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Robin Uthappa believes that Afghanistan's pace attack could trouble South Africa's top-order batters in the 2024 T20 World Cup semifinals. He suggested that Quinton de Kock tends to rely on the pick-up pull against tall fast bowlers.
The former cricketer opined that South Africa could be in deep trouble if they fail to get off to an impressive start with the bat. Highlighting how crucial Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi's opening spell will be in the knockout clash, here's what Uthappa said on Ravichandran Ashwin's YouTube channel:
"Why South Africa have to really watch out is because Quinton de Kock likes pace on. For tall bowlers and for fast bowlers, his pick-up pull is on play and his off-side game is completely gone. With Naveen and Farooqui, both being skiddy and short. If you don't get that early start and Reeza Hendricks plays, then the game is solely dependent on Heinrich Klaasen. And Afghanistan are creating that choke nicely."
Uthappa emphasized that while Afghanistan's batting has left a lot to desire lately, they are capable of coming up with an improved performance, adding:
"And another thing is, Afghanistan haven't batted well in two games on the trot. But whenever they have failed, the next game, they have put in a solid batting performance."
Afghanistan clinched a thrilling eight-run win (DLS method) over Bangladesh on Tuesday, June 25, to book a spot in the 2024 T20 World Cup semifinals.
"He is a very underrated bowler" - Robin Uthappa expects Keshav Maharaj to shine in 2024 T20 World Cup semifinals
Robin Uthappa reserved high praise for South Africa's senior left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj. He pointed out that the bowler has been very consistent with his performances in the showpiece event.
The cricketer-turned-commentator suggested that Maharaj will get a lot of traction at the Brian Lara Stadium pitch. Expecting the crafty spinner to play a major role in the crucial encounter, Uthappa said:
"According to me, he is a very underrated bowler. He flies under the radar. But he bowls gun every match. If you watch all the matches, you will see that he has bowled exceptionally well. Again, very seldom goes at least in this World Cup has gone for over 28-30 runs in his four overs. He has always picked up one or two wickets.
"So, for me, I think he will play especially after hearing everything about Tarouba, how the wicket is, how it goes down, how it gets kicks up. So, I feel like his experience and he trusts his skills so much. You have to bowl with that confidence. So, for me, I like him as a bowler. I think he will play a very crucial role in this game." he added
The first semifinals of the 2024 T20 World Cup featuring South Africa and Afghanistan will be played on Thursday, June 27 (6:00 AM IST).
