After sealing their semifinal berth in the Champions League Twenty20 with a comprehensive six-wicket win over Somerset, New South Wales skipper Simon Katich heaped praise on his bowlers for doing a commendable job in the League A match in Hyderabad on Sunday.
"The bowling made the difference today. The pacers, including Stuart Clark, as well as the spinners came out with tight bowling. Our bowling was fantastic during the powerplay which helped restrict the opponents," Katich said after the match.
Led by Stuart Clark (3/15), NSW restricted Somerset to an unflattering 111 for seven before overhauling the target in 11.5 overs.
However, not quite satisfied with the standard of fielding of his side, Katich said he expects improvement in that department of the game in their final-four encounters.
Asked what are the areas he would like to work on before going to the semifinals, Katich said, "We have to intensify our fielding. Sharp run outs, good catching - all these play important role in a Twenty20 match."
His Somerset counterpart Justin Langer, who ended his first-class cricket career on Sunday, admitted that his batsmen failed to negotiate the NSW bowling attack.
"It's quite disappointing to lose a match in this way. We could not attack before their steady bowling. Both (Stuart) Clark and (Nathan) Hauritz bowled beautifully," Langer said.
Asked about the condition of the pitch, Langer said, "The pitch can't be an excuse for such a defeat. Actually it was a perfect wicket for one-dayers."
Clark, who was adjudged man-of-the-match, said he tried to bring variation in his deliveries to deceive the batsmen.
"Unless you bowl extremely fast like Brett Lee, you have to try variations like slowers and yorkers," Clark said.
