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Craig HillSouth Africa Defeat Australia In First Twenty20
March 29th 2009 08:30
Australian captain Ricky Ponting was happy with the overall performance in the four-wicket loss to South Africa in the first Twenty20 international against South Africa, but not as pleased with the result.
The Aussies looked likely to win the match when the hosts needed 84 from 47 balls with only five wickets remaining.
However, Australia couldn't get the wickets it needed and South Africa won a thrilling encounter with just four balls to spare.
"I'm disappointed to lose the game, because we certainly got ourselves into a position in which we probably should have won," he said.
"That's what's the disappointing thing about it. If we hadn't gotten ourselves into that position then I wouldn't have been too disappointed."
"You want to win every game you play and we wanted to win tonight. We've trained well the last couple of days."
"We were a long way off our best cricket tonight, but the satisfying thing is that we had a very good chance to win the game."
Australia had several unfamiliar names in its team tonight, including Shane Harwood and Brett Geeves - who conceded 83 runs between them in 7.2 overs - and Ponting is hoping they can learn from the experience.
"Geeves and Harwood playing tonight, a couple of guys that have been the best performers in domestic cricket back in Australia, they deserved the opportunity to play," he added.
"Both would have learned a lot from the experience, they're bowling to good players on good wickets."
"It just goes to show in this game you've got to execute everything, almost perfectly as a bowler or you're going to go around the park."
"So, they'll learn a lot from that and the more games we can get into the younger guys, it's a chance for them to learn and for us it's a chance to learn more about them and the better off we'll obviously be."
Proteas captain Johan Botha was full of praise for Mark Boucher and Albie Morkel after they helped South Africa snatch the unlikely victory at the Wanderers.
Chasing 166, the Proteas looked well out of the game at 5-83 with just under eight overs remaining, before the pair put on 58 in five pulsating overs to edge the hosts closer to victory.
Morkel was eventually out for 37 off just 19 balls with the score on 141, but Boucher finished unbeaten on 36 to hand his side a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Speaking afterwards, the captain was full of praise for his wicketkeeper, who has come under intense pressure in recent months following his lack of contribution with the bat.
But Botha said: "He's done it many times before and he just showed us again tonight that he's probably our best finisher with Albie."
"He deserves his place in the team and has a lot of input off the field as well which makes him very valuable."
Reflecting on Morkel's performance, he continued: "I think he showed us all summer how good he can be."
"With 62 off 30, a lot of teams will think they're out of it, but with our two guys that were still in, we knew we were still in it."
"They showed that at the end and Albie's bowling too is important. He's a world-class all-rounder."
Botha admitted that the victory, only their second in a total of five against the Australians, was very pleasing.
"It was a really good win tonight," he added. "It got a bit tight, but with those two out there we had hope.
"That's what they get paid for, the big bucks, because they do it under pressure and they did it again tonight. But with those two in and with a long way to go, we knew we still had a chance."
The two sides have a day's rest before doing battle again on Sunday (SA time) at SuperSport Park.
The Aussies looked likely to win the match when the hosts needed 84 from 47 balls with only five wickets remaining.
However, Australia couldn't get the wickets it needed and South Africa won a thrilling encounter with just four balls to spare.
"I'm disappointed to lose the game, because we certainly got ourselves into a position in which we probably should have won," he said.
"That's what's the disappointing thing about it. If we hadn't gotten ourselves into that position then I wouldn't have been too disappointed."
"You want to win every game you play and we wanted to win tonight. We've trained well the last couple of days."
"We were a long way off our best cricket tonight, but the satisfying thing is that we had a very good chance to win the game."
Australia had several unfamiliar names in its team tonight, including Shane Harwood and Brett Geeves - who conceded 83 runs between them in 7.2 overs - and Ponting is hoping they can learn from the experience.
"Geeves and Harwood playing tonight, a couple of guys that have been the best performers in domestic cricket back in Australia, they deserved the opportunity to play," he added.
"Both would have learned a lot from the experience, they're bowling to good players on good wickets."
"It just goes to show in this game you've got to execute everything, almost perfectly as a bowler or you're going to go around the park."
"So, they'll learn a lot from that and the more games we can get into the younger guys, it's a chance for them to learn and for us it's a chance to learn more about them and the better off we'll obviously be."
Proteas captain Johan Botha was full of praise for Mark Boucher and Albie Morkel after they helped South Africa snatch the unlikely victory at the Wanderers.
Chasing 166, the Proteas looked well out of the game at 5-83 with just under eight overs remaining, before the pair put on 58 in five pulsating overs to edge the hosts closer to victory.
Morkel was eventually out for 37 off just 19 balls with the score on 141, but Boucher finished unbeaten on 36 to hand his side a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Speaking afterwards, the captain was full of praise for his wicketkeeper, who has come under intense pressure in recent months following his lack of contribution with the bat.
But Botha said: "He's done it many times before and he just showed us again tonight that he's probably our best finisher with Albie."
"He deserves his place in the team and has a lot of input off the field as well which makes him very valuable."
Reflecting on Morkel's performance, he continued: "I think he showed us all summer how good he can be."
"With 62 off 30, a lot of teams will think they're out of it, but with our two guys that were still in, we knew we were still in it."
"They showed that at the end and Albie's bowling too is important. He's a world-class all-rounder."
Botha admitted that the victory, only their second in a total of five against the Australians, was very pleasing.
"It was a really good win tonight," he added. "It got a bit tight, but with those two out there we had hope.
"That's what they get paid for, the big bucks, because they do it under pressure and they did it again tonight. But with those two in and with a long way to go, we knew we still had a chance."
The two sides have a day's rest before doing battle again on Sunday (SA time) at SuperSport Park.
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