Proteas top-order batsman Rubin Hermann insists that their T20 Tri-Series game against New Zealand at the Harare Sports Complex on Tuesday is not a dead rubber, with the sides having already made Saturday’s final.
For the South African camp, it will be more than a dress rehearsal for the final against a Black Caps team who are yet to taste defeat, but more of a chance to fix their error-ridden performance against the same side last week.
South Africa paid the price for a sloppy display with ball and then bat, slumping to a 21-run defeat in that showing. The bowlers let the Black Caps batsmen off the hook as they recovered from 74/5 to register a score of 173/5.
Despite some thrilling batting from the top order, the Proteas’ chase lacked consistency with too many batsmen throwing their wickets away.
Hermann said they wanted none of that on Tuesday and promised they would be firing on all cylinders as in the Zimbabwe match, which they won comfortably by seven wickets on Sunday.
“I think we have some momentum on our side. So we have to keep up that momentum and just keep playing good cricket,” he said. “I think we’ve done well.
“We were lacking in a few departments in the previous New Zealand game. So, I think we would like to rectify that and I’m sure if we play our best cricket we’ll come out as the top side there as well.
“So just keep playing good cricket. Keep playing ruthless cricket. And then hopefully take the series on Saturday because that’s the goal at the end of the day.”
Though Herman is a new kid on the international cricketing block, he looked like he belonged, displaying a proper understanding and adaptation of the conditions in Harare against Zimbabwe, against whom he scored a brilliant 63 runs.
He also shared a 106-run partnership with his captain, Rassie van der Dussen. He shared how difficult the Harare surface was for the top order with the new ball. The Proteas found themselves in a sticky situation with the bat, losing their openers within the first power play.
“I think one thing we identified is that the new ball is quite tough on these wickets because there is a bit of variable bounce and variable pace. The new ball is probably the toughest time to bat.
“There’s a lot of batsmanship involved on these pitches with inconsistent bounce and pace. There’s a shorter boundary. I played good cricket shots, that’s the best way I can explain the success.
“It was quite nice because we both just knew if we just batted we would score quickly enough. We were both ruthless on bad balls and so on. Luckily, we got a couple of them. So, it just took good batsmanship,” he said.
Daily Dispatch
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