Klaasen credits umpires for not stopping play

The first round of drizzle came when South Africa started the chase and the Duckworth/Lewis threat kept skipper J.P. Duminy on his toes.

Published : Feb 22, 2018 17:50 IST

Chasing 189 for victory, Klaasen fast-tracked the Proteas hunt with a breezy 30-ball 69.

South Africa ‘keeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen — the hero of the second T20 at Centurion — believes the umpires also deserve credit for not stopping play despite mild showers on Wednesday.

Chasing 189 for victory, Klaasen fast-tracked the Proteas hunt with a breezy 30-ball 69; an innings that comprised seven sixes and three fours. But the weather remained a constant threat.

Read: Duminy takes fear out of my game, says Klaasen

The first round of drizzle came when South Africa started the chase and the Duckworth/Lewis threat kept skipper J.P. Duminy on his toes.

But umpires Bongani Jele and Allahudien Paleker didn’t let the weather affect the game.

“Credit must go to the umpires for keeping us on the field. There were some stages where it actually drizzled quite hard,” Klaasen said.

“In the first five overs, we actually tried to keep up with the Duckworth/Lewis. Luckily in the sixth over the rain stopped,” he added.

Also read: Klaasen, Duminy power South Africa to series-levelling win

But Klaasen felt the constant warning helped in the overall run chase. “The way we batted tonight is a good way to chase the total ... to keep up with Duckworth/Lewis is very important. That gave us small targets,” he said.

South Africa beat India by six wickets and levelled the three-match series 1-1.