Neil McKenzie advises South African batsmen to adapt well
Jun 7, 2016 at 3:51 PM
South Africa’s batting consultant for the ongoing tri-series in the Caribbean, Neil McKenzie has advised his batsmen to adapt better to the conditions. South Africa endured an embarrassing loss to the hosts at Guyana in the tri-series opener as the batsmen failed to get going. On an extremely slow and low pitch, Sunil Narine strangled the Proteas batsmen, who seemed to be in absolutely no shape to negate Narine’s venom.
McKenzie addressed the media after South Africa’s loss and clearly mentioned that the Proteas must apply themselves better with the bat. The former South African opener also added that technique was quite an important aspect on such challenging wickets.
“It comes down to having a thick skin when you are batting. It might mean soaking up a few balls but trusting you technique and your game plan to get you out and get you to a decent strike rate,” McKenzie said. “We will be looking to try and rotate the strike a little bit more, hit with the spin, utilise the space and run hard because boundaries aren’t that easy to come by.”
McKenzie further added that rotating strike was as important as going for the big hits since it allowed the batsmen to get used to the conditions in a better manner. “It’s easier to set a platform and really hit at the death, going for your big shots later on rather than upfront,” McKenzie said. “The skilled shots over cover or midwicket are not that easy on a deck where it is really slow and there is some purchase. You’ve got to try and find your ones; make sure you can get to the other side. You’ve got to take calculated risks at certain times but it all comes down to rotating your strike.”