Johannesburg: Former South African Test fast bowler Makhaya Ntini has said the Proteas will need to galvanise their team culture before they are able to dominate Test cricket.

South Africa will face England in a Test series in July to claim the No.1 spot but Ntini warned that they could be up against a second opponent: themselves.

"Our players tend to perform better as individuals compared to as a team. That's often their downfall and it's something I don't understand.

"Most of the South Africans who are playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) are performing very well. Perhaps that's because they are playing in different teams and not together," Ntini was quoted as saying by Business Day.

"When the guys play in the IPL or in our own provincial sides they perform excellently and that should also go for when they're playing for the country. But when they are together they don't peak as a team in the same way as they do when they are playing as individuals for other sides, and obviously we need the guys who are playing well now to also do so for SA.

"But they are like Lionel Messi. When he plays for Barcelona he does well, but when he plays for Argentina he doesn't shine," he said. (IANS)