Promoted to No 3 Dwaine Pretorius blasted a maiden T20I half-century to power the Proteas to 198-2 at the Wanderers. KHALID MOHIDIN reports.
Despite being sent in to bat first by Lasith Malinga it seemed to be the incorrect decision by the visiting skipper as the Reeza Hendricks and Pretorius battered the visitors.
It wasn’t a wicketless operation that the hosts might have hoped for, but they still managed to dominate a hapless Sri Lankan bowling attack.
Aiden Markram failed to take advantage of his opportunity at the top of the order. After hitting Suranga Lakmal for a beautiful six over long leg, he aimed to go after the speedster again but was cheaply caught at midwicket.
Hendricks once again did what Markram couldn’t and reached a consecutive half-century. He hit 66 off 52 balls (eight fours, two sixes) before his attacking approach was his demise – bowled by Jeffrey Vandersa after an attempted slog-sweep.
Pretorius came in at No 3 and took his opportunity to show that he has batting chops. He also strengthened the perception that he is the logical choice as the batting all-rounder for the Proteas World Cup squad.
After the fall of Hendricks, Duminy (34 off 14 balls) came in and once again showed his power-hitting capabilities in the final overs. The Proteas’ stand-in skipper’s innings was highlighted by two monstrous sixes – one over mid-wicket and one over the long-on boundary, showing his immaculate technique and timing.
Pretorius was the start of the innings for the home side and finished with 76 off 42 balls (seven fours, three sixes).
The pair scored 71 off the last five overs in an incredible partnership that pushed the Proteas fell just short of 200.
Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
