Faf thrilled with series win, character shown

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Cricket365
August 5, 2013

South Africa T20 captain Faf du Plessis praised the character and determination shown by his side to win their first limited-overs series in Sri Lanka, after they won the second match in Hambantota on Sunday.

The Proteas hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20 International series, and are aiming to finish off the challenging tour on a positive on Tuesday.

"We were down and out after we were outplayed in the ODI's," a delighted Du Plessis said. "To come back like this shows huge character and heart, I'm proud of the way the guys have performed in this series so far.

"The biggest improvement for me since the ODI's has been the clear plans and execution from the bowlers," Du Plessis added. "Our death bowling in the last two games has been brilliant and we have been effective upfront as well; I'm pleased with the contributions from the bowlers at the moment."

Du Plessis said the dead-rubber on Tuesday would be an opportunity to try new combinations, particularly looking ahead to the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.

"There is an option to try out some new combinations in the next match, especially considering that we are eight games away from the Word Cup," Du Plessis explained. "We know what the current combinations are capable of, so the series win has given us some space to try out one or two tweaks.

"The main objective will be to try and give the players who haven't had any game time an opportunity. We know what we are getting from certain individuals and the experience of playing in these tough conditions will be invaluable going forward for every player in our squad."

The Proteas held a training session in Hambantota on Monday afternoon, an encouraging indication of the players' desire to improve on their performances despite the series win.

"There is always room for improvement," Du Plessis said. "We know that we aren't firing at our potential, we can definitely lift our performances in all three departments going into this last match."