AB de Villiers has said he is unable to put a finger on why a team that posted two consecutive scores of 400-plus in their previous two matches and won by 200 runs, lost their second match in the World Cup chasing a target.
– #Quiz360: WIN Dhs250 Legends Sports Bar voucher
– Pakistan beat South Africa in rain-hit thriller to throw Pool B wide open
– VIDEO: India v West Indies CWC highlights
South Africa had lost to India at Melbourne by 130 runs in their second Group match, and in Auckland yesterday, they were bowled out for 202 while chasing 232 to win in 47 overs.
When asked if he could explain what was going wrong with his side while batting second, de Villiers said: “I’m not sure. It’s a disappointing loss and once again, we seem to not get enough partnerships in pressure situations. We’ve done it in the past, but unfortunately tonight we couldn’t do that.
“I felt that Pakistan wanted it more than us. There’s nothing wrong with the batting. It’s just a matter of urgency and being prepared to fight it out. They bowled pretty well tonight. They were geared up and really wanted to win the game. You could see that from a mile away.
“I tried to get the boys going before the game. Didn’t feel like we had enough energy, and I guess that showed with the batting.”
A disappointed AB de Villiers addresses the media after the loss to Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/NgfFbQLxCw
— Joy Chakravarty (@TheJoyOfCricket) March 7, 2015
The South African captain was all praise for Pakistan bowling, even though he said it was nothing extraordinary.
“Every time we lost a wicket was a turning point. It was all about us not losing wickets and them picking up wickets,” said de Villiers.
“It was a matter of stringing up a few deliveries together and getting the partnership going. We couldn’t get that going throughout the night.
“There is nothing extraordinary about the attack. They just ran in with a lot of energy tonight and so you have to give credit to them for that. The captain got them going nicely. You could see a lot urgency about and intensity about what they were doing out there.”
#PAK win! It’s a cauldron of GREEN here! Pakistan are back in #cwc15 with a HUGE win. http://t.co/7hezof9bq4 #SAvPAK pic.twitter.com/DFD4MR8f6u
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) March 7, 2015
He also explained his comment on the side lacking energy.
“I’m not blaming anyone, but I didn’t feel any electric vibe at the warm-up. That is normally a bit of alarm bell going off for me,” he added.
“And secondly, it is my responsibility to try to get the guys going, which I couldn’t. I just could feel that nothing was really happening at a hundred percent. It was almost like a car that’s stuck in second or third gear, and that’s not going to win you cricket games, especially not under pressure and in big tournaments like this.
“I thought there were a couple wickets that they had to actually work for, but too many soft dismissals. I will definitely not sit here and blame the pitch. There is no doubt in my mind we could have done more than that.
“So we need to have a chat about what maybe went wrong tonight and try to get to fifth gear again against the UAE.
De Villiers said if someone had to be blamed, it was him for giving his wicket away when so close to the target.
Check out the scenes in Auckland as #PAK beat #SA! These are some happy fans! #SAvPAK https://t.co/6kqHZCnWmP
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) March 7, 2015
“It was all about me not getting out, and unfortunately I got out,” said de Villiers, who top-scored for the team with a 77, which also took him past 1,000 runs in the World Cup in 20 matches, and made him the most successful batsman of the 2015 edition.
“I hate losing. I really do. So I have nothing good to say about the team at the moment. I’m very disappointed. And even though I scored some runs, I’m disappointed in my own performance.
“I should have finished it off. I’ve done it before so many times, but just couldn’t cross the line tonight. Hopefully, we’ve got four games left in this World Cup, and still an opportunity to lift the trophy.”
South Africa’s final match in Group B is against the UAE on March 12.
