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Proteas skipper Quinton de Kock doesn’t bet on Ben Stokes’ modest T20 record and says England’s off-roader is just one of several players his team should be reckoned with in the upcoming three-game T20 series, live on Sky Sports starting Friday.
Last Updated: 11/26/20 4:49 pm
England’s Ben Stokes takes a breather during a net session at Newlands Stadium
Captain Quinton de Kock says South Africa will not underestimate Ben Stokes despite England’s modest Twenty20 all-terrain record.
Stokes, back on the England team for the T20I series in South Africa after missing the second half of the English summer for family reasons, has a maximum score of 47 not out in international T20 matches, he scored against the Proteas in February and a half a modest 17.94, to go with 14 wickets in 26 games.
But those who have seen him perform in the Indian Premier League know better, with the 29-year-old named MVP of the competition in 2017 and starring in a new position as a starter for the Rajasthan Royals this year.
3:34 Highlights of Ben Stokes’ 107 undefeated for the Rajasthan Royals against the Mumbai Indians
It was in that role that he scored a 59-ball century that he won the game against eventual champions the Mumbai Indians last month, with De Kock getting a close-up view.
“I just played in a game where I was goalkeeper and Ben Stokes crashed with a hundred against us,” recalled De Kock before the first of three T20s between the sides.
“He’s still a top-class player and he adds a lot of value to that team. I don’t really believe in player records very much, especially when it comes to that kind of record.
South Africa vs England
November 27, 2020, 3:30 pm
Live 
“Stokesy is a guy who can hurt you with his bowling alley, do something spectacular on the field and by hitting we all know how dangerous he is.
“But when you look at his team, there are a lot of guys you have to pay attention to, you can’t just pick one. Any player on the England team, if he comes out, he can really hurt you.
South Africa runs out of three players for the series opener in Newlands, with two anonymous team members still recovering from positive Covid-19 tests and the all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius due to missing the entire tour with a break. hamstrings.
- November 27: First T20I, Cape Town (start at 4pm)
- November 29th: Second T20I, Paarl (start 12.30 pm)
- December 1st: Third T20I, Cape Town (start at 4 pm)
- December 4th: First ODI, Cape Town (start at 11AM)
- 6th of December: Second ODI, Paarl (start at 8 am)
- December 9: Third ODI, Cape Town (start at 11am)
Both parties were retested for the virus Thursday morning and hope to have no further setbacks. And although the procedure is necessary, it has not always been comfortable.
Cricket South Africa Medical Director Dr. Shuaib Manjra said: “Clearly the players don’t like the Covid test. We had a guy here doing the tests on Monday and the players complained so we had to find someone else. .
“Some of them are a little excited and they put the swab not only in the nose, but also in the sinuses and also in the brain. So it is an uncomfortable test.”
But the potential importance of a new outbreak within the biosecure environment should not be overstated.
“I think the short answer to your question is that there probably won’t be a game,” Manjra said.
“If a large group of people test positive, then we will not have the proper opportunity to push people to the bubble and that is the worst case.”
“We don’t want to contemplate that, but if it happens, we have to deal with that as it arises. We have a 24-player roster, so hopefully we can build a team.”
Watch all of the England South Africa Tour matches live on Sky Sports Cricket, starting with the first T20 starting at 3.30pm on Friday.
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