McLaren proud of Player of the Series award

South African all-rounder Ryan McLaren appreciated the positive influence of former head coach Gary Kirsten and current bowling coach Allan Donald, after clinching the Player of the Series accolade in Sharjah on Monday.

South African all-rounder Ryan McLaren appreciated the positive influence of former head coach Gary Kirsten and current bowling coach Allan Donald, after clinching the Player of the Series accolade in Sharjah on Monday.

McLaren took the award on the back of 105 runs in five innings at the decent average of 35.00 and nine wickets at 19.88 each, as the Proteas capped a four-one series triumph over Paksitan with a 117-run win the fifth and final ODI.

"It has been a good run for me personally in the last couple of months. I was given good backing by the management and am happy with the opportunities I have got, but there is a lot of teamwork that goes behind it," said McLaren.

"There are two guys who helped me. Gary has been a massive influence on my career and Allan, on the bowling side, has really made a big difference. It's great having an award like this but I think there's a lot of work that needs to be done."

Fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel were rested for the series finale, with replacements Vernon Philander and Wayne Parnell – and McLaren – subsequently combining superbly.

"It was a real learning curve for us. I learned a couple of lessons here and tried to be adaptable. We are working towards the World Cup, so this is all part of the process, so keep trying to learn from each series," added McLaren.

"It's great to have the depth we have in the bowling front. To work around guys like Steyn and Morkel, who have been stalwarts is a pleasure. We can only go from strength to strength from here."

The sides will meet for a two-match Twenty20 International later this week – and will then travel to South Africa for five more limited-overs fixtures.

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