We knew chasing 190 was going to be tough: Behardien
Last updated on Wednesday, 08 June, 2016, 05:16 PM
After three low-scoring encounters at the venue, Behardien hoped the venues at St. Kitts and Barbados will help the batsmen play their strokes freely. © Getty
Farhaan Behardien acknowledged that the team was confident of defending 190 against Australia in the third One-Day International (ODI) of the tri-series at the Providence Stadium in Guayana on Tuesday (June 7). South Africa were struggling at 112 for 6 before the right-hander struck an 82-ball 62 to lift the team to 189 for 9.
"The chat [during innings break] was to hang in there and we had a score to bowl at," Behardien said after the win. "We knew that the Aussie team is full of confidence but we knew that 190 would be tough. They didn't struggle too much getting the score the other night against the West Indies but it was tough.
"The first eight overs, Parnell and Kagiso bowled really well and got those three wickets which put Australia on the back foot. So the chat halfway through was that we had given ourselves a chance and if you bowl really well, which we did tonight, we can win the game and I'm very glad that we did. It's not easy beating the Australian team.
"I thought it was one of those wickets where there was quite a lot happening. Finchy played an unbelievable innings considering the conditions. But we always felt that we were in the game. We went with quite a bold game plan with three spinners, and it paid off on a wicket that offers some assistance for the spinners."
After three low-scoring encounters at the venue, Behardien hoped the venues at St. Kitts and Barbados will help the batsmen play their strokes freely. "Apparently, St Kitts and Barbados offer a bit more pace and bounce, even and through bounce," he said. "Guyana was obviously low and slow so they brought all the spinners into play. Similarly, our spinners did really well. Phangi took three wickets against the West Indies the other night and Shamsi, Imran [Tahir] and Phangiso again did really well tonight. There's a big emphasis on playing spin. Hopefully the tracks will be a little more in favour of the batters in St Kitts and Barbados."
Behardien was understandably impressed by Tabraiz Shamsi, who ended with figures of 1 for 36 from his eight overs. "He brings new energy to the group," he said. "I played with him at the Titans, my state franchise side, in South Africa. There's a little bit of mystery to him.
"I think that's the key going forward as to try and get some back-up for Imran Tahir. And we need somebody to be groomed by him. Tabraiz Shamsi offers a left-arm chinaman in the mould of Brad Hogg, bit of fire in his belly, always up for the game, always keen to put a performance in. It's always gold dust to have a guy who turns the ball both ways.
"He is tough to pick and I hope he will be tough to pick for the next couple of weeks. Like I said, he's new so teams won't have too much footage on him and hopefully the wickets will assist him little bit. But as I've heard that the wickets in Barbados and St Kitts are a bit more batter-friendly, he'll have to work hard and work on his lengths. As a team we're really excited about a left-arm wrist spinner playing in our starting XI. Hopefully he can be a member of our side for the years to come," he concluded.
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