England captain Andrew Strauss hailed his bowlers following the stunning win against favourites South Africa.
English bowlers were under the pump prior to the match after a series of bad performances against the Netherlands, India and Ireland. Strauss was delighted with the massive improvement his bowlers showed on Sunday.
English bowlers were under the pump prior to the match after a series of bad performances against the Netherlands, India and Ireland. Strauss was delighted with the massive improvement his bowlers showed on Sunday.
"I am really pleased with the result. But I have to admit that we batted poorly. Jonathan Trott and Ravi Bopara got us some total, but again, defending 171 would never be easy. All credit goes to the bowlers for the win," Strauss told reporters after completing a six-run win at the Chidambaram Stadium.
Chasing 172 for victory, the Proteas were bowled out for 165. Medium pacer Stuart Broad led the English bowling attack with the figures of 4/15. Strauss was all praise for the bowler.
"He has always been an important bowler for us. He has been a wicket-taker. He came into the tournament after an injury lay-off; he did well in the warm-up but was not the same bowler in the first three matches we played. But I always had belief in his ability and today he did what he is capable of doing all the time," he said.
The pitch at Chidambaram Stadium was partial to the bowlers. But Strauss offered a mild thought on the matter.
"History suggests you do not come across such pitches very often. We can say that it assisted spin, swing and reverse swing and it also kept low. But then, we have bouncy and seaming wickets back home. Being an international cricketer you have to adapt to different conditions. You cannot complain," he said.
After registering their 2nd win in 4 matches in Group B, England now face Bangladesh on March 11 in Chittagong. Strauss ruled out any complacency ahead of the match.
"All the matches we have played in the tournament so far have been close affairs. Close matches prepare you well for the later stages. So we won't take Bangladesh lightly as they are playing in front of home fans. And to be honest, we do not like to put ourselves in difficult positions every time," Strauss concluded. 
