Johannesburg – Carlos Brathwaite, who knows a thing or two about hitting a cricket ball hard, stated on TV commentary as a replay showed Rilee Rossouw’s latest six screaming off his bat, “He’s one of the hardest hitters on the T20 circuit.”
Rossouw put on a clinic at what must be his favorite site, the Sydney Cricket Ground, on Thursday, pushing the Proteas to a monstrous total and putting them back on track with a crucial victory in the T20 World Cup.
The 33-year-old left-handed batsman was welcomed back into the national team earlier this year following the abolition of Kolpak contracts as a result of Brexit, and made an immediate impact against England, demonstrating the importance of having a power-hitting boundary hitter. He was not out for 96 runs in that series, and he struck his first hundred in India three weeks ago.
This trend continued on Thursday, when Rossouw and Quinton de Kock scored 63 runs in the opening six overs of the South African batting innings.
His early appearance at the crease followed another poor effort from Temba Bavuma, who got two runs off a lucky shot in the opening over before being bowled by Taskin Ahmed with a shot that was neither defensive nor offensive. Bavuma’s inclusion in the starting lineup for Sunday’s crucial match against India must now be questioned, especially because he is excluding the in-form Reeza Hendricks.
Rossouw deserves the spotlight at this time. While there was plenty of heavy hitting to attract Brathwaite’s attention, there was also an abundance of delicate flicks and dabs, and both he and De Kock raced beautifully between the wickets to retain momentum throughout their record-breaking second wicket partnership of 163.
Rossouw smashed seven fours and eight sixes, and De Kock hammered seven fours and three sixes off 38 balls to score 63. The keeper/use batter’s of the reverse sweep and flick against the Bangladeshi spinners was a notable aspect of his innings.
Rossouw greeted his century with an appropriately exuberant celebration, pounding the emblem on his breast as he lapped up the acclaim from the predominantly Bangladeshi crowd.
Rossouw stated in a television interview, “It’s amazing to score a hundred in a winning cause.” “I am pleased with my performance and pleased that it contributed to the victory.”
He attributes his performance since returning to the national team to “playing with a clear head and being friendly and free.”
As he approached the landmark, he did slow down, and whether it was the ball being softer or Bangladesh bowling better, it did result in a lackluster finish to the South African innings. They scored only 30 runs in the final five overs, but that did not diminish Rossouw’s amazing performance.
Anrich Nortje, bowling at 150km/h and taking two wickets in the power play, dashed any dreams the Bangladeshis may have had with a breathtaking early burst.
Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, who replaced Lungi Ngidi, exploited the situation by claiming 4/44 in eight overs. Nortje reappeared at the end and finished with 4/10 off 3.3 overs to seal the Proteas’ overwhelming victory.
Brief summaries:
South Africa 205 and five