‘Small things went against us’: Rassie

LAHORE: Lahore Qalandars South African batsman Rassie van der Dussen believes that Qalandars played decent cricket but some “small things” went against them which left them sitting at the rock bottom of the points table.

“In a few first matches we were off-colour with the ball. The matches come so quick and fast and when the momentum is against you it just feels like too tough to get it back,” Rassie told a post-match news conference after Qalandars tasted their fifth straight defeat, at the hands of Peshawar Zalmi, here on Sunday night.

“Every game here we played decently and had a few things gone in on our way we could have been sitting with three or four wins and that’s the beauty of the tournament. But small things going against us and we are sitting on zero from five. Of course I am not looking for excuses but you accept the rough with the smooth,” Rassie said.

Saim Ayub (88), Babar Azam (48) and Rovman Powell (56) guided Zalmi to 211-4. In response, Rassie’s 104 not out went in vain as Qalandars were restricted to 203-6.

Needing 18 off the last over from Peshawar Zalmi’s English pacer Paul Walter, well-settled Rassie’s body language showed that he could get Lahore Qalandars over the line on Sunday night. But it did not happen. After Jahandad Khan took a single off the first ball from Walter, Rassie missed the second one which yielded a leg-bye. And he never returned to strike then. Rassie also lamented the missed hit, something which took the game away from them.

“In the last over the ball that I missed and we got a leg-bye and sometimes match comes down to the moment,” Rassie said.

“Many times, I pick this for a six and the bowlers get under pressure and the match is quite different. Had that happened it would have been a right call and I don’t think it was a wrong call,” Rassie said when asked if sending Carlos or Sikandar at No4 could have changed the things.

Rassie was happy with his century knock but said it did not work for the team eventually. “Individually obviously I am happy with the performance,” said Rassie, who hit six sixes and seven fours in his knock, first century of the PSL 9. He said that wickets in Pakistan generally are good for batting and he has adjusted his game plan.

“I think I came here last year and got a few starts, got a few twenties and thirties but did not go like what I wanted to do. I am really happy to come back. I adjusted my game plan a little bit. I think in general the pitches are good in Pakistan. You can hit straight with confidence and I don’t know how to look square. Yesterday I made a mistake again. I was looking square and I got out and that’s what I was focusing on. I tried to play with a simple game plan and mindset just being settling earlier and watching the ball and reacting to it and I tried to bring that,” said Rassie.

He also praised Saim Ayub who left a huge impact for Zalmi with the bat with his 86. “Yes, he batted really well, kept us under pressure. It seems like he has a lot of shots. He is quite young and he would take a lot of confidence from this innings. He built a formidable partnership with Babar and from there we knew that we would be under pressure,” Rassie said.