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AB: Silly mistakes let the Proteas down

Cape Town - South Africa's fielding performance "let the team down", says Proteas skipper AB de Villiers after they lost the deciding T20 in Cardiff.

Dropped catches and sloppiness in the field were unwanted features for the Proteas as they walked off having seen SA-schooled Dawid Malan make 78 and chase a target of 182.

"We let ourselves down in the field with a couple of fumbles and a few drop catches. We lost by 19 runs and I could think of 20 runs that we threw away with silly mistakes," De Villiers told reporters in Cardiff.

"The guys executed pretty well. Yes, there were a few soft balls but it's the same with the opposition."

One of the positives that came out of the game was the young talent that stood up when the pressure was on.

Cape Cobra bowler Dane Paterson showed his capability in performing at the death as he ended with impressive figures of 4/32.

Chasing 182, the Proteas were struggling at 91/6, however a seventh-wicket partnership of 54 between Mangaliso Mosehle (36) and Andile Phehlukwayo (27*) saw the Proteas fall only 19-runs short.

"Some young guns showed that they can play the game, Manga (Mangaliso Mosehle) towards the end and Andile (Phehlukwayo) batted superbly well," said De Villiers.

"Dane Paterson bowled exceptionally well by getting four wickets in his last two overs and he is a great prospect for the future. Reeza (Hendricks) didn't score as much as he wanted to, but I've seen him in the nets and he is a bright star for the future."

De Villiers will not stay on for the Test leg as he takes a break from the demands of playing all three international formats, but says he will be watching.

"I believe we have a good chance, it's not going to be easy. England Test team is pretty settled, they play well in home conditions," he said.

"We've won a few series in the past, some of our senior players will draw a lot from those experiences and help the youngsters out with handling those pressure situations. We've got some good young talented players who will make their debut, so I'm looking forward to watching them perform."

The first of four Tests against England at Lord's on July 6. 

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