DAMBULLA, Thursday: Man of the Match Quinton de Kock said that he was relieved to finally score runs against spin after going through a lean time during the Test series against Sri Lanka which South Africa lost 2-0.
It was de Kock’s knock of 87 off 78 balls that paved the way for South Africa to successfully chase down Sri Lanka’s total of 244-8 and win by four wickets.
“Feeling more satisfied than I was after the Test matches. It was quite tough then. Coming out to white balls and a change of format and adding value to the team is always nice. It’s great to also be on the winning team in Sri Lanka,” said De Kock at the post-match conference.
“Coming from the Test series it was quite difficult to play spin especially when the wickets have been given the chance to deteriorate over the last couple of days. It’s always nice to come in with the white ball, and have spin that is a bit more true. We practiced hard during the Test series to deal with the spin, so it’s just nice for me and the team to finally play spin properly,” he said.
The key to South Africa’s success with the white ball is their fast bowlers getting the early breakthroughs and pushing Sri Lanka onto the back foot.
“In the one-day format it’s always nice taking wickets up front. I think that’s the goal for any bowling side. The more wickets you take up front the more you control the middle. That’s the plan,” said De Kock.
“It was a mission to go 2-0, and hopefully we’ll go to 3-0 and win the series in a great way, and then hopefully we’ll win the last two after that. That’s what we’re pushing for. The Test series was a tough one for us, so we’re trying to play our best cricket now in the one-day format.” – ST
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