Andrew Strauss spoke of his relief as England beat South Africa by six runs despite being bowled out for only 171.
“There are plenty of things we didn’t do well in this game but we got away with a win,” captain Strauss admitted after a thrilling finish in Chennai.
“Sometimes a win is all you need to really kick-start things.
“We thought the wicket was going to deteriorate but we should have got 230. We’re delighted to win and we move on with high hopes of achieving things.”
Prior to this classic comeback England were involved in a high-scoring tie against India and a shock three-wicket defeat against minnows Ireland. They even stretched their fans’ patience in their opening match against Group B outsiders The Netherlands before settling the matter late in the day.
“We’re definitely doing our bit to advertise the 50-over format but we’d like games to be a little bit less close than they are,” Strauss commented.
“We had to respond well after the defeat to Ireland. I thought the guys in the field were outstanding and it puts us back on track in this World Cup and it couldn’t come a day too soon.
“The spinners were outstanding earlier on and then the seamers just banged a length down consistently which is what you need to do on wickets like that.
“It was a huge game for us and it was a far better performance. After the Ireland game we needed to show some character,” added Strauss before admitting that England had lost the plot badly with the bat after winning a helpful toss.
“To lose three wickets early on a pitch like that was criminal really. Thankfully Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara got us back in the hunt.”
Even then, the hard work was still to be done.
“You’re not going to defend 170-odd very often, so you need things to go your way,” said the captain, who reserved special praise for off-spinner Graeme Swann.
“Swanny bowled exceptionally well, while Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad made crucial breakthroughs at the right time when the ball was reversing.
Bopara, brought back into the side at the expense of Paul Collingwood, responded by hitting 60, his career-best at this level. It was enough to win him the man-of-the-match award, though Broad (4-15) was entitled to feel hard done by.
“I’m very pleased with the result – but the man of the match should have gone to Stuart,” concurred Bopara.
“I know he didn’t bowl his full quota of 10, but when he did bowl he was a massive difference and made it count.
“When me and Trotty got together we realised after about 20 minutes it wasn’t a great wicket and thought 200 would be a good score.
“We fell short, but we knew it would turn and reverse.”
South Africa captain Graeme Smith found himself answering all-too-familiar questions afterwards, principally about his team’s reputation as “chokers” at big tournaments.
They already have two wins on the board, though, and still ought to progress to the last eight with ease.
“It’s obviously disappointing not to get over the line. I felt we had enough to do it at 120-3,” said Smith.
“Losing those two wickets in such a short space of time was a big blow. I think Broad and Jimmy bowled particularly well with the reverse-swinging ball today. It’s always tough to face when they get it to reverse both ways.
“Credit to them for the skill they showed today. They were able to create a lot of pressure on the guys.”
