Player of the Match in the series-decider in Hobart, David Miller admitted that the Aussie batters had given the Proteas a bit of a scare with their brave run-chase.
‘They put a bit of a scare into us, but credit to our bowlers who have been fantastic the whole series,’ said Miller after the match.
‘It’s always a great feeling to contribute, and when you win, it’s sweeter. We were in a little bit of trouble so it was nice to bat some time [in the middle]. We wanted to extend the partnership as much as we could. Nice to make it a big one,’ said Miller, having posted his highest ODI score (139 off 108 balls, 13 fours, four sixes) in sharing a record 252-run partnership with his captain, Faf du Plessis.
‘I thought we played our best game of cricket,’ added Du Plessis, who scored 125 off 114 balls (15 fours, two sixes).
‘We challenged ourselves to put in a performance. It was a high-pressure game. From a batting point of view and a death-bowling point of view, we were excellent. It was really good that we could get tested against two set batsmen and the way we responded was great to see.’
‘Myself and Dave had to somehow get a score together. We talked about trying to get to 240 but with Dave’s power, we were able to get going. We’ll remember this place fondly,’ added Du Plessis.
The Proteas’ tour of Australia ends on Saturday with a one-off T20 match in Carrara.
Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
