All-rounder Wayne Parnell has defended the Proteas top order batsmen after their poor showing in the first T20 international against India, saying they are ready to put the humiliating defeat behind them.
The two nations face off again in the second T20 of three at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday.
The Proteas were handed a heavy eight-wicket beating in the series’ first game that took place in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.
India dismantled and restricted the South Africans to 106 for eight after losing five wickets for nine runs in the first three overs.
Themba Bavuma, Rilee Rossouw, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs all fell for a duck, while Quinton De Kock was back in the hut for one run off four balls following sensational bowling from Deepak Chahar (2/24) and Arshdeep Singh (3/32).
However, Parnell put up a modest and hard-fought 24 with the bat, while Aiden Markram (25) and Keshav Maharaj (41) also added valuable runs to the scorecard, but inevitably, was not enough.
“The first T20 didn’t exactly go according to plan, but now we’re at a new venue. We’ve had some time to think about what went wrong on that first game and will definitely be trying to put those things right come tomorrow night,” the 33-year-old said.
“I think it’s just one of those things. They bowled really well, and it was just one of those games. Every now and again, you get games like that, but our batters have been world-class over the last couple of years, so it’s not something for us to panic about.
“Obviously, we have had some reflections about that game, and now it’s about putting those right.”
Parnell was asked about whether the Proteas should approach the early overs differently in the second T20 as the Indian seamers used conditions to their advantage, especially with the new ball.
“I think it’s a bit of a catch twenty-two,” he responded. “Certainly experience tells you that the new ball in India does swing, so that first one of two overs you have to have a look.
“For every single batter that is different, they have their own game plans and again, we have to give credit to the Indian seamers, they bowled really well in the first T20, so it’s just about trying to find ways to counter that come the second game.”
The second T20 starts at 15:30 on Sunday.
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