JAIPUR: Smarting from the narrow one-run defeat against India, South African captain Jacques Kallis said his side simply did not have the winner's luck even though they managed to show their character in Sunday's humdinger in Jaipur.
"After the Kolkata Test, here too we came close before losing the match. This is heart-breaking but I think we have showed our never-say-die attitude. Wayne (Parnell) and Dale (Steyn) played unbelievably good to get that close," he said.
"Luck was not in our side. Things could have been different had the boundary (which was referred to TV umpire after Sachin Tendulkar cut short to save one run) been given. But it was third umpire's call and not ours. We have got to accept it and get on.
"We simply did not have luck. You saw a (Charl) Langeveldt delivery hitting the stump and going for a four (without dislodging the bail) and you know we didn't have luck," he said with a wry smile.
Insisting 299 was gettable, Kallis said, "We thought so. I think we did well to restrict them to 298 when, at one stage, they looked like getting 320-330. We came back well and took vital wickets. I think it was a good effort by the bowlers," said Kallis, who led from the front both with the bat and the ball.
Showering praise on Parnell, whose 47-ball 49 nearly won the match for South Africa, Kallis said, "He is a talented cricketer and would take a lot from today's match. He would learn from his experience of playing in the sub-continent and has got a bright future ahead of him."
Kallis was irritated with the final over confusions and made no bones of the fact.
"We thought that was a four. We didn't know what was happening and when learnt it was not a boundary, sent the message. The scoreboard confused us as well," he said.
On the decision to keep back Hashim Amla, South Africa's run-machine in the recent Test series against India, Kallis said, "He is not part of the original ODI squad for whatever reasons. But most guys will get a chance in the series and he is in good form."
"After the Kolkata Test, here too we came close before losing the match. This is heart-breaking but I think we have showed our never-say-die attitude. Wayne (Parnell) and Dale (Steyn) played unbelievably good to get that close," he said.
"Luck was not in our side. Things could have been different had the boundary (which was referred to TV umpire after Sachin Tendulkar cut short to save one run) been given. But it was third umpire's call and not ours. We have got to accept it and get on.
"We simply did not have luck. You saw a (Charl) Langeveldt delivery hitting the stump and going for a four (without dislodging the bail) and you know we didn't have luck," he said with a wry smile.
Insisting 299 was gettable, Kallis said, "We thought so. I think we did well to restrict them to 298 when, at one stage, they looked like getting 320-330. We came back well and took vital wickets. I think it was a good effort by the bowlers," said Kallis, who led from the front both with the bat and the ball.
Showering praise on Parnell, whose 47-ball 49 nearly won the match for South Africa, Kallis said, "He is a talented cricketer and would take a lot from today's match. He would learn from his experience of playing in the sub-continent and has got a bright future ahead of him."
Kallis was irritated with the final over confusions and made no bones of the fact.
"We thought that was a four. We didn't know what was happening and when learnt it was not a boundary, sent the message. The scoreboard confused us as well," he said.
On the decision to keep back Hashim Amla, South Africa's run-machine in the recent Test series against India, Kallis said, "He is not part of the original ODI squad for whatever reasons. But most guys will get a chance in the series and he is in good form."
