“It was an eye-opener for the bowling unit”: SA coach Rob Walter after washout in T20I series against Australia

Durban [South Africa], September 4 (ANI): South Africa white-ball coach Rob Walter admitted that the entire T20I series against Australia was an eye-opener for their bowling unit. 

Australia chased down a total of 190 to seal off a 3-0 series win as well as record a whitewash against the hosts. In the second game, the Proteas failed to put up much of a challenge in front of the Baggy Greens, as they completed a comfortable 8-wicket victory by chasing down the target of 165.
The first game was pure domination by the Australian team as they kicked off the series with a 111-run victory.  

SA’s bowling setup, Lizaad Williams, Coetzee, Marco Jansen, Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin all conceded more than ten runs an over, while, Aiden Markram (8.33) was the only one from South Africa’s bowling line-up to go for less than ten an over. “There’s no running away from it – their batting skill was better than what we had to offer with the ball.We got a hard lesson in terms of not executing our skills. It was an eye-opener for the bowling unit,” Walter said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

He even pointed out how their batting line-up had failed to live up to the expectations. South Africa tried to test out some untested combinations, bringing in young talent and mixing up the border. 
Walter reflected on their approach and said, “The game is riddled with risk. Sometimes it’s going to pay off and other times it isn’t. I was happy with the progress we made.”

The newcomers turned out to be a bit of a disappointment for the hosts with Matthew Breetzke (one innings) and Dewald Brevis (two innings) scoring five runs each. Brevis’ much-awaited beginning at the international stage, after he topped the run charts at last year’s Under-19 World Cup, did not go as he would have hoped for. 

“Dewald didn’t get many runs in his two opportunities but there is no doubting his quality and ability. The positive was to give him an opportunity to test the waters in international cricket, so he has now got a good sense of playing a good team – what does that feel like,” Walter said.

“Matthew didn’t get many runs but it was great to give him an opportunity to make his debut,” he said. “Watching him go through his work and his training throughout this series, I am excited about what he has to offer. Even his dismissal – the courage to make a play in that situation is sometimes worth more than the actual result,” Walter added.

South Africa will now look to redeem themselves in the 5-match ODI series against Australia which is slated to begin on September 7.