Fatullah - An unbeaten 35-run sixth-wicket stand between Farhaan Behardien (36 off 31 balls) and Albie Morkel (27 off 12 balls) steered the Proteas to a five-wicket win over Bangladesh “A” in their ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match here on Tuesday.
FULL SCORECARD VIA ESPN CRICINFO
The Proteas chased the target of 117 runs with nine balls to spare, and started off their preparation for the tournament on positive footing.
It took an all-round effort with the ball to bowl the home team out for 116 after they won the toss and elected to bat first.
The return of Dale Steyn and Morné Morkel made an immediate difference, with the pair bowling with good pace and accuracy. Steyn was unable to finish his spell though, and left the field after 2.2 overs with a tight hamstring.
Lonwabo Tsotsobe found some form again, returning figures of 2/21 in his four overs. Imran Tahir, JP Duminy and Aaron Phangiso were also effective, as most of the bowlers were given a run.
In reply, the top-order failed to make an impact, however a 49-run fifth-wicket partnership between JP Duminy (25) and Behardien stabilised the innings before the Titans duo finished off in style scoring 35 runs in three overs.
Speaking after the match, Behardien said: "The team wanted to get game time so that was an important match. Faf said in the huddle before the start that we needed to play at match intensity so that we can walk away having tried a few things. We got over the line and that will give us a lot of confidence.
“It was tough out there,” he said of the conditions. “It wasn’t easy to come in but I feel that we are going to get a lot of spin options in this tournament so that was good for us.
“Once myself and JP started building a partnership it became easier to bat and we became more confident in our abilities and shot-making. Once the intensity was up we ran well between the wickets and put their fielders under pressure; that gave us a lot of momentum and allowed us to score freely.
“It was a good outing because the wicket was low, slow and turned a bit. To come away chasing is a small feather in our cap.”
The Proteas play Pakistan in another warm-up fixture on Wednesday at the same venue.
Steyn, meanwhile, immediately left the field to receive treatment from physiotherapist, Brandon Jackson.
Jackson will make a further assessment on the injury on Tuesday morning.
FULL SCORECARD VIA ESPN CRICINFO
The Proteas chased the target of 117 runs with nine balls to spare, and started off their preparation for the tournament on positive footing.
It took an all-round effort with the ball to bowl the home team out for 116 after they won the toss and elected to bat first.
The return of Dale Steyn and Morné Morkel made an immediate difference, with the pair bowling with good pace and accuracy. Steyn was unable to finish his spell though, and left the field after 2.2 overs with a tight hamstring.
Lonwabo Tsotsobe found some form again, returning figures of 2/21 in his four overs. Imran Tahir, JP Duminy and Aaron Phangiso were also effective, as most of the bowlers were given a run.
In reply, the top-order failed to make an impact, however a 49-run fifth-wicket partnership between JP Duminy (25) and Behardien stabilised the innings before the Titans duo finished off in style scoring 35 runs in three overs.
Speaking after the match, Behardien said: "The team wanted to get game time so that was an important match. Faf said in the huddle before the start that we needed to play at match intensity so that we can walk away having tried a few things. We got over the line and that will give us a lot of confidence.
“It was tough out there,” he said of the conditions. “It wasn’t easy to come in but I feel that we are going to get a lot of spin options in this tournament so that was good for us.
“Once myself and JP started building a partnership it became easier to bat and we became more confident in our abilities and shot-making. Once the intensity was up we ran well between the wickets and put their fielders under pressure; that gave us a lot of momentum and allowed us to score freely.
“It was a good outing because the wicket was low, slow and turned a bit. To come away chasing is a small feather in our cap.”
The Proteas play Pakistan in another warm-up fixture on Wednesday at the same venue.
Steyn, meanwhile, immediately left the field to receive treatment from physiotherapist, Brandon Jackson.
Jackson will make a further assessment on the injury on Tuesday morning.