Second-string Proteas eager to break T20 drought against Pakistan

Though he admits it is a challenge having to face Pakistan with an under-strength squad, stand-in captain Heinrich Klaasen says the Proteas will be ready for the first of three T20 Internationals against the tourists in Durban on Tuesday night (6pm start).

The two-match Test series against Sri Lanka ended yesterday, with the Proteas men securing a 2-0 victory, and a handful of first-choice players were set to miss the T20 campaign against Pakistan. They included regular captain Aiden Markram, all-rounder Marco Jansen, batter Tristan Stubbs, and bowlers Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada.

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Klaasen, who had previously been critical of the bizarre scheduling this season which had resulted in multiple clashes in international cricket, acknowledged there were pros and cons to the packed fixtures list.

“The scheduling has been very interesting, and that has been either unfortunate or fortunate for cricket that that’s the way the game works now,” Klaasen said.

“India recently played against us, then a week later a whole new team played their first Test in Australia. So it’s normal these days, I reckon, and it gives a lot of guys opportunities and you can explore your depth.

“Obviously there are a lot of guys in the Test side who would be first-choice in this team, but they also need a rest because Test cricket takes a lot out of you.”

Ending the drought

Despite playing with a less experienced unit than they might have liked, Klaasen believed the hosts were ready to fire in the three-match series against Pakistan in the short format.

The Proteas have not won a series in their last eight T20 campaigns (including six defeats and two draws), and they lost 3-1 to India in their latest T20 series on home soil last month.

Klaasen said they were confident of ending their drought when they turned out against Pakistan.

“We’re looking to get a serious win under the belt,” Klaasen said.

“The boys have put in a lot of hard work fine-tuning our mistakes… so we’re looking forward to starting the series off at a good pace.”

After Tuesday’s opening T20 match, South Africa will face Pakistan in Centurion on Friday and Johannesburg on Saturday.