Proteas find rhythm

The SA cricket team couldn’t have asked for a better start to their tour of New Zealand than their 78-run win over the Black Caps in the T20 international in Auckland yesterday. The batsmen, with the exception of Quinton de Kock, all delivered. The bowlers – and in particular Chris Morris and Imran Tahir – were worldclass, and the fielding was top notch. You always want to start a tour with a bang, and despite missing out on their only warm-up match this week due to the weather, the Proteas have done exactly that.

The victory will give the Proteas huge confidence ahead of the five-match one-day international series that starts in Hamilton tomorrow. Not that the national cricketers needed a confidence boost after enjoying a rich vein of form over the last seven months. The only blotch on the scorecard for the Proteas since August last year was a T20 series defeat to Sri Lanka on home soil. Since then they have won six out of eight Tests, including a third straight away Test series triumph over Australia, and 11 one-day internationals in a row – a streak that includes two 5-0 series whitewashes.

New Zealand may be fresh off a series victory over neighbours Australia, but South Africa are ranked No 1 in the world in limited-overs cricket for good reason and have certainly found their rhythm.

Keep it going Faf du Plessis and company.