Dial dons green and gold in India

The St John’s College matric pupil was a member of the u-19 team that took part in a quadrangular ODI series, in India.

South Africa took on the hosts in the final of the tournament, which also included Zimbabwe and Australia.

The team lost by 201 runs, to the highly-rated Indian team.

Speaking of the tournament, Dial said: “It went really well and we played some good cricket.

“We were a little inconsistent, but that’s the nature of the game, especially since we hadn’t played together as a team.

“It was, however, a very successful tournament from a development point of view for our team.”

The all-rounder added that his best memory from the tournament was when the South African team defeated India in the second ODI, by 10 runs.

“It was no surprise that they were the favourites to win the tournament, and they were definitely the best side there,” he said.

“That victory has given us a good idea of what we need to do to beat the best.”

Dial’s best performance came against Australia, in a match where he scored 48 and achieved bowling figures of 3/32.

The former St Dustan’s College Preparatory School pupil said the playing conditions on the subcontinent are completely different to South Africa.

He also took note of the playing style of the Indian batsmen.

“They play with a lot more freedom and don’t hold back in their shots,” he said.

“Anything that is bowled remotely off line or length will get put away for four, whereas South African batsmen tend to be a lot more conservative.

“The Indian batsmen look to dominate the bowlers, especially the spinners.”

As an off-spinner himself, Dial said that he learnt that he needs to vary his pace a lot more and that the margin for error at this level of cricket is extremely small.

“Anything that is bowled short or wide will get put away, so you have to try to be a step ahead of the batsmen,” he explained.

He added that the tournament has given the team a good idea of what they need to do in preparation for the u-19 Cricket World Cup, that will take place in Dubai, next year.

His plans going forward include playing in the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola U-19 Week, in December, for Gauteng, and the Cubs Week, in Stellenbosch, in January.

“I am hoping to score as many runs as possible and to earn selection for the provisional u-19 squad for the World Cup,” he said.

Dial is also aiming to spend as much time at the crease for his club team, the Soweto Cricket Club, and to score a lot of runs at club level.

His tips for youngsters who want to progress in the game, including hitting and bowling as many balls as possible, is to play as much as they can.

“The more cricket the better,” he said.