Pakistan registered a 2-1 win in the recently concluded three-match T20I series against South Africa. The home side were expected to claim the T20I series after previously winning the Test series 2-0. All three matches were played at the Gaddafi stadium, due to the ongoing pandemic.
The second match was the sole victory which the South Africans could conjure up, and it was a comfortable one. A lot of newcomers were seen donning the South African colours. Mohammad Rizwan was adjudged the Player of the Series but from a South African point of view, Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius and Tabraiz Shamsi were their stand out players. Here is a look at how they performed.
Janneman Malan – 6/10
Janneman Malan opened the batting for South Africa in all three matches. His best score came in the opening fixture where he scored 44 runs off 29 balls. His biggest failure with the bat came in South Africa’s only win. His 27 off 17 balls in the last match was a decent effort but not enough to give him a rating of anything more than six.
Reeza Hendricks – 8/10
Reeza Hendricks was arguably South Africa’s best batsman in the T20I series. The right-handed batsman scored a half-century in the first match which was followed by a well compiled 42 in the match that South Africa won with ease. His only blip in form came in the last match as he got out for a paltry score of two runs.
Jacques Snyman – 4/10
Jacques Snyman got just one game to showcase his talents. He scored two runs in six balls in the first match as Usman Qadir got the better of him. After this match, he was replaced by JJ Smuts. As this was his debut, there is surely a lot of better things to come in the future. For now, he has to remain satisfied with a rating of four. He is a talented player with the ability to provide real impact in T20 matches, his time will come in future.
David Miller – 8/10
David Miller was South Africa’s most experienced batsman in this series as he is well-versed with subcontinental conditions. After an early dismissal in the first match, the southpaw scored an unbeaten 25 as South Africa chased down the target in the second game. He followed that up by scoring 85* in just 45 balls in the third game. He was the top scorer for South Africa in the series.
Heinrich Klaasen – 3/10
Heinrich Klaasen was leading the young Proteas side in the three-match T20I series. His batting left a lot to be desired as he never really got going. Scores of 12, 17* and 0 are not acceptable by the captain of a touring side consisting of many new faces. The one highlight for him was his captaincy, he was proactive with his bowling changes and was a very respectable stand-in skipper.
Andile Phehlukwayo – 5.5/10
Andile Phehlukwayo was neither very handy with the bat, nor did he make an impact with the ball. His only valuable contribution with the bat was his 14-run cameo in the first match. While he did pick up three wickets in total, he was very expensive. The Durban-born all-rounder conceded runs at almost 10.5 runs an over throughout the series.
Dwaine Pretorius – 8/10
Dwaine Pretorius was adjudged man of the match in South Africa’s only win in the series. The all-rounder was decent with the bat as he played a cameo of 15 (6) in the first match. He was extremely economical with the ball in the first two matches. His five-wicket haul in the second match was the highlight of the series.
Bjorn Fortuin – 7/10
Bjorn Fortuin had a decent series to say the least. He featured in both the matches that Pakistan won, but managed to register one wicket in each of his appearances. From an economic point of view, the left-arm off-spinner was around the 7-8 run per over mark which is satisfactory in T20s. He also played a handy knock in the first match.
Junior Dala – 4/10
Junior Dala just played the first match of the series and failed to impress Mark Boucher. He conceded 25 runs in his two-over spell and went wicketless as well. In the absence of Rabada, Ngidi and Nortje, the responsibility of leading the pace attack was on Dala’s shoulders but he wasn’t up to the task.
Lutho Sipamla – 5/10
Lutho Sipamla was another South African fast bowler who failed to leave his mark on the Pakistanis. Unlike Dala, the youngster took the field in all of the matches but picked up one wicket in nine overs whilst going for 89 runs. Neither was he economical nor did he pick up many wickets. Hence, a rating of five.
Tabraiz Shamsi – 8.5/10
Tabraiz Shamsi is one of the few players who can be proud of his displays in Lahore. The Chinaman was very economical throughout the three matches and picked up six wickets in total. His marquee performance came in the last match where he picked up four wickets while conceding just 25 runs.
JJ Smuts – 5.5/10
JJ Smuts had a mixed bag of outings during his two matches. On one hand, he failed to score any valuable runs while batting, which is a necessity for any player occupying the number 3 slot. On the other hand, Smuts didn’t give away too many runs in the seven overs that he bowled.
Pite van Biljon – 7/10
Just like Smuts, van Biljon was also brought into the side after the first match. Pite van Biljon was influential with the bat in the second match as he went on to score 42 runs. Despite his failure in the third match, the reason his rating of seven is justified is because his innings played a crucial role in South Africa’s victory.
Glenton Stuurman – 3.5/10
Glenton Stuurman was handed his debut cap in the second match of the series. He conceded 28 runs in two overs, which made it a bitter-sweet debut for him as South Africa went on to win the game. Stuurman will hope this was not his first and last match for the nation.