• Rassie ready to show improvement

    Proteas batsman Rassie van der Dussen is eager to show improvement on his past weaknesses as the team gear up for the upcoming limited-overs series against England.

    The Proteas face England in the first of three T20Is at Newlands on Friday and will be hoping to go one better against Eoin Morgan’s men after losing the T20I series against them earlier this year 2-1, while the ODI series between the two sides ended in a draw.

    Van der Dussen proved to be one of the key middle-order batsmen in those two series and he hopes he will be even more effective this time around.

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    ‘Getting 5% better is what my thinking is all about and I’ve worked really hard on making my weaknesses better,’ the 31-year-old told reporters on Tuesday.

    ‘[Coach] Mark Boucher has been brilliant in communicating where he feels I can be better. At the start of the innings I could have more intensity, I’ve sort of eased my way into my innings. I’ve tried to get to 20 balls and not worry about my score because I know I can catch up. But having 20 off 20 balls is better than having 10, plus against spin in the middle overs I’ve had one or two technical flaws which I’m working on.’

    Van der Dussen also reflected on the team’s bio-bubble scenario where they have been residing at the Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town, while doing training sessions at Newlands and Boland Park in Paarl.

    No player, from either team, is allowed to leave the bubble or interact with the public and is monitored on a daily basis to ensure they abide by the safety and health regulations.

    ‘The bio-bubble’s not too bad, I’m quite happy with my own conversation and it’s not a struggle to be on my own. I like to read and think about things a lot.

    ‘I can sit for an hour doing what seems like nothing, no problem. And being confined to a five-star hotel is an absolutely minute price to pay to be able to do what we love doing and represent our country,’ he added.

     

     

    Post by

    Andre Huisamen