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Rassie van der Dussen (Rooster)
- Proteas hitter Rassie van der Dussen was relieved to have scored his first international century.
- Their 123 * was important to SA’s eventual total of 273/6, but they lost the first ODI to Pakistan by three wickets.
- SA withdrew the game very well after a great partnership between Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam, but Pakistan had enough in the tank to win the game with the last ball.
Proteas middle-order hitter Rassie van der Dussen said he was overwhelmed by a huge sense of relief as he reached his first ODI hundred on Friday.
While it did not result in a victory, as Pakistan needed its full 50 overs and seven wickets to drag down SA’s 273/6, Van Der Dussen’s 123 * in the series opener at SuperSport Park was his first international tonne. in 48 games in all all formats.
Going into the game, he had seven ODI 50s with a maximum of 95 against Australia averaging just over 70.
That average over the 17 innings he has hit has now shot up to 83.00 and has established himself as a critical cog in SA’s batting lineup.
His value was evident from the way he built his entries from the initial 41/2 and 55/4 problems.
“It’s a relief. I’ve been playing for two and a half years. I had a few chances to close a hundred and I didn’t make it. It was a case of acting under pressure and we were under pressure. It was a fair entry to bring us to a decent total, “said Van der Dussen.
While Van der Dussen withstood whatever was thrown at him, he had the misfortune of not being able to catch a Shadab Khan skier at a critical moment in the Pakistan chase.
Had he held on to the difficult opportunity, he would have put Pakistan under more pressure in a final that was excellently thrown by Andile Phehlukwayo.
While the missed opportunity didn’t taint Van der Dussen’s excellent hitting display, he was tough on himself and said he would have loved to have made the winning contribution.
“It was a mid-margin game and, looking back, it was a half chance. It could have worked in our favor if I had gotten under the ball a little earlier. I was not in a good position to catch it and could barely touch the ball with the tip of a finger, “said Van Der Dussen.
“In situations like that, 100 overs can be reduced to one ball and it’s not cruel. It’s just sport. That’s life. As a professional athlete, you have to be prepared for that moment and another day, it could have gone straight to the outfielder. It wasn’t our day. “
With South Africa falling to 41/2 and 55/4, the quirks of hitting first at SuperSport Park reappeared.
Where SA and Van der Dussen struggled to get going well into the day, Babar Azam (103) and Imam-ul-Haq (70) assembled a 177-run second wicket tier that became the basis of the victory of Pakistan despite the late Anrich Nortje-induced collapse and tight death bowling game.
Van der Dussen said it was disappointing that the bowlers were unable to win the game as they fought hard to get back into the game.
“Pitching plays a big part in daytime games here and the field gets a lot better at hitting as the day progresses. When Imam and Babar hit, they made it look pretty easy. The pitch became truer and more consistent, but the credit must go to the bowlers, ”said Van der Dussen.
“It was quite disappointing for us not to go over the line because I feel like the bowlers deserved it.”
