Van der Dussen basks in the afterglow of 'close to perfect' debut

Rassie van der Dussen had a good Twenty20 International debut in East London. Batting at number four, he scored 56 off 44 balls, helping lift South Africa's score to a defendable 160 in the first of the three T20Is.

"It is pretty close to perfect," van der Dussen said of his debut. "To get 50 on debut and to top it off with the team winning, which is the most important thing, it is a dream come true and I couldn't be happier."

Van der Dussen recently led Vancouver Knights to their maiden Global T20 Canada League title and also played for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots franchise in the Caribbean Premier League.

"It has definitely helped my game," he said about participating in different T20 leagues around the world. "You come up against some of the best in the world in these international tournaments. Doing well there gave me the confidence to know that I can perform at that level. This is international cricket, it is a new stage with extra pressure but also with a lot of privilege. It gave me confidence to come out and play my game.

"As a player you always have to try to learn and adapt," van der Dussen explained. "You want to get better every day. I came up against Zimbabwe's bowlers for the first time so going into the next few games I will reassess and see where I went wrong and where I can do better. Hopefully I can emulate what I did here in the last two games."

The second T20I is at the Senwes Park in Potchefstroom, which is a former home venue for the 29-year-old. "Spin won't be as effective on the Highveld," he says. "We might have some high-scoring games if the wickets are like they usually are in Potch and Benoni. As a batter your scoring areas and tactics change a bit, especially against spin. I can see some big totals if we get good wickets."

In another development, Imran Tahir has been released from the squad so as to have a proper look at Tabraiz Shamsi, the left-arm wristspinner.