Proteas Opener Reeza Hendricks Sees Valuable Lessons in Series Loss to West Indies
Veteran South African batter Reeza Hendricks believes that the young and relatively inexperienced Proteas T20I squad will gain valuable insights from their recent series defeat in the West Indies.
The Proteas entered the series without several of their key players, including David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Kagiso Rabada, and Tabraiz Shamsi. Despite these absences, the team aimed to compete but suffered back-to-back losses, making the third match of the series, scheduled for Tuesday, a dead rubber.
Hendricks emphasized the importance of learning from these setbacks and using the experience to grow as a team.
“It’s great exposure for them in international cricket, with a few players getting opportunities,” Hendricks said. “Now they can see what international cricket is about, and some of them have put their hands up and contributed, so there are a lot of positives for those guys. From here, they can only go from strength to strength and take the learnings from this series going forward.”
Losing Their Way
After the second defeat at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy Stadium in Tarouba, Proteas skipper Aiden Markram praised the strong start provided by Hendricks and Ryan Rickelton but noted that the team struggled during the middle overs, which ultimately shifted the balance of the game.
“Somewhere in the middle overs [the balance shifted]. We did well in the powerplay, which is really nice to see compared to the other evening. [Williams] has been around for a while; proper competitor. It’s tough to put a finger on the learnings right now. One thing guaranteed with us is a never-say-die attitude,” Markram said.
What’s Next for the Proteas?
The Proteas will conclude their series in the Caribbean with the third T20I against the West Indies on Tuesday evening. After this, they will return home briefly before traveling to the UAE for a couple of white-ball series.
In Sharjah, the Proteas will face Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series from 18 to 22 September. Following that, they will take on Ireland in two T20Is and three ODIs, all scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi.
South Africa’s home summer will kick off with a World Test Championship series against Sri Lanka, starting on 27 November at Kingsmead in Durban.
