No excuses for batting lapses claims Hopkins – Cricket News Update
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Auckland-c766 Aces captain, attributed his side’s loss to Perth Scorchers in a must win Champion League T20 game to the failures of the lower-middle order.
Aces need a win in their final group game against the Big Bash runners up to keep their qualification hopes alive but instead fell short by 16 runs.
Having asked to bowl, which they tend to prefer, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Tom-Beaton-c94177, both of whom included for the first time in the playing XI, to help the team post a defendable 140 on the board.
That proved to be enough in the end after the Aces were restricted to 124. Following the early wicket of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Azhar-Mahmood-c1116 as both stood in a 49-run stand for the second wicket.
However, both fell in the space of 14 deliveries which led to a dramatic collapse with no one from the lower order stepping up. Only one of the last seven batters managed to reach double figures, ultimately paving from the team’s poor showing and allowing the Scorchers to post their first win of the competition.
"I'm not going to make excuses for our batting," Hopkins said. "Our No.5 batsman and further down only batted twice in five games but there are no excuses. We are good enough. One thing I will say about today is that we should have learnt from how Perth played. Their batters took a bit of time to get in. With us losing wickets continually, it was very hard to score at seven or eight runs an over."
Hopkins nonetheless, thanked the tournament organizers and the South African people in general.
"I'd like to just one say more thing," Hopkins said. "Everyone that we have met here in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 has been really hospitable and made us feel very welcome. We've had a great time, thank you."
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