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Cape Town - Proteas off-spinner, Johan Botha believes their squad will benefit from the pressure situation they find themselves in, ahead of the National Bank Twenty20 series-decider against New Zealand at Eden Park on Wednesday.
The two sides are square at 1-1, after Richard Levi’s heroics helped South Africa square the series in thrilling style on Sunday evening.
“We definitely want to win the series, we came here to win and that is why we play this game,” commented Botha. “It is nice to be at 1-1 here now, and I’m sure there will be a really good crowd and a lot of expectation about the game on Wednesday evening.
“It’s good to play in tight games like this, there is a series on the line, it’s almost like a quarter-final or semi-final situation. You know that it’s the big games that really matter and I’m sure that all of us are happy that its 1-1 now.”
Botha was instrumental in allowing the Proteas to restrict New Zealand to 173 runs in 20 overs, and returned figures of 1 for 22 in four overs, very economical for the T20 format. Botha opened the innings with Lonwabo Tsotsobe, and was used effectively by captain AB de Villiers throughout the innings.
“I think it’s not a bad way of doing it (rotation),” said Botha. “To bowl three of four overs straight in T20’s is tough these days so it’s nice to get one out of the way in the first six overs, a couple just after the Power-Play and maybe one at the end again.
“I think that worked out nicely, but you just have to go with your feel on the day and that is what we felt yesterday, we wanted to take some pace off upfront and probably take more pace out in the middle.”
The two sides are square at 1-1, after Richard Levi’s heroics helped South Africa square the series in thrilling style on Sunday evening.
“We definitely want to win the series, we came here to win and that is why we play this game,” commented Botha. “It is nice to be at 1-1 here now, and I’m sure there will be a really good crowd and a lot of expectation about the game on Wednesday evening.
“It’s good to play in tight games like this, there is a series on the line, it’s almost like a quarter-final or semi-final situation. You know that it’s the big games that really matter and I’m sure that all of us are happy that its 1-1 now.”
Botha was instrumental in allowing the Proteas to restrict New Zealand to 173 runs in 20 overs, and returned figures of 1 for 22 in four overs, very economical for the T20 format. Botha opened the innings with Lonwabo Tsotsobe, and was used effectively by captain AB de Villiers throughout the innings.
“I think it’s not a bad way of doing it (rotation),” said Botha. “To bowl three of four overs straight in T20’s is tough these days so it’s nice to get one out of the way in the first six overs, a couple just after the Power-Play and maybe one at the end again.
“I think that worked out nicely, but you just have to go with your feel on the day and that is what we felt yesterday, we wanted to take some pace off upfront and probably take more pace out in the middle.”
