He made these observations on his arrival at the Karachi airport on Saturday afternoon.

``I think we had the potential and talent to do even better. We have not played on the tour as well as we could have,'' he told newsmen at the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport.

The diminutive wicketkeeper was of the view that performances in the last four one-dayers spoiled the entire tour. ``They were just horrifying. You don't expect those type of shows from any international team.

``No matter what resources you have, those performances are unacceptable. They have lowered our heads,'' he said.

Pakistan were bundled out for 114 and 145 in the two matches against South Africa and also failed to bat through their quota of 50 overs in both the games.

Latif admitted that his team had six world record-holders but together their performance was zero. ``It's a reality. We didn't play as a team. There were more individual performances than a team effort.

``Whenever an individual gave an extraordinary performance, we either drew the game or won. But there was no collectivity.''

Latif expressed the fear that Pakistan might touch rock-bottom in one-day cricket if radical changes were not made in the domestic structure immediately. He felt that teams like New Zealand and Zimbabwe have improved immensely while Pakistan were on a decline.

``First of all, Kookaburra balls (used in international cricket) should be introduced and one-day cricket should only be played with white balls,'' he said and added: ``More opportunities should be given to youngsters. They should be given chances in the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, Kenya and Sharjah tournaments.''

Latif observed that Pakistan's prospects in next year's World Cup were not looking bright at present. ``The coordination is missing and top players are nursing injuries. I don't say these things can't be done, but I know that they can't be done overnight. Time is running fast and we should realise that.''

However, Latif said injuries to key players was also one of the factors for the sub-standard performance in the triangular series. He said the absence of Aamir Sohail, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shoaib Akhtar was badly felt.

``We struggled to find an opening partner for Saeed Anwar in Aamir's absence while there was no one to stop the flow of runs in the slog overs like the way Saqlain does,'' he said.

Latif added that three players, including himself, were also carrying injuries that also offset the balance of the team. Besides, Saeed Anwar, Inzamamul Haq and Ijaz Ahmad were lacking in form, he added.

The Pakistan captain said the wickets were also difficult and were made to suit the home team. He said they were hard and bouncy and suited more to South African style of play.

Discussing the Test matches, Latif felt that Pakistan did well by winning a Test at Durban and then the Test series in Zimbabwe.

``The victory at Durban was sweet because we were on the back foot. We were perilously close to defeat but it was the bowling that won us that game,'' he explained.

Latif said as far as Port Elizabeth Test was concerned his team had already started to think that they have clinched the series. Rain on the opening day further strengthened their confidence. ``We showed a non-professional attitude and South Africa played remarkably well to win in the next three days.

``I strongly believe that if it had not rained, we would have been a different team. But a lapse in concentration turned everything around.''

Latif defended his own inclusion in the third Test by saying that Pakistan still went in the match with five specialist batsmen. ``Moin Khan was the fifth batsman. He had been selected as a batsman and will continue to be considered as a stroke-maker so there was nothing strange about including him as the fifth batsman.''

Latif emphasised that Wasim Akram's inclusion didn't affect the cohesion of the team.

Asked if he would like to continue as captain, Latif said it was entirely upto the Pakistan Cricket Board. He said it was for the authorities to decide whether they want him to continue as captain or just as a player.

``I have definitely enjoyed the tour as captain and have learnt a lot. Besides the youngsters, this tour was important to me as well as it was for the first I was leading a team on a full tour.''