After his Man of the Match performance against Pakistan in the first T20I, we thought it would be fitting to share the important aspects that were key to his comeback to the national side.

George Linde’s recent recall to South Africa’s T20 squad for the series against Pakistan had the perfect start.

Many fans felt that this recall was long overdue.

Khalid Mohidin recently sat down with Linde before the T20 Series to discuss his improvement in form this season.

When asked about how he improved his consistency Linde said, “I think pre-season helped improve my consistency. I felt a year ago I needed to take a break from cricket and spend time with my family and do things I love. I had a knee operation last year in October. I knew I needed a good pre-season and needed to chill. When I went to training I knew there were specific things that I needed to do to get better.”

Linde stated that he does the following when spending time with his family, “In the mornings I sleep and the wife goes to work then it’s all Fifa. I spend a lot of time playing golf. I love cooking and CrossFit training. I couldn’t do that (CrossFit
training) because of my knee operation. I like cooking stuff from my cookbook.”

Western Province played a massive role in him refining his form. He explained the pre-season routine at Western Province.

“In the first month, you just do fitness (such as Hiking Trails at Table Mountain, running and gym work). After the first month, we started doing technical stuff and skill work with coaches who pushed and helped me a lot. I am also a senior in the team and I know that I need to lead by example.”

He elaborated on the success of Western Province (specifically when players are called up to play for the Proteas), by stating.

“I love this province. I try to focus on what I have to do on and off the field to help the team achieve the required results. We try to focus on the squad of players that we have here. We are fortunate that we have a young squad. I try to lead by example on the field by highlighting the required standards.”

Linde elaborated on the importance of all-rounders in a team and how all-rounders
can improve.

“An important factor is adapting to conditions. I ask myself what the team needs from me before I bat or bowl. I try not to overthink things and rather react to the situation in the game. It is important that you chat to your teammates. I did a lot of work during the winter which has helped me with this.”

When asked about spin-bowling in South African conditions Linde said, “Newlands can get quite dry. We had a very good wicket in our last 4-Day game where the ball initially seamed around a bit but as the game progressed it spun more. It isn’t always easy in South Africa. The conditions in every city are different but I am fortunate that I have played enough cricket in South Africa to know how to adapt.”

He went on to discuss his Proteas recall to the T20 squad Linde.

“Obviously it was a very proud moment for me. I played during the COVID times (when there were no crowds in the stadiums). A few weeks ago, I thought about the possibility of playing in front of crowds in South Africa. I am really looking forward to it. Hopefully, it will be a really solid series for me.

“For the last three years, I haven’t been on top of my game and when I look back I realize that the time may not have been right for me to come back because I was tired of the game and luckily I’m refreshed now and this feels like this is the right time for me.”

When asked if Rob Walter had phoned him to clarify his role Linde said, “He did try to phone me on Monday (2 December) but unfortunately I was busy in the gym. He congratulated me on making the squad. If I need to clarify my roles with him I can phone him. I don’t think it’s going to be too different from what I do at Western Province.”

When asked about what he can bring to the Proteas T20 setup Linde said, “My bowling will definitely be important but the power-hitting at the end is going to be most crucial for me. I have hit the ball reasonably well this whole season and I am pretty confident. I have trained very hard. Possibly bowling in the power play could also be vital. I did not expect this opportunity, I have to go out and enjoy myself and have a good time with the guys and hopefully win the series.”