West Indies captain Jason Holder has conceded that his team's bowling, including his own, was below par in their match in St Kitts on Wednesday, where Hashim Amla's century set up a hefty win for South Africa.
Amla scored 110 out of South Africa's 343 for 4, and his opening partnership of 182 with Quinton de Kock put South Africa firmly on top throughout the day. Holder bowled six overs and claimed 0 for 51, Jerome Taylor picked up 1 for 72 from eight, and only the spinners Sunil Narine and Sulieman Benn were able to keep the runs to five or less per over.
"I just didn't think we bowled well, it's as simple as that," Holder said. "The pitch was better than the last game, but having said that I still don't think we bowled particularly well, especially in the first Powerplay.
"Myself and Jerome - I thought Jerome bowled reasonably well in the first Powerplay but myself, I was totally off the mark. We paid for it. Credit must go to the way Hashim Amla played. I thought he was brilliant. But having said that I don't think we bowled at our very best."
The strong South African batting came after they were sent in at the toss by Holder, typical of the West Indian preference to chase in limited-overs matches. Holder said he had no regrets about his decision, only about the way he and his men bowled.
"If I could do it over I'd probably do the same thing again," he said. "I just don't think we bowled well. They got 340-odd. At the beginning of the game, you'd probably take 280 or 300, given the type of pitch and the dimensions of the ground. We just thought they were 40 or 50 runs too many, and we paid for it in the end."
South Africa's victory meant that after six matches in Guyana and St Kitts, all three teams sit on two wins and two losses. South Africa have gained two bonus points, Australia one and West Indies none, and the teams have two matches each in Barbados to determine which sides will meet in the final at Kensington Oval.
"After losing wickets in clusters, we never really got partnerships going to prevent them from getting the bonus point," Holder said. "But it was in the back of our minds, to prevent them from getting the bonus point. But unfortunately we didn't.
"For all three teams it's must-win. The points table is still very close. Whoever wins two games in Barbados is guaranteed a spot in the final. If you win one of the two you've got to wait and see how you finish on the table."