Arthur and Smith have some rebuilding to do

"During this tournament we were a bit off the boil, with some really fantastic performances coupled with some very average ones," he said.

"Not looking for excuses but the length of the tournament and the time between games didn't allow us to get momentum.

"After the game against England we were ready to play two days later."

606: DEBATE As much as it pains me to say it, SA were a shambles and no match for Australia EG

Instead of an immediate turn-around, South Africa had seven days off before facing Australia, who had last played on Friday, when they beat New Zealand.

After the semi-final, in which they were soundly beaten by seven wickets by Australia, a solemn captain Graeme Smith admitted his side were upset at having missed out on their first ever World Cup final.

"Being two games away from a World Cup and not putting in the performance you're looking for is disappointing but I guess we'll deal with it," he said.

"We also feel sorry for people supporting us back home and over here."

Smith said finding a front-line spinner and becoming more consistent in foreign conditions are the big challenges as they look ahead to the 2011 World Cup.

One of our challenges is to find a spinner that can contribute, like Australia and Sri Lanka have Graeme Smith

"In our conditions we're always going to be strong, and in Australia and England,� he continued.

"But there are a few things we can look at to make our side stronger in these conditions going forward.

"One of our challenges is to find a spinner that can contribute, like Australia and Sri Lanka have."

South Africa selected left-armer Robin Peterson in their squad but he played just two games, leaving them short of variation at key stages in matches.