Proteas coach Rob Walter believes his struggling top order will find their mojo in the Caribbean this weekend.
Despite becoming the first team to qualify for the Super 8s of the T20 World Cup in the US and the West Indies, South Africa’s top-order batsmen have failed dismally in the tournament to date.
In fact in the three Group C wins so far – against Sri Lanka, Netherlands and Bangladesh – opener Quinton de Kock have scored just 38 runs at an average of 12.66 per innings, with a highest score of 20.
Still, he is the highest runs-scorer of the top three.
His opening partner Reeza Hendricks has totalled just seven runs in three innings at an average of 2.33, while No.3 Aiden Markram has 16 runs at 5.33 per innings and Tristan Stubbs 46 with a high score of 33 and an average of 15.33.
Those stats make for horrible reading.
But there is a silver lining and that this that the Proteas have played all of their matches at the infamous Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, which has become known as a bit of a spookhuis vir batsmen.
After travelling to Kingston, Jamaica to face Nepal on Saturday, Walter says he won’t tinker with his side in his final group match – despite it being a bit of a spek en boontjies game.
He reasons: “We will not make too many changes, unless conditions tell us. It was a tough outing for our top order in New York and we want the guys to hopefully play on a better surface…”
Of the confidence in his top order after their horror show, he adds: “We have to be realistic in terms of what we faced there. The batters could only do what they could do.
“This game is a strange one, it takes one shot and you feel in form [again], they are experienced and I’m sure their time [to shine] will come soon.”