[ad_1]
- Rocks captain Pieter Malan bemoaned how T20 cricket doesn’t value proper batters because of their strike rates.
- Malan’s strike rate of 118.70 in last season’s Cricket South Africa T20 Challenge was miles slower than Tristan Stubbs’ 183.12, but Malan was a tournament winner.
- Malan is also looking forward to how the promotion/relegation battle will pan out this season.
Rocks captain and former Proteas Test opener Pieter Malan echoed his dismay at how the game of cricket no longer values his type of batting.
The 33-year-old from Mbombela, who is the elder brother of Proteas limited-overs opener Janneman, has a strike rate of 116.78 to match his 1 635 runs from 52 matches.
Last season, Malan top-scored with a 56-ball 71 in the Cricket South Africa T20 Challenge Final against the Titans.
The innings, which was more than half of the Boland team’s final total of 138, was sufficient for them to clinch the title.
Malan finished the tournament as the highest run-maker with 368 runs at 46. It included five 50s at a strike rate of 118.70, but it was Tristan Stubbs who left the biggest impression with his 293 runs being scored at 183.12.
READ | Dewald ‘Baby AB’ Brevis smacks 57 as Titans crush Dolphins in CSA T20 opener
Malan grudgingly accepted that the way of the T20 world doesn’t value solidity, but said he’ll try to get cracking a bit more at the top of the order.
“Apparently it’s not about runs anymore, it’s about strike rates,” Malan told News24 Sport at Cricket South Africa’s season launch in Potchefstroom on Monday.
“It seems that’s what the cricketing world is all about at this moment, so I think I’ll be paying a little bit more attention to that.
“It is disappointing that cricket is moving away from context, doing what it takes to win matches and just looking at statistics.
“It is a dangerous trend that I have seen in England because people just play for their stats and not the team.
“The cricket market is valuing strike rates, so that’s what I need to pay attention to.”
However, Malan’s runs at T20 level left him with a sense of satisfaction and the hope that the Rocks, who were underwhelming in 50-Over and Four-Day Cricket, will be better in those departments.
WRAP | CSA T20 Challenge: Brevis stars with the bat as Titans down Dolphins
They’ve also got a new coach in former Proteas batter JP Duminy, who had internships at the Lions as a batting coach and a strategic batting consultant with the Proteas last year.
“Last season was pretty rewarding in that we finished up with a trophy, which is why you play cricket,” Malan said.
“We play to win matches and trophies, but we’ve got a lot of cricket that we need to play. I think we have a stronger squad this year.
“I’m excited to see what the boys are going to do this year.”
The 2022/23 season also comes with the promotion/relegation battle that’ll see the lowest-ranked division one team make way for the best second division side.
The Knights, who only have four points, are in the gravest danger, with the Dragons and the Dolphins above them on 10 each.
Due to their T20 Challenge win that earned them 15 points, the Rocks are on 19 and one competition will most probably guarantee their safety.
Malan, who played for Lord’s-based County Middlesex, was in the thick of the promotion/relegation things as his county was promoted to the first division by virtue of finishing second behind Nottinghamshire.
ALSO READ | Bavuma being ‘eased’ back as Proteas find their World Cup groove Down Under
Malan, who was capped three times by South Africa in the 2019/20 home series against England, said it’s going to be interesting how the promotion/relegation system plays out.
“I want to drive my team to a point where if we’re not winning trophies, we need to be competitive in all the tournaments we play in,” Malan said.
“The Titans are a good example of that because they won one trophy, but took part in two other finals.
“I had a little taste of what it felt like in the United Kingdom, but it’s something that’s new in South Africa and I’m not sure everyone is ready for it.
“It’s going to be really interesting to see how it plays out.”
[ad_2]
Source link