![\"Faf](\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.co.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Faf-du-Plessis-ICC.jpg\")
It\u2019s not how you start, it\u2019s how you finish that really matters \u2013 and South Africa captain Faf du Plessis insists the Proteas can only get better after their opening-game 104-run defeat to England.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s not how you start, it\u2019s how you finish that really matters \u2013 and South Africa captain Faf du Plessis insists the Proteas can only get better after their opening-game 104-run defeat to England.<\/p>\n
South Africa bowled well to restrict England\u2019s heavy-hitting batsman to 311-8 but their run-chase got off to a bad start when veteran opener Hashim Amla retired hurt after a hit to the head.<\/p>\n
The right-hander later returned but South Africa struggled to regain control as England\u2019s Jofra Archer bowled north of 90mph on his way to three wickets.<\/p>\n
Quinton de Kock (68) and Rassie van der Dussen (50) put on 85 for the third wicket but when De Kock was caught off Liam Plunkett, their innings unravelled and they stumbled to 207 all out in the ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup opener.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are going to play games and come up against opposition that are better than you. England beat us in all three facets of the game,\u201d said Du Plessis.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs much as we are disappointed, we will want to learn from it quickly and put it to bed. We want to move on from it quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe flow of the innings unfortunately started with Hashim coming off. When you are chasing a big score like 312, you need a good start to settle the dressing room.<\/p>\n
\u201cA good start is really important. With him coming off, a few overs later Aiden [Markram] got out and then I got out. When you go three down, it becomes tough and the score looks big, it looks too far.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pitch was good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Africa, who face Bangladesh in their second match at The Oval on Sunday, won the toss and put England into bat, where they revealed a masterful ploy right in the first over.<\/p>\n
Despite possessing the third-best ODI fast bowler in the world in Kagiso Rabada, Du Plessis opted to give the first over to leg-spinner Imran Tahir and it worked wonders as the 40-year-old dismissed Jonny Bairstow with just the second ball of the tournament.<\/p>\n
Tahir finished with 2\/61, while Rabada and fellow quick Lungi Ngidi came back to take wickets at the death.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a plan,\u201d Du Plessis said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was something we first thought about a year ago. When we played against England, I thought we want to go with him because it is different.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt The Oval you want to bowl two seamers first but we went with what I thought was the best way to get a wicket. I went with my gut.<\/p>\n
\u201cImran had not bowled with the new ball before so he had been practising that for the last two weeks. He knew he was going to do that today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Courtesy: www.icc-cricket.com<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s not how you start, it\u2019s how you finish that really matters \u2013 and South Africa captain Faf du Plessis insists the Proteas can only get better after their opening-game 104-run defeat to England.<\/p>\n
South Africa bowled well to restrict England\u2019s heavy-hitting batsman to 311-8 but their run-chase got off to a bad start when veteran opener Hashim Amla retired hurt after a hit to the head.<\/p>\n
The right-hander later returned but South Africa struggled to regain control as England\u2019s Jofra Archer bowled north of 90mph on his way to three wickets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket-cricket"],"yoast_head":"\n