We're not superheroes: Gilchrist

DURBAN: He and his team-mates are not invincible superheroes, Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist candidly told the Afrikaans daily Beeld here in the wake of their second defeat earlier this week in the Twenty20 World Championships.

"It's disappointing to lose. Nobody likes that, but it's not the end of the world," said Gilchrist, reacting to defeat at the hands of Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

"It happens to everyone and we are not immune to it."

Gilchrist conceded that the Aussies' preparation had not been what it should have been.

"We did not spend enough time to prepare for this championship. We could have come here a few weeks ago to ensure that we were 100 percent ready for the tournament, but decided to get some extra rest at home instead.

"A month or two ago, this was not a priority for us, so we can't now sit back and complain over what has happened. The reality is that we did not prepare well enough for it."

But Gilchrist said this did not mean that the Australians were not taking the championship seriously.

"We want to win it, just as much as any of the other teams. It's definitely not a case of us treating the championships as a joke.

"In both games that we lost, we fought to the end. That's how we play cricket. We've played good cricket in this championship, but realise that we were sometimes weak as well. But it remains a challenge for us to make it to the semi-finals and to try to win the tournament," he said.

Gilchrist was of two minds when Beeld asked him whether he liked the Twenty20 format.

"There are certainly enjoyable times in this type of cricket, but a player and team's skills do not always come to the fore," was all he was willing to comment.