Australian captain Cameron White has taken heart from his Twenty20 side’s last gasp loss to England. White’s first game as Twenty20 skipper ended with a dramatic final ball defeat at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday night.
Scores were tied at 157 and England had just one wicket remaining when Australian allrounder Shane Watson delivered the ultimate ball.
England 19-year-old Chris Woakes, playing his first international match, chipped the ball over wide mid-on for the winning run in a pulsating finish to White’s debut as captain.
“The English team have shown through the summer they have been a very hard team to beat,” White said.
“But I think one of the pleasing things for us was that we probably were a fair way off our best.
“There was a lot of stuff we could have done better and we only just lost, so there are some promising signs there.”
Australia posted 4-157 after White won the toss and batted, Shane Watson top scoring with a brutal 59 from only 31 balls.
Watson then claimed 4-15 from four overs in one of the greatest individual T20 performances.
But England snuck over the line at 9-158 to set a world record of eight consecutive T20 wins.
White said Watson’s display was a “class act”.
“He just showed his all round ability and how good a cricketer he is,” White said.
“He was just destructive with the bat and his execution with the ball was exactly what the team and myself were asking.”
White said he would depart for Melbourne, and Friday’s final game of the two-match series, uncertain how to judge the Adelaide thriller.
“When England needed a big shot or a boundary they seemed to just find it,” White said.
“Whether that was really good batting by England, or a bit of missed execution by us, I’m not sure.”
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