Rassie Van der Dussen opens up after unsuccessful series ahead of T20 World Cup

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South Africa's stand-in T20I captain, Rassie van der Dussen, has assessed his team's performance following a 3-0 series defeat against the West Indies in the Caribbean. 

"We were taught a lesson in how to play in Caribbean conditions," van der Dussen admitted after South Africa's second consecutive T20I series loss to the West Indies. 

Despite being the second-highest run-scorer in T20 cricket for 2024, van der Dussen is not part of South Africa's T20 World Cup squad. He stepped in for regular captain Aiden Markram but struggled to lead effectively.

Van der Dussen identified a cautious approach in South Africa's batting, particularly in the powerplay, as a critical issue. 

"From a batting front, we can maybe be just a bit braver," Rassie said. 

"We saw the way that the West Indies play, especially in the powerplay. They really take it on. When the ball's new, it's easier to score. It gets tough towards the back end when the ball gets soft," he added.

Exhaustion and poor adaptation to conditions were factors van der Dussen highlighted, but he was critical of his team's repeated errors.

"We just couldn't adapt early enough. We had a long week in terms of layovers in Miami and so forth. We saw that in the first match, but you can't keep making the same mistakes," he said.

The middle order, soon to be bolstered by Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, and Tristan Stubbs for the World Cup, also underperformed. Although these players have substantial experience, their recent form in the IPL 2024 was inconsistent, which could be a concern.

Bowling posed another significant problem, with West Indies "out-skilling" South Africa, according to van der Dussen. Anrich Nortje's wicketless and costly performances, coupled with Ottneil Baartman's fitness issues, added to the woes. The absence of key bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi further weakened the attack.

One might argue that newcomer Nqaba Peter, the legspinner, outperformed him. Although Peter is not part of the T20 World Cup squad, he is seen as a promising prospect for the future. When asked to identify some positives, van der Dussen immediately mentioned Peter.

"Youngster Nqaba Peter made his debut and looks like he's been playing for a few years already," he said. 

"And Bjorn Fortuin bowled well at stages. So there's some glimpses here and there, which we've got to look for. But I think overall we were just short of the mark by quite a long way this week," he concluded.