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Wednesday October 30, 2024

SA ditch aggressive T20 mindset to solve pitch puzzle

By Reuters
June 12, 2024
South Africas David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen pictured during their T20 World Cup 2024 match against   Bangladesh at New Yorks Nassau County International Cricket Stadium June 10, 2024. — AFP
South Africa's David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen pictured during their T20 World Cup 2024 match against   Bangladesh at New York's Nassau County International Cricket Stadium June 10, 2024. — AFP

NEW YORK: South Africa look to have found a way to negotiate the tricky pitches being offered up by T20 World Cup co-hosts the United States by dialling down the aggressive batting approach traditionally associated with the format.

“Our mindset is not even close to T20 cricket,” player-of-the-match Klaasen told reporters at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

“You just want to get in and find a way to bat at a run-a-ball.”

Even the tournament’s most anticipated match proved a low-scoring affair, with India dismissed for 119 but still managing to beat arch-rivals Pakistan in Sunday’s blockbuster in New York.

“You can’t just stand there and smack it all over the park,” Klaasen said. “We had more or less of a one-day mindset, myself and David in the middle, and that seemed to be working.”