Razzmatazz from Reeza puts a smile on Proteas' faces

A host of factors contributed to Reeza Hendricks’ uncharacteristically animated celebration on reaching a century on Friday night, that helped to seal the Proteas’ first bilateral series win since Rob Walter took over as limited overs coach. 

Hendricks may deny it, and his cool, quietly spoken manner helps to hide it, but he’s been feeling the heat as criticism has grown about his value to the Proteas. Friday’s 117 was a stunning riposte and on reaching the milestone, Hendricks swung his bat in celebration, thrust his arms out, shared a hug with his partner in a 157-run stand, Rassie van der Dussen, and then bowed towards the South African dugout.

“It was emotional, to have my mom and dad and my son in the crowd ... with them being here, everything happening, it’s the moment where all my emotions came out,” said Hendricks.

“To reach a milestone, three figures in a T20 game, is something I’ve dreamt about, but to actually achieve it is another thing.”

Even before Friday, Hendricks had been South Africa's leading run scorer in T20 Internationals this year but his impact when it was needed most was limited. At the World Cup his highest score was 43 and he averaged just 14.12, well below what’s required from a top-order batter.     

Coupled with low scores in the few ODIs South Africa have played this year, it became easy to target the 35-year-old for all of the Proteas’ problems in the limited overs formats in 2024. Hendricks was omitted from the ODI squad for the series with Pakistan that starts on Tuesday, but said it played no part in the way he celebrated at SuperSport Park.

“I just want to make the most of the opportunities that I will have. It's nice to contribute, it wasn’t a sign of relief, it’s a proud moment. I’m trying to approach every game and series with a lot of pride and confidence, you don’t know when it could be the last. My mindset is to enjoy it as much as I possibly can,” said Hendricks. 

Even amid the din that accompanies every T20 match, the most notable noise was the sound of Hendricks’ bat meeting the ball. He wasn’t using a new bat, he explained. “I had some repair work done because it’s been through a lot and I decided today is the day. I found the middle of it, I’m quite happy with the way it went.”

So were his teammates and certainly Walter. While he was never in any danger of losing his job, the pressure on Walter’s shoulders was growing, as the Proteas lurched from one defeat to another. Helping the side to qualify for the final of the T20 World Cup earlier this year — the first time a men’s Proteas team had reached that stage in an ICC tournament — was quickly forgotten, as they lost an ODI series to Afghanistan, lost a T20 International against Ireland and then got pumped on home soil in a T20 series by India. 

Walter’s explanation that new players needed to be given opportunities didn’t sit well with the public, while the bowling unit continued to struggle. Friday’s group was completely different from the one that conceded South Africa's highest T20 total — 283 — against India last month, but the same problems occurred. 

Having bowled 40 wides against India over the course of that series, at SuperSport Park, they dished up 15, with Ottneil Baartman, drawing howls of derision when he bowled four in a row in the 18th over. After the India series, Walter explained that the bowlers were struggling to deal with pressure. Well the same problems persists. 

The other issue against India, was the lack of impact from senior players — especially the batters. 

“We had discussions as a team and as a senior group. We felt we wanted to have some big performances in this series. Fortunately we’ve managed that in the first two games,” said Hendricks, who is the second-most capped player in the current squad behind David Miller. 

That South Africa have wrapped up the series with a match to spare, thanks to their contributions, underscores just how important experience is. 

The final match of the series will be played at the Wanderers on Saturday evening from 6pm.