Rassie van der Dussen chats to the media after the Proteas’ 9-wicket defeat to England at Six Gun Grill Newlands.
After this 3-0 series defeat, questions have risen about Quinton de Kock’s leadership ability, but Van Der Dussen was quite reassuring about the calibre of the Proteas skipper.
He didn’t hesitate to say that the learning process never ends and that England played a stronger brand of cricket throughout this series. Even though the wheels came off for the Proteas in the third game, they gave a good challenge to the visitors in the first two games.
“I don’t think it’s tricky for Quinton de Kock. Quinny’s a brilliant captain, and he has a great cricketing brain on-field. You need to address the context, and England’s one of the world’s best white-ball teams and they played a full summer of international cricket before they came here.
“We’ve missed a number of key players due to injury and other reasons. We’ve got a few experienced players and some of the best leaders in Boucher and Faf and lots of brains to pick from.”
REVIEW: ZONDEKI UNSURE ABOUT DE KOCK AS CAPTAIN
Despite the tough stretch of games, the Proteas definitely had moments to appreciate. The star of the show with the bat was Rassie van der Dussen, who put his finishing capabilities on full display in the third game, scoring a commanding, unbeaten 74 from just 32 balls, with 5 fours and 5 sixes.
It felt like a breath of fresh air for van der Dussen, considering he struggled for timing in the second game, wobbling to 25 from 29 deliveries. Over the space of just under two years, he’s established himself as a very reliable and consistent performer who can bat according to the situation and serve as the pivotal middle-order padding.
“It’s important to trust your game plan because you’ve been working at it for so long. I was quite disappointed with how I went in Paarl. Unfortunately there, I couldn’t execute my go-to shots like how I did today.
“Luckily I got in quickly and the conditions were pretty good. We’ve batted pretty well, coming at #5 was a new challenge for me. As a player, I aim to be flexible and bat wherever needed.”
Finally, Van Der Dussen added the fact that the Proteas were unfortunate not to have all their strongest players in the mix, but at the same time, mentioned that England’s white-ball status is setting the benchmark.
It’s still early on – Mark Boucher has been in charge of the team for around a year, and the hope for more progress has remained intact.
The ODI series could bring about a change in fortunes – the last occasion when England visited, the Proteas tied the series 1-1. There’s been an extended discussion on a more aggressive and prudent approach, and van der Dussen is eagerly looking forward to what the near future will entail.
“You want all your best players available and play a strong brand of cricket. We were decent with the bat, but with the ball, there, unfortunately, was one bowler who went for 50, and we’ve really missed our allrounders.
“That’s the nature of the game and looking at the England team, they have a superb batting card with Morgan in at #6 for example. It’s very special to be part of this journey but sadly, for now, the results aren’t going our way. We have a good understanding of where we stand at this point in time and how we should go about where we ideally want to be.”
