Asianet NewsableAsianet Newsable

ICC T20 World Cup 2022: It will come down to how well Indian batters handle SA pacers, believes Klusener

It will be a clash between India's batting firepower and South African pace attack when the two teams meet in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday, said former Proteas all-rounder Lance Klusener.

ICC T20 World Cup 2022: It will come down to how well Indian batters handle SA pacers, believes Klusener snt
Author
First Published Oct 28, 2022, 6:58 PM IST

When India and South Africa square off in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 on Sunday, it will be a battle between the Men in Blue's potent batting lineup and the Proteas pace attack, according to legendary all-rounder Lance Klusener.

India is in first place in Group 2 after finishing with two victories in as many games, followed by South Africa, which has three points after two games, including a loss to Zimbabwe.

CLICK HERE to follow all the latest scores, news and updates from the ICC T20 World Cup 2022

"We might see another pacer in Perth. I was really impressed with the way (Tabraiz) Shamsi bowled the other night. He is a wicket-taker. It is about to change the balance of the team a bit with Dwaine (Pretorius) being injured...the game there for me will be how well the Indian batsmen can handle the pace of South Africa," said former Proteas all-rounder Klusener during a virtual interaction which also involved Ritesh Patel, Owner of Morrisville Samp Army.

Rain has played spoilsport in Australia, with both the super 12 games washed out on Friday without a ball being bowled.

Klusener, who is currently the head coach of Morrisville Samp Army in Abu Dhabi T10 League, said: "The unfortunate thing for me at the World Cup has been the rain, that's been pretty much unseasonal, so little disappointed to be honest, it has been two rained out games. But that's the case for everybody." 

ICC T20 World Cup 2022: It will come down to how well Indian batters handle SA pacers, believes Klusener snt

Ireland and Zimbabwe have sprung surprises in the T20 showpiece, notching up shocking wins over West Indies and Pakistan, and Klusener said the series of upsets would continue.

"It has been a World Cup of upsets as well. We've seen smaller teams beat some really fancy teams and I don't think we have finished with upsets either," said Klusener. 

Also read: ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Ex-Pak cricketers 'embarrassed' after Zimbabwe cause upset; Indians have last laugh

Asked if the growing shorter format leagues such as T10 are destroying the players' technique, Klusener said such leagues, on the contrary, have helped improve their games.

"I think pretty much all the players that are playing in the leagues are coming from a system. All the international players are coming from Test cricket, they're coming from good first-class setup. That top quality players are not necessarily coming to the leagues to learn skills. They need to deliver a certain skill set, yes, but some players come to leagues and do really well and, have made it into their national teams because of performance in the leagues," he concluded.

Image Credit: Getty Images

(With inputs from PTI)

Follow Us:
Download App:
  • android
  • ios