Proteas feel they were on course to win

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Cricket365
February 7, 2016

South Africa opener Quinton de Kock and skipper AB de Villiers rued the rain in the first ODI Bloemfontein as they felt they were on target to reach the very challenging 400 England had set them to win.

Rain arrived in the 33rd over of the chase, with the Proteas on 250 for five and De Kock unbeaten on 138. But Duckworth-Lewis said the Proteas needed to be on 290 at that stage, and they lost by 39 runs.

De Kock said: "I haven't scored a hundred like that in a while so it was nice to stay in. Unfortunately because of the rain, I couldn't carry the team, but I'm sure there will be many more opportunities to do that.

"It was touch and go but pushing to England's side. It was a bit of steep total but we would have done out best to get there, given the chance."

De Villiers, meanwhile, agreed that they were on course to reach the target, and lamented his own dismissal. He could only make eight runs before Ben Stokes took a blinder of a catch on the ropes.

There was speculation afterwards that it should have been a six, as the boundary ropes had moved, but De Villiers felt it was fair and blamed himself for his poor shot.

De Villiers said: "It was advantage England but our run rate was right up there. I think we gave them a nice scare and showed them what we are all about as a top seven.

"If I batted another 30 minutes there, we would have been in a good position."

He added of the Stokes catch: "There are lots of rumours of theories going on in the change room. Lots of guys think I was unlucky there. But I am happy to walk off when the umpire gives me out.

"It was a silly shot. I am better than that."