Fresh off a stunning victory in one of the most thrilling cricket matches ever played, top-order batter Ryan Rickelton says the Proteas have been given a stark reminder that they need to stay on their toes as they prepare for a clash against New Zealand on Saturday at the T20 World Cup.
In Ahmedabad on Wednesday, the SA team had to dig deep to beat Afghanistan in a game that ended with a double super over.
When Afghan batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit three successive sixes in the second super over, Rickelton admitted the Proteas players had experienced a sense of disbelief, and they were relieved to hang on to snatch the win.
“We were just standing there saying ‘surely not, this can’t be real’, but we’re just over the moon that we managed to get over the line,” said Rickelton, who described the clash as “a whirlwind of a game”.
Small moments count
While he acknowledged that Afghanistan were no longer minnows (they reached the semifinals at the last edition of the T20 World Cup), and he insisted the Proteas had not been complacent, Rickelton felt the tightly contested battle had reminded the national side how important it was to take advantage of key moments in every match.
“Afghanistan are a serious cricket team so no-one took them for granted, but it’s just the small things. When you have opportunities to close down games and you have opportunities with your foot on their throat, you can’t let any team back in,” he said.
“So it is a bit of a wake-up call, I’d like to think, in just trying to have that edge and that sharpness, and when you get ahead, stay ahead and just make sure you’re looking after those really small things because it can come back to bite you. There are a lot of things we can get better at.”
Fielding is key
Aside from their focus on batting and fielding, Rickelton felt it was equally crucial for the Proteas to continue placing emphasis on their fielding in the unpredictable T20 format.
In the final over of regulation play against Afghanistan, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada ran out Fazalhaq Farooqi to keep the Proteas in the hunt.
And in the second super over, David Miller took two catches to help seal a remarkable victory.
“It (fielding) is something we’re always topping up on and something we can always try hold on to and make sure we get it right in those clutch moments.”
Saturday’s Groud D match between South Africa and New Zealand, who are both unbeaten after two games each in the early stages of the tournament, will start at 3.30pm in Ahmedabad.
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