SA vs AUS | Would have chased had I won the toss, reveals Aaron Finch
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Aaron Finch says he would have batted second had he won the toss in the first T20I and described the toss as a nice one to lose. Finch further applauded all-rounder Ashton Agar and showered praise on the left-armer for bowling tight lines and lengths to keep the batsmen under check.
It was a field day at the office for visitors Australia, who thumped South Africa by a scarcely believable margin of 107 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The Kangaroos, after being put into bat on a flat Wanderers deck, posted a healthy 196 on the board in the first innings, with Aaron Finch, Steve Smith and Alex Carey playing valuable hands to put the South African bowling to the sword.
In reply, on what looked like a great surface to chase, the Proteas folded for just 89 runs, lasting just 14.3 overs before succumbing to the Aussie barrage. Speaking in the aftermath of the victory, Aussie skipper Aaron Finch revealed that losing the toss turned out to be a blessing in disguise as he, himself, was planning to chase had he won the toss.
“I would have batted second as well had I won the toss, so a nice toss to lose,” Finch said in the post-match presentation, reported Cricbuzz.
The wrecker-in-chief for Australia was left-arm spinner Ashton Agar who, after scoring a 9-ball 20 with the bat, broke the back of South Africa by picking a stunning five-wicket haul. Agar, on Friday, also became only the second Australian after Brett Lee to take a T20I hat-trick and Finch showered praise on the left-armer, who walked away with the Man of the Match award. The Aussie skipper further expressed his satisfaction over his team’s attitude on the field right from the word go.
“The way we set the tone on the field was fantastic. Ashton gets the credit today; the lengths he bowled was fantastic. When you are scoring 200 the start is very important.
“I thought the way we attacked the crease and the lengths we bowled was fantastic. If someone blasts a good ball off you, you take your hat off to them. I had a 10% chance of catching that (hat-trick ball) but Ashton deserves all the credit,” said Finch.
The second of the three T20Is will be played at the St George's Park in Port Elizabeth on Sunday, February 23.
