Centurion [South Africa], December 14 (ANI): “Pleased” after getting his first three-digit figures in the T20I format, South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks disclosed the approach he adopted that allowed him to thrive in Centurion in the second T20I against Pakistan.
For the first time in his tenth year of being an international cricketer, Hendricks was in euphoria the moment he raised his bat to celebrate his maiden T20I ton.
He smoked the ball past the boundary line over deep square leg and embraced his colleague Rassie van der Dussen as “Reeza” echoed throughout the Centurion.
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan looked out of his depth while trying to shuffle his bowlers, which was up to no avail.
His 117-run blitzkrieg from 63 deliveries lifted South Africa to its first T20I series win since August 2022 after the hosts raced to an unassailable 2-0 series lead following a 7-wicket win.
“Quite pleased to get three figures. It’s been a while since I reached that milestone, nice to contribute. It’s been a while since we won a series, so that’s obviously a very special night,” Reeza said in the post-match presentation after being named the Player of the Match.
Reeza took his time before he went all guns blazing against a star-studded bowling line-up. Before showcasing an array of effortless strokes, Reeza took five deliveries before beginning his run-tally with a sublime drive.
The 35-year-old’s tactic to pile up runs on the board was evident when he targeted the leg side region to drive the scoreboard, the shortest side in Centurion.
“First over, five dots and got away, and so the moment I got that away, things started to click. I’m happy that I found the middle and things worked out in the end. One of those nights, the shots I played came off. Obviously, it was a tactic to target the short boundary (on the leg side),” he added.
His 157-run partnership with Rassie van der Dussen for the third wicket shifted the tides in favour of the Proteas. The chemistry between the duo was on point, with their past experiences of playing together coming into play.
“Playing with Rassie back at the Lions, so we kind of know each other. The team needed a massive partnership at that time, and it’s always nice to bat with Rassie; he played an unbelievable knock himself,” he added.
With the fate of the series settled, South Africa and Pakistan will square off in the final T20I of the three-match series on Saturday. (ANI)
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