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AB still not satisfied

Johannesburg - Despite South Africa pulling off their first win of the series, Proteas captain AB de Villiers says he is still not satisfied.

Set 180 victory in the final One Day International match of the series against Pakistan in Centurion on Saturday, the hosts successfully chased down the runs inside 39 overs but lost six wickets on their way to the win.

“We still didn't chase as well as we wanted to,” said De Villiers after the game.

“We didn't show enough care for partnerships."

Chasing a moderate total, the Proteas could only manage a highest partnership of 40 on two occasions, which was clearly an area of concern for the captain.

De Villiers pointed out the Proteas had to dig deep in the middle overs when the spinners came on to lower the run rate, and playing the slow bowlers well was something his team had been working on for some time.

The Proteas were facing the prospect of a series whitewash, but with the win the team restored pride to go down in the series 2-1 to Pakistan.

There were positives the Proteas could take out of the game according to de Villiers, especially the way the bowling attack continued to produce the goods.

“I have full confidence in our bowling unit.

“We've got a bowling unit with a lot of experience, and we've shown that over a long period.”

De Villiers was top-scorer in the chase in an uncharacteristically measured innings of 48 off 63 balls, and he was pleased with his individual effort.

“It was what was required of me, I really had to absorb the pressure.

“It was a tough wicket to bat on, it was definitely two-paced. I was worried because we were losing wickets regularly.”

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, meanwhile, said his side were well short of posting a competitive total in being bowled out for 179 inside the 50 overs.

“We were 50 or 60 runs short, the pitch was uneven paced and in bounce,” said the visiting captain after the match.

“I think 230 could have been a good score. We need as a batting unit to assess what kind of total is good enough.”

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