Olly Stone was keen to talk up the positives after captaining England Under-19s to a Test series draw with their South African counterparts.
It had looked like being a better outcome for the side skippered by the Northamptonshire paceman as they led 1-0 from the first game and seemed on course to at least draw the second.
However, they were dismissed for 250 - in pursuit of 318 to win - to leave the series tied.
Stone admitted to a little frustration but was also keen to highlight the plus points from a tough couple of matches.
He said: “After the first Test and how far we came here, getting about 60 runs short, it is disappointing. But it’s been a great effort by all the boys and I think we can hold our heads up high.
“Everyone has gained loads of experience playing in different conditions and facing up against different bowlers. I think everyone deserves credit for the way they have gone about it.
“Everyone got stuck in over the four days and that’s a credit to them. Not one day has there been a bit of doubt. From day one all the way to the end we went at it hard. It’s just unfortunate we didn’t get over that hurdle.
“I think everyone in this team deserves some credit. They have given their all and everyone has done really well.”
And of the upcoming five-match one-day series, Stone added: “Going into the one-dayers we are looking forward to it and hopefully we can build on this series.”
It was a hugely successful campaign for Stone on a personal level as he took 17 wickets at an average of 9.88.
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