Not bowling well in powerplay: du Plessis

Batting first, the Proteas posted 209/5 in 20 overs, which included crucial knocks from De Villiers (64 off 29), Quinton de Kock (45) and Faf du Plessis (41). In reply, despite opener Mohammad Shahzad’s blistering 19-ball 44 at the start, Afghanistan lost wickets at regular intervals and were bundled out for 172 in 20 overs. “We need to be better and improve our bowling. 

Our skill level is letting us down. It is a big challenge for the bowlers in the first six overs. Those are the areas we need to improve. 

Last match against England bowlers went for plenty in the first six this match also went for runs,” Du Plessis said at the post-match press conference. For South Africa, Chris Morris (4/27), Imran Tahir (2/24), Kyle Abbott (2/36) and Kagiso Rabada (2/37) were the pick of the bowlers. 

Praising Morris for his four-wicket haul, the skipper said: “It was not an easy wicket to bowl on. Today Morris showed good discipline and good intensity. There is a lot of learning for me to see how Chris bowled today. It is important for all the bowlers to get back the confidence. Great result for Morris.”