Proteas go all out for T20 victory
All to play for as Zim and SA square off yet again in new series, starting in EL
The Standard Bank Proteas will be gunning to get off to the perfect start in their T20 international series against Zimbabwe at Buffalo Park on Tuesday evening and continue the good momentum built up from their one day series whitewash.
All-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo, who will be playing in his 14th T20 international, admitted the team was in a good space at the moment and hungry for more success.
“The camp is really in a good state at the moment. The guys are looking positive, we are training really hard. It doesn’t matter the team, the preparation doesn’t change. In terms of our changing room, the culture is always the same,” said Phehlukwayo.
“Obviously now it’s a different ball game, T20 cricket. A lot of the skills are more pressured. You got to to execute really well, so we are training really hard for that.
“We are happy to be here. I think Buffalo Park is a great venue. We love coming here. The fans are always very exciting and it is one of the grounds that I do enjoy coming to play at with a full house of passionate supporters.”
The team is set to feature a number of new and exciting players such as Gihahn Cloete and Rassie van der Dussen, who will be in line to make their debut’s, while Christiaan Jonker, Junior Dala, Heinrich Klaasen and Robbie Frylinck have just a handful of caps between them.
They will be backed by senior players such as captain Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy and David Miller.
“There are a lot of new guys in the team. They have all put in the performances at domestic level and deserve their call-ups,” said Phehlukwayo.
With it being the first match of the series the Proteas will be eager to set the tone early on.
It is only the second ever T20 international at Buffalo Park. The first was an eight wicket loss to New Zealand in 2012, but since then the Proteas have claimed big ODI wins over the West Indies by nine wickets in 2015 and Bangladesh by 200 runs last year.
“The first match is important to set the tone. Before the T20s the guys have been playing good cricket in the ODI’s, so there is a positive vibe in the camp,” said Phehlukwayo.
“But T20 cricket is the type of format where any team is in the game. It doesn’t matter if you are ranked 14th or first. On the day it will come down to who executes well and performs.”
For Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza the series gives his team a chance to start afresh after the disappointment of the one days, and try get one over the Proteas.
“It was very disappointing in the one days. I thought we still left a lot in the tank there, but obviously a different series now, different conditions, so we are looking forward to it,” said Masakadza.
“We did a lot of good things in the one days. The main thing is to now make sure we do it for longer. We started to look better with the bat in the last one, so will look to build on that and also do the right things a bit longer with the ball as well.”
The one thing the team will be keeping an eye on is the wind factor, with two days of heavy wind seen on Sunday and Monday, and more expected on Tuesday, although it should die down quite a bit by the time the game gets under way in the evening.
“The wind is going to be a major factor. It is the one thing we noticed as soon as we got in. It is a lot windier than anywhere else we’ve played, so we will keep that in the back of our minds. But I think the wicket normally plays really good here, so it should be good for batting,” said Masakadza.
The action starts at 6pm...
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