South Africa captain Aiden Markram highlighted how Quinton de Kock has been a difference-maker behind the stumps, reading the conditions and sharing his insights with the team.
Ahead of the high-octane semi-final against New Zealand, Markram lauded his side for remaining unbeaten in the tournament and underlined the value of de Kock as a wicketkeeper.
“We have got a lot of good experience in the group. Quinny reads conditions really well from behind the stumps and that makes a massive difference for us. He shares that around the group and the guys come up with plans from there, and ultimately you need to execute them,” Markram said on the eve of the match.
Markram also revealed how the Proteas approach the game by keeping things relatively simple.
“We don’t try to complicate it too much. We just try to get a real feel for the conditions as quickly as we can and we back those plans for the innings,” he said.
Although New Zealand have never defeated South Africa in the history of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Markram is not underestimating the Kiwis.
“New Zealand are a quality team. They’ve proved that over many years now, and we had a good run-out against them in the group stages, but both teams have played a lot of cricket since then and it’s a completely fresh start tomorrow,” Markram said.
Earlier in the tournament, when South Africa and New Zealand went head to head, the Proteas emerged victorious at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Now they face each other for a place in the final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, a venue where South Africa have never played a T20I.
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