It is never ideal to run into Australia for a first sparring session, but having left with bloodied noses, the Proteas should be much more battle-hardened for the second T20 international against Australia at Kingsmead today (6pm start).
It certainly helps that the home team don’t have days on end to ascertain the extent of their bruises incurred during the record 111-run first T20 defeat, and can get straight back into the ring.
“The quick turnaround means we have to put (Wednesday) behind us. It’s another opportunity for us to improve. We don’t want to use the lack of game time as an excuse, but we are looking ahead to Friday because there is a lot of room to improve,” said Proteas opening batter Reeza Hendricks.
Although the South Africans were floored in all departments, with the Australians superior in their execution from the outset, the major drawback for Aiden Markram’s team was their inability to form partnerships, thereby losing wickets in clusters.
The visitors, meanwhile, could maintain the pressure on the Proteas with a blistering 63-run stand off just 26 balls between captain Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Short for the second wicket.
This was followed by a matchwinning 97 off 50 for the fifth wicket between the captain and Tim David, before Marsh and Aaron Hardie added a further 36 off 20 balls to propel the Australians to a massive 226/6.
The Proteas, in contrast, could not build any momentum throughout their innings, with their highest partnership being 46 off 24 balls between top-scorer Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen.
Hendricks, who hit 56 off 43 balls (5×4, 2×6), admitted that the Proteas will need to improve their partnership-building if they are to level the series.
“We couldn’t string together those partnerships to get us close to that target, which was obviously our downfall,” he said.
“They got the ball to swing up front, which made it a little bit difficult for us as they continuously took wickets, which obviously put us under pressure.
“There is not much to talk about the batting as we were lacking partnerships. Had we got partnerships going, it might have been a different game.”
The first T20 was certainly an eye-opener for debutant Dewald Brevis.
The 20-year-old has long been touted for higher honours after his exploits in youth cricket and on the global franchise circuit, but the youngster seemed overawed by the occasion on Wednesday.
Not only did he not trouble the scorers on his T20 debut, but he also gifted the Australians a few boundaries with a couple of blunders in the field.
Hendricks explained that the intensity of international cricket does certainly take getting used to.
“It’s hard to put into words, but it’s just different. Obviously the competitiveness and the intensity is not something you can replicate, especially when you are training among your own – it’s completely different,” he said.
“Like I said, it’s hard to put into words, but the competitiveness and intensity of playing against a different country. It is something that when you play more often you get used to it and are more in tune with it.”
Proteas coach Rob Walter could make a couple of changes for today’s encounter, with Titans “finisher” Donovan Ferreira in line for a T20 debut.
