T20 World Cup 2021: Real Test Is On Saturday When South Africa Faces Australia, Says Rassie van der Dussen

South African batsman Rassie van der Dussen who smashed a sensational century against Pakistan in the warm-up game, has stated that the real test will be on Saturday when the Proteas team lock horns with Australia in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

South Africa and Australia are clubbed in Group 1 of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, which is also referred to as ‘Group of death’, and they will go head to head on 23 October 2021 in Abu Dhabi. South Africa will be entering that game with more momentum as they defeated Pakistan in the warm-up games. On the other hand, Australia lost their warm-up game against Virat Kohli-led India.

“We will take a lot of confidence from it (the victories). But I suppose the real test is on Saturday and we will take the learnings from this,”

Van der Dussen, who scored 101 not out off 51 balls, pointed out that batters need to spend more time on the slow UAE surface. He said:

“I think it is vital to spend time on these wickets. They are a bit slower and slower, especially at night when it gets a bit skiddy and low. It does change. We know what to expect going forward.”

The Guys That Came In That Played Around Me Played Really Well – Rassie van der Dussen

The 32-year-old had a 107-run partnership with captain Temba Bavuma, who came in at No 4. Van der Dussen also lauded the batters that played around him. He elaborated:

“The guys that came in that played around me played really well. And then sometimes when you’re chasing a big score you stay in fifth gear and the scoreboard tells you how to play. Throughout the innings, I thought we managed it well. Maybe we needed a bit too many of the last three overs, but we executed our boundary options well,”

Rassie van der Dussen added that having no scoreboard in the warm-up match helped him a lot, and he tried to take the game ball-by-ball. He asserted:

“Obviously (it feels) very good (to get the hundred). Not having a scoreboard helps because I didn’t even know I was close to that. I think the lesson there is to take it ball-by-ball and have your gameplans. Trust in them and play the situation of the game according to the run-rate required,”

Van der Dussen also felt that South Africa was not able to utilise the powerplay properly, and they were “a bit a behind”. He stated:

“We wanted to give ourselves a chance upfront, but I thought we were a bit behind in the Powerplay. We knew though during the middle period we would have boundary options and if we executed them we would get close and the thought was always to have a guy in to put them under pressure.”

Also Read: Manchester United Owners Show Keen Interest In Buying The New IPL Franchises, BCCI Extension Of Date May Have Happened Due To This