After rusty opener, Proteas set sights on second T20 clash against Australia

Returning to international action after a five-month break, the Proteas were rusty in their opening T20 International match against Australia on Wednesday night, top-order batter Reeza Hendricks admitted after their convincing defeat.

The SA team were outplayed in every department, falling in a 111-run loss to the tourists in the first of three T20 games being played in Durban this week.

READ MORE: Proteas crushed by Australia in T20 series opener

While Hendricks made 56 runs in an attempt to lay a foundation, he received little support as the hosts failed to chase down a formidable target of 227 runs.

Rassie van der Dussen (21) and Marco Jansen (20) looked like they might get going but neither managed to stick around, and the hosts eventually collapsed to 115 all out.

Challenging target

Hendricks, however, admitted the Proteas were always going to struggle after Australia captain Mitchell Marsh (unbeaten after a career best 92) and Tim David (64) combined in a 97-run stand for the fifth wicket, facing just 50 deliveries between them as they guided the tourists to 226/6.

Earlier, Marsh and Matthew Short (20) had also shared 63 runs off just 26 balls for the second wicket, with the duo making full use of the powerplay.

The Proteas were then shut down by an Australian attack which was led by 21-year-old debutant Tanveer Sangha, who ripped through the home side’s top order, returning impressive figures of 4/31 on his international debut.

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“It was a tough game for us. I thought they obviously played well to get to that total, which was well out of our reach,” Hendricks said.

“Credit to Mitch Marsh and Tim David, the way they went about it, and I think that partnership put them miles ahead.

“It was just too good for us tonight and unfortunately we couldn’t string together those partnerships to get us close to that target.”

Fast turnaround

With just two days between each of the T20 matches in the series, Hendricks said they were eager to build some momentum in the second fixture on Friday night (6pm).

And while the veteran batter admitted they had received extensive preparation at training and preparation camps, and by playing in T20 leagues around the world in recent months, he insisted the Proteas players had more to offer after shaking off some of the rust in their first international series since early April.

“With a quick turnaround we obviously have to put tonight behind us and look ahead,” Hendricks said.

“Come Friday, it’s another opportunity for us to improve. So we’re obviously not using the lack of game time as an excuse, but we’re definitely looking forward to the next game and there’s obviously a lot of room for improvement.”