England captain Andrew Strauss was critical of his bowlers' performance after the six-wicket win over the Netherlands in Tuesday's World Cup match in Nagpur.
"For the first 50 overs we were very poor. We were exceptionally poor in the last 10 overs. You don't drop so many catches. We were untidy in the field. At the break, we were a bit of shell shocked as to what happened in the last 10 overs," Strauss said at the post-match media conference.
"The wicket was a bit on the flatter side and the outfield was quick. We would have been happy settle down for 240-250 but we gave away 40 runs more. However we can't take away any credit for Ryan ten Doeschate for the manner in which he batted. We have seen what he has done for Essex but to do it on a big stage is a difficult thing," he added.
Though India is tipped by many to win the World Cup, South Africa Jacques Kaiils believes the pressure of living up to expectations of home fans would be a major hindrance.
"I believe it is an open tournament. I don't think there is anyone who stands out as the favourite at the moment.
"Lot of people are talking about India, but we know what it is like to play with the pressure of being at home so that probably negates the home advantage.
"It is going to boil down to who gets to the next stage and once you get down to the quarter-finals, semi-finals or the final anything can happen on the day because the teams are so evenly matched," he said.
this
Users
Comment
article