Proteas spinner George Linde has asked the cricketing public to be patient with the team as they continue building towards a new brand of playing.
Linde led a clinical performance by the South Africans on Monday as they thumped Pakistan by six wickets in the second T20I in Johannesburg.
Linde walked away with the man-of-the-match award after starring with both ball and bat, and says the Proteas are confident they can become a dominant force in world cricket again.
READ: Linde, Williams, Markram help Proteas to series-levelling win
‘There are a lot of new guys and we just need time and experience, and then I promise you we will scare some teams,’ Linde explained after the game.
‘We always get abuse, no matter what we do, but I would just ask people to be patient, we’ve got this,’ Linde said after the emphatic victory.
‘Today [Monday] the bowlers really stood up and a lot of guys showed real character. I’m just very happy for everyone, but especially Sisanda Magala, who really showed his character. Myself and a lot of other players believe he is the best death bowler in the country, so we weren’t worried after his first over. We know he’s got the skills.’
After losing the first encounter this past weekend, the inexperienced team struck back with an impressive performance. The Proteas are without regular captain Temba Bavuma for the duration of the series due to injury, while Rassie van der Dussen is also being monitored throughout the week.
Not to mention the five IPL players, who have been unavailable for selection since last week’s final ODI against Pakistan.
‘This is the gameplan heading towards the World Cup, it’s what we’ve all bought into,’ Linde added. ‘If we play that type of cricket then we can reach another level, and we know exactly how we want to go about things.’