No panic for South Australians

[stan]

No panic for South Australians
Alan Shiell at Adelaide Oval, Sportal

Nathan Adcock, South Australia's new captain, has insisted there be 'no panic' after the Redbacks' 270-run loss to Victoria early on day four of the Pura Cup match at Adelaide Oval.

SA's batting was even more disappointing than it has been in recent seasons as Victorian fast bowlers Gerard Denton, Dirk Nannes and Peter Siddle, with some help from spinners Bryce McGain and Cameron White, ran through the Redbacks for 249 and 77 in response to the Bushrangers' 438 and 4-158 declared.

Adcock, a lawyer, said the players accepted it was 'a very poor outcome' and needed to 'look at things we can do better', but he warned against an 'over-reaction'.

"It would be very easy to panic … wholesale changes and you could end up going in circles if you do that too quickly," he said.

"So I think we've got to be very careful about how we evaluate, look at what we're going to do and how we're going to move on. We've got to do that in a careful and thoughtful way - put the negatives from these past four days aside, learn from them where we can (and) don't just ignore them because otherwise you don't learn.

"We've got to work out now very quickly how to turn things around and come back for another game we've got on Friday (against Victoria in a Ford Ranger Cup day-night match at Adelaide Oval)."

Adcock conceded the Redbacks were 'very disappointed with what's happened', and he added: "We've got to be brave enough, I think, to stick to our guns in the long term and trust that we're on the right track and moving in the right direction.

"The long and the short of it is that our top six didn't bat as they should be batting and we've got to work out that if nerves are maybe a part of that, then we've got to address that."

Adcock had no excuses about the state of the pitch, saying he was 'pretty happy' with it.

"I thought it was a good pitch … we batted poorly and it's not the pitch's fault," he said.

"We saw in both innings when Bails (Cullen Bailey) and Dizzy (Jason Gillespie) put their heads down, you could bat on it, so I'm not about to blame the wicket."

Adcock said there were 'mental elements' to the Redbacks' batting, and if they could be improved there would 'most likely be some physical improvements'.

"I know in my personal case, my technique is a lot better if I'm mentally clear and positive," he said. "If you start thinking about technique, there's no quicker way to bat poorly.

"I think that's something each one of us will sit down and work out, you know, where we went wrong, what we can do better and how we're going to come about it differently next time - because we have to do it differently if we want to get a different outcome.

"Please don't take anything I've said here away from the performance of the Victorians. Obviously there's a focus on our side of the fence but I thought they played very good cricket for the entire match and I thought their bowlers bowled particularly well."

Adcock said David Hussey, with 104 and 74 not out, had played 'particularly well in both innings' and was 'a very significant part in setting it up for their bowlers'.

"If there's something some of our boys can pick up from the way he went about it, then I'll be very pleased with that," he said. "And I think that would be a pretty good starting place."

SA's next Pura Cup match starts on Monday week (October 29) - against Tasmania in Hobart - when Darren Lehmann might be ready to resume from his leg problems.

[Rik E Boy]

Why would they panic? They can't finish any lower than sixth! If they thought Victoria were good, wait till they play the Tigers coming off a loss.

regards,

REB