South Africa's batting coach Ashwell Prince was at a loss to explain the team's collapse in the series-opening T20I against India. The visitors were bowled out for a meager total of 74, which stands as their lowest T20I score to date. Prince conceded that the South African batsmen simply failed to effectively counter the challenges posed by India's 'formidable' bowling attack, leading to the dramatic capitulation.
Ashwell Prince blames South Africa's poor batting for Cuttack capitulation
Chasing a target of 176 runs for victory, the South African innings concluded rapidly in just 12.3 overs, resulting in a substantial 101-run defeat.
"Obviously after a batting performance as such, that is one department that we will have to improve on quickly. I thought the Indian bowlers, quite a formidable bowling attack, asked a lot of good questions. Ultimately, as a batting unit, we're not able to answer the questions. Tonight we weren't up to the task," Prince said at the post-match media interaction.
The challenging nature of the pitch significantly contributed to the struggles of the South African batters. The wicket was described as two-paced, meaning the ball behaved inconsistently, and occasionally one delivery would unexpectedly rear up, creating difficulties. The Indian bowlers adeptly capitalized on these challenging conditions to dismiss the visiting team.
Indian bowlers asked a lot of good questions: South Africa's batting coach
However, Ashwell Prince was quick to dismiss the condition of the pitch as a valid excuse for the team's poor performance. Prince stated that the inconsistent bounce should not have been a major obstacle, as the South African players are accustomed to competing on similarly lively wickets back in their home country.
"I think any score that you keep to under 180 in T20 cricket is a chaseable score absolutely. There was a bit of bounce, it seemed like, but being South Africans, we should be accustomed to bounce. As I said, the . Ultimately, we weren't able to answer," he added.
Although South Africa's decision to bowl first after winning the toss appeared to have backfired given the result, batting coach Ashwell Prince maintained a different view. He argued that the team had, in fact, performed adequately in the field by managing to keep India's total in check, implying that the subsequent batting collapse, rather than the initial bowling performance, was the main issue.
"I thought the pitch was good. Not every pitch that you bat on is supposed to be a 220 pitch. They had to work hard for the first part of the innings. Then, obviously Hardik came in and played a brilliant knock to give them a competitive score. I don't think in any cricket match you can decide at the halfway stage if you have a winning score. But what you can do is put up a competitive score and obviously it turned out to be enough," Prince continued.
Prince all praise for Hardik Pandya
Prince then lavished praise on Hardik Pandya, who cracked a match-winning 28-ball 59 in India's 101-run victory.
"Hardik obviously played an outstanding innings. I think we have to give him a lot of credit. He has come back from an injury. He has come back looking sharp. He picked the right moments to attack with a spin on initially. There wasn't a lot of spin on offer so he got a couple of early sixes away," Prince further stated.
"Against the seamers towards the end, he put the pressure on to them. He struck the ball as cleanly as ever so a lot of credit has to go to him," he concluded.