“It does feel a bit more special because we were smart in the way we went about things and we managed to pull off a series win in foreign conditions,” said South African Head Coach, Mark Boucher, after South Africa beat the West Indies to seal the five-match T20 series by a 3-2 margin.
Electing to bat first, South Africa scored 168/4 in their 20 overs, with Aiden Markram (70 off 48) and Quinton de Kock (60 off 42) making key contributions. The South African bowlers, particularly Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Wiaan Mulder, and Tabraiz Shamsi, combined to beat the West Indies by 25 runs.
With de Kock and Shamsi delivering dominant performances throughout the series, Boucher was pleased with the way the team learned lessons and put them into practice. “The biggest thing for me is that we took away a lot of knowledge from the games that we played throughout the series.”
Unlike South Africa “where you can bash your way to 180-200 runs, you’ve got to be skillful here, you’ve got to be smart.” Reflecting on how South Africa implemented lessons, Boucher said, “That comes from a lot of chats behind closed doors and different options that we’re giving the players that if they listen, put the balls in the right areas, and be nice and smart, we can win close games of cricket, which hasn’t been happening in the past.”
Boucher was also pleased with Temba Bavuma’s captaincy this series. “Give or take one or two bad overs here and there, I think he had a fantastic series.”
Given that the ICC T20 World Cup is slated to take place in the UAE in October, Boucher has a basic idea of the batting lineup that is likely to take the field. In saying that, “there are still places that need to be solidified by individuals.” Boucher aims to get the batting order “firing all cylinders” in order to score an extra 15-20 runs, which prove to be the difference between winning and losing in difficult conditions.
Expecting subcontinent style wickets in the UAE, where the IPL is going to be played before the World Cup, Boucher is confident that “spinners will play a massive role.” “Those wickets are going to be worn, which from experience, the scores are going to go even further down,” said Boucher.
