KG backs De Kock to for Proteas

THROUGHOUT the history of the World Twenty20, no team have become champions without losing a match. This is good news and bad news for Temba Bavuma’s Proteas as they prepare to take on the West Indies at the Dubai International Stadium today.

It means that stumbling over the first hurdle is not unique to the Proteas, but it is also a fact that a further defeat today could result in elimination with the tournament proper hardly five days old.

Any wiggle room that might have existed was vanquished by Australia holding their nerve in the opener on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

It is imperative that they learn quickly from their woeful batting effort at the Sheikh Zayd Stadium for they do possess one of the more lethal bowling attacks.

However, to prevail in tournaments such as these, everything needs to work in unison for the margin of error is so minute.

It is at these global jamborees where the big players rise to the occasion – as witnessed in the adrenalin charged India-pakistan clash when Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan laid down a statement of intent.

So, as has been the case for the past couple of years since the retirement of AB de Villiers and the closeting of Faf du Plessis, the reliance will be on Quinton de Kock to provide the impetus up-front and hopefully the remainder of the batting unit will follow his lead.

The Windies will certainly be alert to the danger De Kock poses for he was the singular difference when the two sides met a couple of

months ago in the Caribbean. Both in the Test series and, particularly, the T20IS, De Kock manhandled the West Indies bowlers.

He struck 255 runs at an average of 51 and strike-rate of 141.66, which created enough breathing space for the bowlers despite a couple of middle-order meltdowns.

It is this type of form that the Proteas will hope he can rediscover, particularly after his bizarre dismissal against Australia when the ball looped off the shoulder of the bat to trickle on to the stumps.

“Quinton is a massive player for us. He’s done extremely well for South Africa ever since he started,”

Kagiso Rabada told reporters yesterday.

“He is a top-quality player, and I guess he just didn’t come off. Now we just need to look at it and come into the next game. He’s a worldclass player, and he needs just to go in and do his thing. The batters know what they have to do.”

The West Indies, defending champions but equally in danger of losing their crown after their own batting meltdown against England, will no doubt want to prove that Saturday, when they were bowled out for 55, was a mere aberration.

Rabada certainly believes the Windies T20 legends can bounce back considering the experience and talent they possess in their line-up.

“West Indies are going to be looking to come back really strong. We can’t underestimate them. You can never underestimate the West Indies. They’re a dangerous team. You can’t underestimate anyone. Tomorrow is a new day,” he said.

“They’re incredibly a strong, powerful team, T20 team especially. That game is behind. The game that they played against England, that’s behind. Tomorrow is a completely new day.”

Zaahier Adams is at the World Cup as a guest of Emirates Airlines