We were counting down every run: Kyle Abbott

Kyle Abbott has admitted their chase against Sri Lanka got a bit too close for comfort

Christchurch, February 9 (IANS) South African pacer Kyle Abbott has admitted their chase against Sri Lanka in the warm-up game here Monday got a bit too close for comfort as they beat the Asian islanders by 5 wickets with 3 balls to spare via the Duckworth-Lewis (DL) method. The 27-year-old said they were "counting every run" as an old enemy "rain" played peek-a-boo with the teams.

"We came into the warm-up games with a fairly open mind to get guys out in the middle but as soon as the game got to a tight stage, it was amazing how you could feel the change room shift. We were counting down every run," Abbott said.

"It was so good to get some competitive cricket out of a warm-up game which can drift and become quite boring. The guys were behind every run and we wanted to win it as much as any other game," he added.

In 1992, South-Africa lost in the semi-finals to England due to the unavailability of the DL method then. A 12-minute rain delay revised the target for the South Africans, who needed 22 runs of one ball.