A new low altogether awaits the otherwise vibrant Australian team as they are on the verge of being whitewashed by South Africa. With the series already gone, the fourth ODI offered some redemption for the Kangaroos. But things got simply worse as a batting failure saw them getting bundled out for a paltry 167.
Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who impressed with a fighting half century, spoke to the press ahead of the fifth ODI. The southpaw admitted that the Kangaroos had been dismal in this series. Below, are the excerpts from his interview.
Needed a better batting effort…
I don’t think any game that you lose for Australia is tougher than the next, they all hurt just as much. Having said that, on that wicket, if we could have posted a reasonable total, anywhere around 230-250, I think we would have been right in the game. So I think it’s disappointing we didn’t get those runs on the board because I feel like the wicket was deteriorating and getting a touch slower as the game moved on.
On his own knock and partnership with Mitchell Marsh:
It wasn’t ideal to be out there that early, obviously, but it was good to get it with Mitchy and work as hard as we could to build a partnership. Unfortunately, we just kept losing wickets at crucial times of the game today.
On Australia’s poor performance:
We wanted to really win the last two games and go home on a high, that hasn’t happened. We haven’t played anywhere near our best throughout the first four games. We’ve got to have a long, hard look in the mirror and find a way to produce our best in the next game. We’re not in a position where we can just walk out and play under par and win games of cricket.