Proteas vice-captain, Rassie van der Dussen, explains how the Mzansi Super league has improved the game of a lot of South African cricketers.
The 30-year-old reiterated the disappointment of last week’s performance against India, emphasising that they didn’t perform the way they planned, especially after Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma gave them a great platform to do what they do best.
“The Mohali game was a bit disappointing for us, we started off so well having lost the toss and being put in. We started off well we were on 79-1 after 10 overs so that was a perfect platform for the likes of myself , David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo to come in and really do some damage at the back.
“Credit must go to the way the Indian bowlers bowled in that final 10 overs. We didn’t execute our plans like we wanted to.” said van der Dussen on Saturday.
The Mzansi Super League is a very important tournament for South African Cricket. It plays a very crucial role of exposing our cricketers to the standard of cricket that is expected from them. And it also gives us a glimpse of where our domestic cricket is in terms of producing the next generation Proteas players.
Having emerged from the MSL 1.0, Rassie emphasised how big this tournament is for cricketers in South Africa, including himself, and what it provides for them.
“The MSL was massive for us, the standard of cricket from that league was second to none.” he said.
“It brought the best out of a lot of the players, especially some of the younger players who finally had a bigger platform to show what they can do.
“Even myself having a good tournament there got me picked in the One-Day side for South Africa. Credit must go to CSA for putting up a great tournament, I think it’s just going to grow from strength to strength.”
The Proteas top-batsman also reflected on his journey to the international stage so far.
“It’s been an unbelievable 12 to 14 months for me, I was glad to just get the opportunity.
“I think a lot of credit must go to previous Coach Ottis Gibson and Linda Zondi who’s Convenor of Selectors for giving me a chance in One-Day cricket in a World Cup, four months before a World Cup, I think it was massive call to make.
“I’ve always said that if I can play one game for my country it’s a dream come true and I’ll continue to see it like that.
“The challenge for me going forward would be to maintain the form that I’ve had and keep improving as a player and keep trying to win games for the team. That’s something I pride myself on.”
The 3rd and final T20I will be live at 15:30 CAT.