Former South African all-rounder Robin Peterson has highlighted some notable strengths that the Proteas should heed in order to progress to the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup held in the UAE.

The Proteas fell agonisingly short against Australia in their opening match where, after producing a skimpy batting performance, they only lost inside the last over of the game.

They followed that up with a resounding victory over the West Indies a few days later, despite the off-field controversies that surrounded that encounter. And Peterson, who’s currently the Warriors head coach, has decided to look at the glass half-full and has noted that SA’s bowling attack is something of a special weapon to uphold.

“The bowlers are bowling well and if your bowlers are bowling well you’ll have a chance in a tournament,” Peterson told Cricket Fanatics Magazine.

“I think their concern was more their batting, but I think winning a game and chasing a total does build confidence within a team,” he said, outlining Aiden Markram’s exemplary batting display against the Windies where he smashed an unbeaten 51 off 26 balls.

“Markram’s form has looked amazing and I think Reeza Hendrick’s addition to the team was a really good move, to be honest.

“He’s raised his game and he’s got the ability to play spin, almost getting them off to a good start, while being risk-free in the powerplay.

“From a batting perspective they want to tick the boxes and have another good performance… [Then] gradually the confidence will build.”

With the Proteas beating the West Indies after having lost only two wickets, including an unlucky Temba Bavuma run-out, Peterson said it was that sort of tenacity that is needed to back up their stringent bowling attack.

“The bowling is outstanding and we just need to see the batting put in a couple of more performances to ensure everyone’s had the opportunity to perform when it comes to the latter parts of the group stages. Hopefully, a semi-final will follow.”

With the Proteas heading into the World Cup off the back of a nine-game winning streak in T20Is, Peterson has been optimistic about their chances for some time already.

“For the last couple of months I’ve been a lot more positive,” he said. “To me, there are a couple of things, like Aiden coming in and transforming his game.

“It’s looking like we’re a lot more open-minded of using spinners as an attack option and pacers as an enforcing option,” he said, explaining that from a strategy standpoint the Proteas are well on track.

He also took a moment to laud Bavuma’s leadership, both on and off the field.

“The way Temba captains and moves his pieces around is very encouraging. A good captain in T20 cricket can make an average score into a good score and a good score into a great score.

“We have the bowling attack – we just need the batting to fire a bit. People have been observing SA and they know that on their day, if their batting fires, then they have the bowling to win it.

“You need a bit of luck in T20 cricket, but I’m very positive that they can do something in this tournament.”

The Proteas are set to play their next Group 1 encounter against Sri Lanka in Sharjah on Saturday.