Faf wants same ODI loyalty
And the SA skipper knows what his opponents are capable of doing
AF du Plessis is looking for the same commitment the one-day squad showed when they meet Mohammad Hafeez’s side in a two-match Twenty20 series at Dubai International Stadium over the next three days.
The first game is scheduled for this evening and the South African Twenty20 outfit are basking in the glory of the oneday squad. But they realise that they could be stung by Pakistan, who have played this format much better than ODIs.
The last time the teams met was at SuperSport Park, where the Pakistan side beat the Proteas comfortably.
Du Plessis said: “What’s good is that we are going into this competition with some momentum and it’s always good going into something new knowing that you’ve beaten the opposition. We are really looking forward to the Twenty20 series.
“It will be a different team – it’s a shorter version – up against us and they could be dangerous. We lost to them at home in a one-off match at SuperSport Park so we know what they are capable of doing.”
Du Plessis said the twomatch series against Pakistan would give the management and selectors more insight into the players as the South Africans build up for the ICC
FPAKISTAN: Mohammad Hafeez (capt), Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Umar Amin, Shahid Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood, Abdul Razzaq, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Malik, Abdur Rehman. SOUTH AFRICA: Faf du Plessis (cap), Hashim Amla, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morné Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, David Wiese. Start: 6pm UAE time (4pm SA time). Twenty20 onship in year.
“It’s important for us to find the right balance and the right combinations which would work the best in those conditions,” he said.
“And with the World Championship scheduled to the subcontinent we are looking to play guys who can be part of the squad going forward.”
The South African captain is delighted to see the return of opener Hashim Amla to the shortest format of the game and is happy also with the return of Dale Steyn from injury.
Imran Tahir, who has weaved his magic here for the Proteas in both the Test Series and the one-day Internationals, is once again likely to be the goto man for Du Plessis when it comes to strangling the Pakistan batsmen.
“Imran returned to the T20 format in Sri Lanka and has not looked back.
“It all seems to have fallen into place for him. As captain I feel it’s great to have him in your armoury. He’s a wickettaker and you can bring him on at any stage of the game,” Du Plessis said.
Meanwhile, Hafeez who had a disappointing one-day series – he made some starts but did not kick on – said he had had a serious talk with the players and had asked for more commitment going into this series.
The entire Pakistan side seemed to lack that during the one-day series.