Sydney - The Cricket Australia XI that faced South Africa in a warm-up match were completely outplayed, and it had nothing to do with the pink ball, says Matthew Short.
Short, who was captaining the CA XI, was a rare bright spot
with his half ton as the Proteas dominated with bat and ball in Adelaide under
lights.
It was the Proteas first day-night pink ball match, but their experience shone through, especially as Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, and Kyle Abbott used the ball to perfection.
Short said after the two-day draw, in which his side was
bowled out for 103: "As a group, we always knew what we were coming up
against.
"Some of the best bowlers in the world, and the
challenge for us was the pink ball because none of us have faced that.
"Especially with these kind of bowlers. As the sun went down it was definitely harder to bat.
"But I think just the quality of their bowlers made it
difficult for us, I don't think the ball or the conditions or the light
affected us.
"It was just the skills set of their bowlers."
The Proteas also had success with the bat, with Quinton de
Kock retiring after scoring a quick ton, and Short felt the visitors showed the
most skill.
He added: "We definitely started well with the ball
both innings, got it swinging and nipping a bit both innings but I think we
fell off a bit after about 20 overs.
"We didn't quite have the skills set to keep the ball up and the seam up, and try and nip it around to nick them off.
"So that just shows the quality of their bowlers. They were able to keep the seam up and swing it for a bit longer than us."