Proteas middle-order batter, David Miller, revealed that the continuity of the squad over the last year has helped each individual find their roles in the side and that it has been key to their success in the #T20WorldCup ✍️ @imongamagcwabe
The Proteas won a massive encounter over India on Sunday and have consequently put themselves in a good position to qualify for the semifinals.
Unlike the match against Bangladesh where Quinton de Kock and Rilee Rossouw graced the stage with match-winning knocks, the two lost their wickets early last Sunday.
That called for middle-order batters, Aiden Markram and David Miller to come to the fore. The two batters built a solid partnership and got the Proteas over the line. That moment highlighted the depth in the batting and the availability of different match winners within the batting order.
“We’ve done it for a period of time now. I think with the continuity of the squad over time, the guys have managed to find their roles. If one guy doesn’t do well, the next guy picks up the slack,” Miller told the media on the eve of the clash against Pakistan in Sydney.
“As a batting unit, we were three down. That’s where we needed to pick up the slack as the middle order. We managed to get a good partnership between Aiden and myself. It was difficult. It was just about managing to think your way through it.
“If it’s difficult for me and Aiden, it was going to be more difficult for the guys coming in after us. It was about weathering the storm. We managed to get it back with one big over which was always the thinking. That worked out well for us,” ended Miller.
The depth in the Proteas squad is abundant in the bowling front as well. Kagiso Rabada wasn’t in the wickets against India but Lungi Ngidi could easily come into the squad, after missing out in the Bangladesh game, particularly after taking the game away from India.
Sitting on the bench is Marco Jansen whom everyone knows could exploit the Australian conditions superbly despite not having featured in the tournament so far. South Africa’s pace attack, bowling in tandem with spinner Keshav Maharaj, restricted India to only 133 runs.
“Credit to our bowlers for restricting them to that score. Especially being in Australia, our pace attack has done great things over the years. We’ve managed to, as a squad, come to our own over the last year, especially as a bowling unit.
“The guys are bowling with great energy, a lot of pace and that’s what you need here in Australia. It is nice to have someone like Marco sitting on the bench as a reserve. It’s a healthy environment to have,” said Miller.
Temba Bavuma’s men face a totally different challenge with Pakistan on Thursday. Things haven’t gone to plan for Babar Azam and his team and that makes them a huge threat for South Africa. They have gotten some decisions wrong in the tournament so far, especially in their game against India where Azam bowled a spinner in the 20th over with Virat Kohli in full flow.
They are a side that’s itching to prove themselves and do right by their supporters. Having said that, they’ve been heavily reliant on their captain and Mohammad Rizwan up top and have a frail middle order which the Proteas quicks will look to expose on Thursday.
“Pakistan are always a team you’ve got to make sure that you’re on your A game as an opponent. Pakistan are a great team and they’ve got some serious match-winners. It’s a must-win game for them, so they’re going to be coming in charging but we’re prepared for it,” said Miller.
“I think it is an area (frail middle-order) to exploit. This game is all about confidence. They haven’t performed as well as they wanted to. Hopefully, we can get them early on and put the Pakistan middle order under pressure a bit earlier than later,” he added.
Proteas remaining fixtures:
Pakistan on Thursday 3rd November – 10 am SA Time
Netherlands on Sunday 6th November – 2 am SA Time
