Zim Afro T10: Important to put your opposition under pressure, says Van der Dussen

Harare, Sep 23 (IANS) NY Lagos Strikers have created waves with two consecutive wins to kickstart their Zim Afro T10 tournament campaign. With their able display against Bulawayo Brave Jaguars and Jo’Burg Bangla Tigers, the NYS Lagos showed great character and enthusiasm.

Rassie van der Dussen delivered an outstanding performance, scoring a solid half-century against the Bulawayo Brave Jaguars and following up with a crucial unbeaten 81 against the Joburg Bangla Tigers. His contributions were pivotal in securing victories for the NY Lagos Strikers, further establishing him as a key player in the tournament.

Van der Dussen spoke on his performances of scoring his consecutive half-centuries, saying, “I believe our friends bowled pretty well so it was a competitive start. But as soon as I got through the swinging balls, I was able to gain quite a bit of momentum.

Most importantly, season 2’s first half-century was scored by Van der Dussen, who struck an incredible 51 against Bulawayo Brave Jaguars. An excellent partnership was also formed with Avishka Fernando, who contributed to a 79-run stand in more than six overs which turned the tide of the match in favour of the Strikers against Bulawayo Brave Jaguars.

Following that, the NYS Lagos took on the role of entertaining the crowd as Rassie van der Dussen notched his second consecutive fifty of the tournament against Joburg Bangla Tigers. The South African opener started strong, scoring quickly from the outset. He finished with an impressive 81 runs off just 32 balls, featuring eight sixes and four boundaries.

Talking about approaching innings in the Zim Afro T10 format, NY Lagos Strikers’ batter said, “I think it’s pretty similar like any other T10 format, it’s ten overs so we look to get off to a good start and then once you find that rhythm, it becomes important to put your opposition under pressure. We have a nice opening pairing so Avishka and myself had a pretty good start again and from then on, we knew we could keep the pressure on the Bulawayo Brave Jaguars.”

Leaving a message for the fans, Van der Dussen said, “It’s fun to play the T10 format, so if we are winning, it’s fun to watch as well, so we like to thank our fans who support us and keep watching us.”

Also adding on back-to-back wins, Strikers’ member Thisara Perera added, “Actually, I know when we’re winning two games, it’s a good feeling, you know. As a team, we did really well, we also had good practice sessions. So we are on the right track, so we need to continue our good performance in the future also.”

–IANS

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