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- Former captain Faf du Plessis has defended seaman Beuran Hendricks after his horror against England on Friday.
- Hendricks gave up 28 runs in his fourth and final switch.
- England secured victory, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-game series.
Heading into the final four overs of their opening T20 against England in Newlands on Friday, the Proteas he had 51 runs to defend.
At the time, on terrain that wasn’t the easiest for hitters, the hosts would have been considered light favorites.
What followed, however, was horror on the part of left closer Beuran Hendricks who managed a staggering 28 runs and ultimately left England within a short distance of victory.
Jonny Bairstow (86 * of 48) was red hot, but Hendricks also didn’t do himself any favors, throwing a five-ball that was so wide in the leg that he missed the pitch entirely.
It was an incredibly tough day in the office for the 30-year-old, who in his 14th T20 finished 0/56 (4) when the Proteas were comfortably defeated.
Former captain Faf du Plessis, who played a graceful 59 (40) shot earlier in the day, came to Hendricks’ defense in his post-match press conference saying that in the modern era of T20 cricket it was not uncommon to see to bowlers looking for some massive numbers.
“The T20 cricket game almost guarantees that someone will go at night,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be too interested in whether a guy is going to race because that’s the nature of the beast when playing T20 cricket.
“Tomorrow he could have a shot and go bowling in the exact same areas and he gets a five-year period.
“I wouldn’t judge him too harshly. Tonight was not his night and they played well against him and he will learn from that … he will come back strong.”
On his own performance, Du Plessis said that he was incredibly pleased to be back in the national colors.
“It’s always very special. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done it,” he said.
“I think the time out of the game really made me lose cricket again, so playing for Proteas again is so special, especially against a quality team like England.”
The second of three T20s will be played in Paarl on Sunday.
