Positive signs give Giles hope for future despite England’s demise

England coach Ashley Giles will leave the World Twenty20 with a mixture of pride and frustration after his side failed to make the semi-finals.
COMING HOME: South Africa's Imran Tahir, left, celebrates the dismissal of England's Eoin Morgan in Chittagong.COMING HOME: South Africa's Imran Tahir, left, celebrates the dismissal of England's Eoin Morgan in Chittagong.
COMING HOME: South Africa's Imran Tahir, left, celebrates the dismissal of England's Eoin Morgan in Chittagong.

Although they still have one Super 10 fixture to fulfil, against Holland today, England’s hopes of a knockout place were ended by a three-run defeat to South Africa on Saturday.

Giles was careful not to put too much spin on his review of the team’s efforts, admitting the end result was disappointing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But having made totals of 172, 190 and 193, he can rightly argue his team have not been outclassed, at least with bat in hand.

“It’s pure frustration to play so positively with the bat in the three games and come up short,” he said.

“Some of the things we’ve been looking to do since Australia – not losing wickets up front, getting a base, expressing ourselves – we’ve done.

“But there were areas we need to improve – certainly in the field and with the ball at times.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“You can’t pull the wool over anyone’s eyes: we’ve just been knocked out the World Cup. But there were positives, quite a few of them.

“The group as a whole has worked very hard and maintained a good spirit, they’ve run headlong into these games and Sri Lanka are a fantastic outfit, so to win that game was a highlight.

“I’m disappointed for the guys because they have worked hard. I can’t knock the effort.”

Having allowed the Proteas to post a formidable 196-5, England got within a blow of chasing down another record score following Alex Hales’s heroics against Sri Lanka.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They did not produce an innings to match AB de Villiers’s wonderful 69 not out or Hashim Amla’s 56, nor could their bowlers summon a spell to rival Wayne Parnell’s three-wicket blast or Imran Tahir’s controlled display of leg-spin.

But had Jos Buttler stumped Amla on 19 or Jade Dernbach not been pummelled for 26 in an abject 18th over, they may have lived to fight another day.

The entire tenor of the trip to Bangladesh will change, though, if England fail to defeat Holland.

Having been routed for a world record 39 all out against Sri Lanka, the Associate nation have been much more competitive and gave the Proteas a big scare before throwing away their chance.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Giles, whose prospects of the top job may be irreparably harmed by a shock loss, is fully aware of the game’s importance.

“It does represent a banana skin, as it has to a couple of the other teams – or very close to that,” he said.

“South Africa probably should have lost that game. I couldn’t quite understand what the Dutch were doing at the back end, and they gave New Zealand a good run as well.

“I made it very clear last night as we left the ground that we must prepare for this game as we would have if we’d beaten South Africa.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It’s a World Cup game, we’re playing for England and we need to win the match.

“Whether we’re in the competition or out of it, winning games of cricket is important.”

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum steered his side to victory over Holland with a match-winning half-century in Chittagong.

The destructive wicketkeeper -batsman struck 65, hitting three sixes and four fours in his 45-ball stay.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

His innings gave the Black Caps impetus just when they appeared to be getting bogged down in pursuit of Holland’s moderate 151-4.

India maintained their perfect record at the tournament with a thumping 73-run win over Australia in Dhaka.

Australia found out they were eliminated from the tournament just before the match, when Pakistan expectedly beat Bangladesh, but a terrible batting performance prevented them from gaining any consolation.

George Bailey’s winless side were bowled out for 86 – with Ravichandran Ashwin taking 4-11 – after India had been restricted to a reachable 159-7.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Yuvraj Singh’s 60 was the best of the Indian batting performance, after they were sent in to bat for the first time in the tournament.

Ahmed Shehzad registered Pakistan’s first 20-over century as his side thrashed hosts Bangladesh by 50 runs.

Shehzad carried his bat for 111 not out, including 10 boundaries and five sixes, as Pakistan posted 190-5.

It was always likely to be a score that proved well beyond the Tigers, whose 140-7 meant they registered a third straight defeat in the Super 10 stage.