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- Proteas substitute captain Heinrich Klaasen was unhappy with the mid-order slowdown the game cost them.
- South Africa started the 170 chase very well, but the Pakistani spinners took a firm hold on the chase after the power play.
- Usman Qadir and Mohammad Nawaz’s eight overs went for just 42, along with two wickets.
Proteas alternate pattern 20 Heinrich Klaasen said his stutter in the middle played a crucial role in their three-run loss to Pakistan in the first T20 at Lahore on Thursday.
South Africa started their 170 chase very well with Janneman Malan hitting 29 sticks and 44 balls with eight four and one six.
His wicket and that of rookie Jacques Snyman (two) slowed the Proteas significantly and they were unable to regain the momentum that saw them run to 51/0 in six overs.
Usman Qadir, the Pakistani leg thrower, claimed both lands and, along with the left arm spinner, Mohammad Nawaz applied a squeeze that suffocated the visitors.
There were also soft moments on the ball that allowed Mohammad Rizwan to score the unbeaten 104 of 64 balls that underpinned Pakistan’s 169/6.
“The two wickets that we lost in the early phase did not help us and put us on the defensive, especially when we were chasing 170. I thought there were about 10 runs to go. I hope that in the next game we can increase our intensity for the intermediate phase and, with luck to be able to get over the line, “Klaasen said.
“We don’t like to lose, especially when we made life difficult for ourselves. One or two things didn’t go as planned with the ball. We’ll go back and reevaluate those one or two overs, but I was happy with how the bowlers were. It was those four or two. five overs in the middle where we really made life harder for ourselves. We could have chased less than we did and we could have gone over the line. “
South Africa’s starters in Reeza Hendricks (54) and Malan went out of their way to get the Proteas on target in a variety of ways.
Hendricks waited for the right moment during Malan’s attack, but when the grounds fell around him, he led the chase as best he could with his 50 of 38 balls that brought South Africa closer.
When it sold out on the 18th, the lower order was left with a lot to do despite Dwaine Pretorius and Bjorn Fortuin reducing the chance with some late limits. However, Klaasen knew that the game was lost in the middle.
“We were very happy with the start we had. Reeza only faced four or five balls so he didn’t have as much of an impact at the time and Janneman played a really good shot there. It was a shame that he came off the moment he did it. he did. We lost the game between overs seven and 10, “Klaasen said.
