Van der Dussen to take T20 form into ODI series

Rassie van der Dussen wants to take his Mzansi Super League (MSL) form into the upcoming Momentum one-day international (ODI) series against Pakistan starting at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

The Jozi Stars batsman was the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 469 runs at a strike-rate of 138.75.

His performance in the inaugural tournament and in his maiden T20 International series against Zimbabwe - he scored a half-century on debut - built a strong case for his selection in the Standard Bank Proteas ODI squad.

The 29-year-old started his T20 journey with the bizhub Highveld Lions at South Africa’s oldest cricket stadium in 2013 and hopes to start a new chapter with the Proteas come Saturday.

“I am hoping to make my debut,” he said at St George’s Park on Thursday.

“I haven’t played an international game for South Africa, but I have played two T20s. If that day does come, I hope I can contribute towards a winning cause, that is the most important thing. I also want to feed off the experienced guys, for me it’s a massive honour and privilege to be here. If I can learn and improve a bit that will be the main goal.

“This field is one of the best in the country,” he said in praise. “The outfield and the wicket always have a nice pace to them. It is a ground that has good memories for me, I made my T20 debut here a few years ago. I am quite excited.”

The Proteas gathered in Port Elizabeth on Thursday fresh off a 3-0 clean-sweep in the test series against the visitors, and are aiming to take the winning confidence into the five-match series.

Van der Dussen says both teams will be starting the series with a clean slate.

“The test team has done brilliantly,” he said proudly.

“To win 3-0 at home against a formidable Pakistan side is great. We are hoping to take that momentum into the one-day competition. We have one or two new faces including myself, we are trying to feed off that momentum from the test players.

“It’s important to go back to square one,” he said of the transition between formats.

“The Pakistan team will also see it as a new opportunity for them to start afresh and make an impact on the series. It’s the same for us, it’s a new format and two new teams. Momentum counts for something but from our side we know we will have to be at our best to beat a strong side.”

The match is scheduled to start at 1pm CAT (SA, GMT+2). Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketpros.co.za.