Hamilton mein ghati ek aur dil todne waali haar. Jab South Africa ko New Zealand ke khilaaf doosre T20I mein shikast mili, toh dressing room mein mayusi ka mahaul chha gaya. Proteas ke batting coach, Ashwell Prince, ne apni team ki batting performance par gehri chinta zaahir ki hai, khaaskar partnerships ki kami ko lekar. Unka kehna hai ki T20 cricket mein run-scoring ke teen tareeke hote hain, aur unki team ne unmein se sirf ek hi 'tick' kiya.
The Inner Story / Asli Maajra
Ashwell Prince, jo khud ek zabardast batter rahe hain, ne post-match press conference mein bilkul saaf shabdon mein apni baat rakhi. Unhone samjhaya ki T20 mein aapke paas teen mauke hote hain runs banane ke liye: ya toh aap match-winning innings khelein, ya kisi ke saath match-winning partnership banayein, ya phir end mein ek achha cameo dein. Lekin, South Africa ke liye, unhone kaha, "Today the only box we ticked was George Linde, who played a really nice cameo towards the end, but we didn't get any partnerships going and we didn't get anyone going on and making a big score."
Sach kahun toh, Linde ka woh 12-ball 33 runs ka dhamaka dekh kar thodi umeed jaagi thi, jismein teen chhauke aur teen chhakke shamil the. Par kya karein, yeh contribution tab aaya jab match haath se nikal chuka tha. South Africa 176 runs ka peecha kar rahi thi aur jab Linde crease par aaye, tab tak score 11th over mein 67/5 ho chuka tha. Unki team ke paas opening stand se zyada koi partnership bani hi nahi aur Linde ke alawa koi batter 19 run se aage nahi badh paya. Yeh sirf partnerships ki kami nahi, yeh batting unit ki ek collective failure thi, jiska bojh Prince ke chehre par saaf jhalak raha tha.
Wahi dusri taraf, New Zealand ne Prince ke bataye gaye saare ingredients ko perfect tareeke se mix kiya. Devon Conway ki 60 runs ki innings match ki highlight thi. Unhone sirf score hi nahi banaya, balki woh pitch par tik kar run bhi banaye. New Zealand ke paas do partnerships 35 se zyada ki thi, aur Cole McConchie (12 ball par 18) aur Josh Clarkson (9 ball par 26) ke cameos ne unka score 170 ke paar pahuncha diya. Conway ki innings ek Masterclass thi, khaaskar aisi pitch par jahan ball 'stick' kar rahi thi, jaisa ki McConchie ne bhi bataya.
South Africa ki team mein is samay unke first-choice batters nahi hain, aur upar se chot ne unki musibatein aur badha di hain. Jordan Hermann, jo Conner Esterhuizen ke saath open karne wale the, pehle match mein hi hamstring injury ke chalte bahar ho gaye. Prince ne Hermann ke liye mayusi jatayi, unhe ek bright young player bataya, aur kaha ki future mein unhe dobara dekhenge. Team mein koi reserve batter bhi nahi hai, isliye Wiaan Mulder ko injured Eathan Bosch ki jagah promoted kiya gaya hai. Ab series 1-1 se barabar hai aur teesra game Friday ko hai, jahan South Africa ko apni ranneeti mein bade badlav karne honge agar woh series jeetne ki umeed rakhte hain.
Analysis & Numbers
- George Linde ka explosive cameo: 12 balls mein 33 runs, jismein 3 fours aur 3 sixes shamil the. Lekin yeh too little, too late saabit hua.
- South Africa ke liye koi partnership opening stand (19 runs) se zyada ki nahi bani, jo unki haar ki mool wajah bani.
- Devon Conway ki innings: 60 runs, jo New Zealand ki jeet ki neev thi. Unhone tough pitch par bhi runs banaye.
- New Zealand ke paas do partnerships 35 runs ya usse zyada ki thi, jo middle overs mein momentum banaye rakhne ke liye crucial thi.
- Kiwi cameos: Cole McConchie (18 off 12) aur Josh Clarkson (26 off 9) ne end overs mein score ko boost kiya, jisne 170 ke paar ka total diya.
- South Africa ke main batters ki absence aur Jordan Hermann ki injury ne team ko aur kamzor kar diya hai.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
South Africa ki team is samay adhoori lag rahi hai. Ashwell Prince ka kehna bilkul sahi hai: T20 cricket sirf individual brilliance ka game nahi hai, yeh partnerships aur collective effort ka bhi hai. Jab aapke paas experience ki kami ho, tab partnerships aur bhi zaroori ho jaati hain. Unki team ko New Zealand se seekhna chahiye ki kaise har batter contribute karta hai aur chote-chote contributions bhi match-winning ban sakte hain. Injuries ek bahana ho sakti hain, lekin fundamental batting ki galti maaf nahi ki ja sakti. Teesre T20I mein agar Proteas ko jeetna hai, toh unhe 'partnership' naam ke mantra ko yaad karna hoga, varna unki 'safari' jaldi khatam ho jayegi!
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