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Mohali (Punjab), Oct 27: South African skipper Graeme Smith said he was surprised by the amount of bounce in the wicket dished out for their Champions Trophy match against Pakistan as even pitches prepared for ODIs at home did not seam around so much.
Smith said although they were used to playing on fast paced wickets, it was difficult for them to bat on the PCA track.
"The wicket did really surprise us. Even wickets in South Africa don't seam around so much. We had to work hard to get things right and bowl in the right areas," he said at the post-match press conference after his team scored a thumping 124-run win to move to the semi-finals of the 10-team competition.
Smith felt that Pakistan's backup seamers let their team down slightly after having them under pressure at 42 for 5.
"Pakistan bowled superbly upfront. They got us into pressure but the ball got softer after 25 overs and their backup seamers let them down slightly." In hindsight, Smith felt it was a "great" decision to bat first.
"When we were down 42 for 5, there were worries. I was thinking 'have I done the right thing?' But I trusted my players, they stood up for us and showed lot of heart and character." "We were terrific in the field today. (Makhaya) Ntini and Polly (Pollock) complemented each other superbly. Full credit to the team, they put their hands up and performed." (Agencies)
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