. I think we did choke the game. We have to accept what it is," Kirsten told a news conference.<br /><br />He said the "horrible word" had been used in team meetings in an effort to conquer the issue but it remained a "mist". “If we had a secret recipe to turn it around we would certainly have packaged it and be selling it," added Kirsten. <br /><br />"It's going to require some really tough individuals to overcome it. I don't know if I've left the team in a better state. Certainly we haven't improved. Maybe it's a good decision I'm leaving," he said. <br /><br />Kirsten also hinted that Jacques Kallis's one-day future was limited. "In high-pressure games you want your more experienced players...but at the same time they are scarred by past experiences. South African cricket needs to move beyond Jacques Kallis," he said.<br /><br />England captain Alastair Cook disagreed with Kirsten on the choke part. "I don't think they choked, I think we played really well," he said.</p>
<p>Choke is a word which has haunted South African cricket for three decades but rather than shy away from it, departing coach Gary Kirsten has embraced the term in a bid to end their jinx. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The heavy defeat to England in the Champions Trophy semifinal at The Oval on Wednesday was their eighth last-four loss out of nine played in major tournaments. "We need to be honest with ourselves. I think we did choke the game. We have to accept what it is," Kirsten told a news conference.<br /><br />He said the "horrible word" had been used in team meetings in an effort to conquer the issue but it remained a "mist". “If we had a secret recipe to turn it around we would certainly have packaged it and be selling it," added Kirsten. <br /><br />"It's going to require some really tough individuals to overcome it. I don't know if I've left the team in a better state. Certainly we haven't improved. Maybe it's a good decision I'm leaving," he said. <br /><br />Kirsten also hinted that Jacques Kallis's one-day future was limited. "In high-pressure games you want your more experienced players...but at the same time they are scarred by past experiences. South African cricket needs to move beyond Jacques Kallis," he said.<br /><br />England captain Alastair Cook disagreed with Kirsten on the choke part. "I don't think they choked, I think we played really well," he said.</p>