“Myself and Pite (van Biljon) were in a position to take the game away,” said Proteas stand-in captain, Heinrich Klaasen, after Pakistan won the first T20 at the Wanderers by four wickets.
Klaasen attributed the loss to the lack of runs scored by South Africa in the death overs. With Klaasen and Pite van Biljon getting dismissed in quick succession, South Africa were a few runs short. With the ball, Klaasen was generally impressed with the Proteas’ bowling performance, with the exception of a couple of overs.
Mohammad Rizwan, who has been Pakistan’s standout batsman this year, scored an unbeaten 74 to steer Pakistan to a four-wicket win. Klaasen explained that the angles Rizwan targeted were unusual. The key to limiting Rizwan’s impact in the game is to “bowl outside his hitting zone.”
After being under the pump for his ODI performances, Aiden Markram scored a sublime 51. Klaasen said, “I’m happy for the guy. He’s been fighting hard to get into the white-ball side.”
Klaasen said the team management had formulated a T20 game plan. The emphasis, Klaasen explained, was on “just executing and fine-tuning.”
Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
