At the back of a disappointing One Day International (ODI) series against Afghanistan in the United Arab Emirates last week, the Proteas will hope to rise from the ashes and bring back the fire when they take to the crease against Ireland in the second T20 match this evening.
The first T20 match between South Africa and Ireland took place at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Although the Proteas went out with an under-strength squad, it goes without saying that the T20 against the Irish will be all about redemption after falling in a historic 2-1 ODI series defeat to Afghanistan.
Since the T20 World Cup in June this year, where the Proteas fell short in the final against India, white-ball coach Rob Walter has been giving young and inexperienced players opportunities to build their confidence at an international level.
Ahead of the Ireland T20 double-header, skipper Aiden Markram said they would not allow the widespread criticism to get to them.
“People are always going to have an opinion from the outside, but what matters to us as a squad most importantly is understanding where we are currently and making sure we fast-track our learning through experiences like this, so we can ultimately become a better team and a squad with better depth, and then we can win games for South Africa,” Markram said.
“The games against Ireland are a big and exciting challenge for us. As a team, we want to get back to winning ways. I don’t think any sportsman likes to lose.
“So, we’re not here to accept defeat. I’m not the greatest loser, and neither are the boys in the dressing room.
“We’re definitely here with the mindset to win, of course, but also to keep that slightly bigger picture in mind.”
Markram, Temba Bavuma, Lungi Ngidi and Reeza Hendricks are some of the experienced players who have been part of the team to help the young players.
After their T20 match today, South Africa will turn their focus on the upcoming three ODI games against the same Ireland team this coming week.
