 Colombo: New Zealand captain Ross Taylor has admitted his team’s fielding during their two Twenty20 World Cup group stage matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan wasn’t up to the mark, and wants his player to improve in their Super Eight matches.
New Zealand progressed from the preliminary pool stage courtesy of their net run-rate despite losing to Pakistan by 13 runs in Pallekele on Sunday.
The defeat followed their 59-run victory in their tournament opener against Bangladesh at the same venue.
Taylor feels his side’s fielding in both matches was below par, and against Pakistan it allowed the opposition batting line-up to have too good a start.
“We probably leaked a few too many runs in that first 10 overs,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Taylor, as saying.
Pakistan, who won the toss and chose to bat, were 92-1 at the mid-point of an innings that finished at 177-6, and Taylor said he was pleased with how the Black Caps then managed to peg the Pakistanis back.
“We could have been staring down the barrel of a 190, 200 score,” Taylor said.
Taylor was himself party to the fielding lapses, dropping a slip catch offered up in the very first over by rival skipper Mohammad Hafeez off the bowling of Kyle Mills.
ANI
First Published: Monday, September 24, 2012, 16:08
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