Aiden Markram. (Photo source: X(Twitter)
South Africa looked ruthless in the T20 World Cup and courtesy of which, they qualified for the finals of the competition. However, in the ongoing series against West Indies, they looked poor in both bowling and batting departments and are currently 2-0 down in the series. In the second T20I in Trinidad, West Indies posted 179 runs on board and in reply, South Africa were bundled for 149 runs, losing the game by 30 runs.
Opener Reeza Hendricks started the run chase with a cluster of boundaries as he smashed 44 runs off 18 balls. After his dismissal, no other batter took the responsibility, leading to a defeat. Six of their players registered scores in single digits, which is highly concerning and is an area that the team management needs to address. After the game, Markram noted the areas they need to improve and credited West Indies for bowling well in the middle overs.
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“In the middle overs (where we lost). They bowled really well in the back end of the middle overs. They made scoring tough. We’ll identify areas where we can get better at. Looking forward to the next game, hopefully, we can put up a better show,” Markram said in the post-match presentation.
Romario Shepherd reflects on his POTM performance
All-rounder Romario Shepherd was adjudged Player of the Match for his phenomenal bowling in the second innings. The 29-year-old picked up three wickets and gave away just 15 runs in his four overs. After the game, he stated to be ‘pleased’ with his performance and opened up about his role in the team.
“Very pleased after the first game which didn’t go well. I went with the same plans, but the execution was better. I tried to stay calm and went about ball by ball. My role is to come and try and hit the deck as much as possible with the change ups and all that. That is what my captain expects of me. Need to forget about past performances, and today I just had to stick to my lengths and use my variations to execute better,” Shepherd said.