Paceman Mitchell Johnson has refused to label Australia’s shock one-run loss to Zimbabwe in their World Twenty20 warm-up game as a setback.
However Australia will be desperate to get paceman Shaun Tait and vice-captain Cameron White back into their side for Thursday’s second and final warm-up game against Windward XI as they seek to fine-tune their game for their opening Group A match against world champions Pakistan on Sunday.
“I think we did a pretty good job with the ball,” said Johnson, who claimed 4-23 in Zimbabwe’s 7-173 before Australia replied with 7-172.
David Warner (72) and skipper Michael Clarke (49) top-scored for Australia who had three late run outs in St Lucia on Tuesday.
“There was only a couple of overs there that got away from us a little bit,” he said.
“They had one of their guys go pretty hard and do a pretty good job for them.”
With 13 needed from the final over, Australia lost Clarke bowled from the penultimate delivery and then Johnson was run out off a wide before Daniel Christian took a leg bye from the final delivery.
Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura hit a crowd-pleasing 76 from just 35 balls with five fours and six sixes, sharing a 114-run partnership with Craig Ervine (39) for the fifth wicket.
Christian (0-29 off two overs) and Shane Watson (1-34 from two overs) proved expensive.
Dirk Nannes took 1-20 while Brett Lee’s 1-13 from four overs included several slower balls which worked well on the docile pitch.
“Obviously we would have liked to have won,” Johnson said.
“When you come into these practice games you want to be pretty close to your best.
“It won’t be a setback.
“It’s disappointing to lose in a practice match but we’ve just got to keep going forward, keep working hard in our training sessions and make sure we’re ready for the World Cup.”
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