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SA20 PITCHES WILL PREPARE PROTEAS FOR T20 WORLD CUP - MILLER
The Proteas Men’s team were given an early warning at the Wanderers on Thursday evening of possible conditions at the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, but Paarl Royals skipper David Miller believes the venues around the country during Betway SA20 will provide significant preparation.
The Proteas were bundled out for just 95 in the third and final T20I against India at the 'Bullring' with left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav claiming career-best figures of 5/17 on a Wanderers pitch that provided him with great assistance.
Unlike at St George’s Park in the previous match where the ball came nicely on to the bat during the second innings under lights after a mid-innings rain delay, Yadav was able to hit a spot from the Corlett Drive End that ensured the ball kept significantly lower than usual.
It made chasing a target of 202 rather difficult for the Proteas.
“If it does keep low, like it did, then you do have to change your approach. It is difficult to hit boundaries when you need 10 runs an over and the pitch is up and down,” Miller said after the 106-run defeat.
“It’s definitely something to chat about. If there are going to be wickets like that at the World Cup, we are going to have to discuss ways of how we can improve.
Assessing conditions will be key to David Miller and the Proteas' success at the ICC T20 World Cup in 2024
“It is difficult but you have to try and play accordingly. It was keeping quite low and a few were going under the bat.”
The veteran left-hander believes though that South Africa’s players will have sufficient time to improve on similar surfaces during Betway SA20 Season 2 ahead of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and United States next year.
Miller captains the Paarl Royals at Boland Park, which has traditionally been a slow and low surface that offers the spinners a great deal of assistance.
Paarl Royals' home ground, Boland Park, is well-known for being a low and slow track favoured by spinners
The Royals, in particular, have used this to their advantage with their tactics revolving heavily around Bjorn Fortuin and Tabraiz Shamsi, who is of similar ilk to Yadav, at Boland Park.
Equally, Miller who hails from KwaZulu-Natal, feels that Kingsmead - home of Durban’s Super Giants - will also provide conditions similar to what the Proteas can expect in the Caribbean.
“It (Boland Park) is a big boundary there and it does get a bit slow. Durban can also be a bit of a spinning wicket,” Miller said.
“The guys also play all around the world and gain experience playing in the CPL and IPL and they definitely have encountered pitches that we are going to face.”
