Every game is important, says SA's Rassie van der Dussen ahead of clash with Ireland
Jul 09, 2021
Malahide [Ireland], July 9 : South Africa's Rassie van der Dussen is expecting easier conditions for batters during the team's three-match ODI series against Ireland as he said every game is important for Proteas.
South Africa are currently at bottom of the points table of the World Cup Super League with one from three games. "With the new competition structure, every game becomes important," ESPNcricinfo quoted Rassie van der Dussen as a saying. "Eoin Morgan said there is no such thing as a dead rubber because you get points from every game and that's the qualification [route] for the World Cup. We've been away from home for five weeks and some guys haven't had playing chances but for a coach and a selector, the priority is to win matches and you've got to pick your strongest team."
South Africa will clash with Ireland in the maiden full limited-overs tour starting from July 11 at Malahide Cricket Club Ground in Malahide. The 32-year-old predicted the conditions will be favourable for batting compared to what the side experienced in the West Indies.
"When the sun is out here and the wicket gets quite hard, it becomes favourable for batting," van der Dussen said. "If there is a little bit of rain around in the preceding days and on the day, the ball swings and the grass livens up and the seam movement becomes a factor. But this time of year, the weather should be okay. The conditions will be good for batting, a lot more batter-conducive than we had in the West Indies."
"In the last five overs, in all the matches [in the West Indies], we came up short," he added. "The conditions were really tough to bat, especially for new batters coming in. In 50-over cricket, you get time in the middle, which sometimes in T20 cricket you don't get, especially batting in middle to lower order. In 50-over cricket, you've got a bigger scope to identify where your game is at and you've got time to get yourself in and play your game from there. That can help for T20 cricket as well because it gives the batters a reference for where their games are at."
Last week, South Africa defeated West Indies in the T20I series 3-2 after registering a 25-run victory over the hosts.
