Oxigen Proteas batsman, Rilee Rossouw, praised the excellent contribution from the spinners in the Proteas’ 52-run win against Bangladesh in Mirpur on Sunday. Aaron Phangiso (1/21) and JP Duminy (2/ 11) made use of conducive conditions to shift the match in South Africa’s favour, particularly during the crucial middle period when Bangladesh looked to be in control.
“Both sides bowled spin really well today,” Rossouw said to the media after the match. “Luckily for us we bowled in the second innings and I thought that favoured us a little bit more. We showed good skill and patience but all in all I thought both teams were good with spin.”
Rossouw’s (31 off 21 balls) unbeaten 58-run partnership with man-of-the-match, Faf du Plessis (79 off 61 balls), gave the Proteas a vital lift towards a “par” total on a low and slow deck. The left-hander slotted into his new role at number six with ease, despite challenging conditions and Bangladesh’s spin barrage.
“We looked at the statistics which showed that 150 is a par score for day games at this ground,” he said when asked if he thought 148 runs were enough. “We thought that we had a good chance of winning today, especially when the ball started turning in the second innings. We bowled well, stuck to our guns and ended up on top.”
The 25-year-old also gave credit to Du Plessis for his guidance and leadership during their partnership.
“Faf played an immaculate innings,” he said of the captain. “We lost two early wickets but he still took the game to them and played his natural attacking game. He led from the front, he never slowed down, he knuckled down and did the job for the team."
The 2nd T20 between the two countries takes place in Mirpur on Tuesday 7 July
