South Africa finished top of the round-robin table with six points, followed by Zimbabwe in second place with four points, while Namibia ended bottom of the standings with two points.
Proteas players during a T20 International tri-series match earlier this week. Picture: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images
Despite going into the match as firm favourites, top-order batter Connor Esterhuizen insists the Proteas are not getting ahead of themselves as they gear up to face Zimbabwe in the T20 International tri-series final in Windhoek on Sunday (2pm start).
The SA team bounced back from a defeat to Namibia earlier in the series by earning an 11-run win over the hosts in their last round-robin match on Friday to finish top of the table.
Lhuan-dré Pretorius, who made 101 runs off 53 deliveries for his maiden T20 International ton, and Esterhuizen (88 off 40) shared a 156-run opening stand, laying a solid foundation for the Proteas, and the squad’s bowlers managed to hold off a fighting Namibia side in their chase.
“I just think we did our basics very well,” Esterhuizen said after the game.
“We got a good start with the bat, which does help, and once momentum is rolling with you in T20 cricket it kind of keeps going with you, which helps.
“Coach Shuks (Shukri Conrad) asked us before the game to take the emotion out of it and just look at our skill sets and try execute those, and I think we did that today.”
Looking ahead to series final
Having beaten Zimbabwe relatively comfortably in both their round-robin games, the Proteas were expected to triumph again over their lower-ranked neighbours in the T20 tri-series final.
However, Zimbabwe defeated Namibia in both their games against the hosts, and they were likely to be hungry for another win against the higher-ranked Proteas on Sunday.
Having taken a second-string squad on tour, with some first-choice stars being rested, Esterhuizen admitted the SA team needed to hit their straps to avoid an upset.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge. There’s a trophy on the line, so it’s a great opportunity to win a trophy,” he said.
“We know how good that Zimbabwe outfit is, so we’re going to have to be on top of our game in order to come out on top.”
