South Africa send 'six' alarm before decider

BY KUNTAL CHAKRABORTY

19 sixes were hit in Centurion, 11 of those by South Africa. And going by the 45-minute long practice of the South African batters, the number could rise in Cape Town, in the series-deciding third T20I on Saturday.

On the eve of decider, JJ Smuts, Chris Morris and Farhan Behardien had only one thing going on their minds, ‘see the ball, hit the ball and hit it big’. However, there is a catch, you only get one chance – clear the ropes or pass it on to the next batsman waiting.

The unorthodox rules did not end there, the batsmen were not allowed to wear pads. Sources revealed to Wah Cricket, the idea behind not letting the batsmen wear pads was to let them swing harder, without obstacle.

The master-mind behind this ‘six or perish’ practice session was the Proteas head coach Ottis Gibson, who placed eight-ten boundary riders and asked his batsmen to clear them at one go.

The record of Cape Town, though, suggests exactly the opposite. High scores and big sixes are a rarity when it comes to T20 cricket. Not that there are any demons in the pitch, but it has to do with the size of the boundary – easily one of the biggest in the country. Out of 15 matches and 30 innings played here in T20 cricket, only 10 times a team scored more than 150 runs. 

What to expect from the pitch

The province is going through severe drought for the last few months and as a result the pitch didn't get the amount of water it generally gets in normal situation. This is almost the end of cricketing season in South Africa and as a result there will be wear and tear on it and spinners can become handy and useful. Otherwise a batting friendly pitch. 

Weather report

No chances of rain, meaning a full-over 20 over contest is on the cards.

Head-to-head

South Africa have played 8 T20Is at this venue and lost 5 of them, whereas, this will be India’s first T20I at Newlands.