Latest news with #Maphaka
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
AUS vs SA Live Score, 2nd T20I: South Africa eye to level the series vs Australia
14:04 (IST) Aug 12 Maphaka's performance came after a disappointing showing in Zimbabwe, where he managed just three wickets for 92 runs in 10.5 overs during the tri-nation series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand. The young bowler had a notable exchange with Tim David after the Australian batter attempted to complain to the umpire about a delivery aimed at his chest. "He went to the umpire and he was asking about it. I just told him to let the umpires deal with umpiring the game, and he must focus on batting," Maphaka said after the match. Despite Maphaka's impressive bowling, which included dismissing Mitchell Owen early in his spell, David went on to score 83 runs off 52 balls, featuring four boundaries and eight sixes, helping Australia reach 178 runs after being 71/5. "It feels really good, coming off a few bad performances in Zimbabwe and just building up, playing some more professional and competitive cricket in the past few months, it feels really good to put in a good performance for the team and make history while doing it," Maphaka said.
NDTV
12 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
"Always Want To Come Out On Top": SA Pacer Kwena Maphaka Ahead Of 2nd T20I vs Australia
Ahead of his side's second T20I against Australia, young South African pacer Kwena Maphaka spoke on bouncing back after a poor tri-nation series in Zimbabwe with a record-breaking four-fer at Darwin, saying that "he does not like losing and always wants to come out on top of a fight". The second T20I will be held in Cairns on Tuesday. In the first T20I, he became the youngest player from a Test-playing nation to take a T20I four-wicket haul, with figures of 4/20. He was also involved in a verbal exchange with Aussie batter Tim David, who had spliced a delivery aimed at his chest and had attempted to complain to the umpire for a no ball. "He went to the umpire and he was asking about it," Maphaka said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo after the match, which the Proteas lost by 17 runs while chasing 179. He also revealed that he was having none of his complaints, "I just told him to let the umpires deal with umpiring the game, and he must focus on batting," he added. David went on to smash a 52-ball 83, with four boundaries and eight sixes, pushing Aussies to a match-winning 178 after they were five down at 71 runs. While Kwena stood out for Proteas as a bowler, starting his spell by sending Mitchell Owen's stump out for a toss, he did not perform well in Zimbabwe during the tri-nation series against the hosts and New Zealand, taking just three wickets for 92 runs in 10.5 overs. But now, Maphaka has shown how he belongs to this level of cricket. "It feels really good, coming off a few bad performances in Zimbabwe and just building up, playing some more professional and competitive cricket in the past few months, it feels really good to put in a good performance for the team and make history while doing it," he said. During the tri-nation series, he opened the bowling and was also used as a first-change bowler. He was used extensively in the powerplay. But against Australia, with senior Kagiso Rabada back, Maphaka was used after fielding restrictions were lifted. Kwena termed it as a "tactical ploy" to get wickets in the middle overs, instead of being protected by the Proteas team as a young bowler. "It may have been a tactical ploy, but I think it's also just about giving me a little bit more freedom," he said. "I am a guy that likes to take wickets in the middle, and I think the team understands that. It was really just a tactical ploy in terms of getting wickets through the middle rather than protecting me as a player," he added. Australia went really hard irrespective of wickets falling, but were 88/6 at the halfway stage, with Maphaka and spinner Senuran Muthuswamy producing just 17 runs and taking two wickets after the powerplay in the next four overs. "When a team is coming out all guns blazing, there are a few more opportunities to take wickets, so it is about being smart and understanding what you have to do when you're faced with those situations," Maphaka said. "Sometimes you go to a yorker, a bumper or a slower ball. It is all about reading the game and understanding what you need to do at that moment and keeping your plans as simple as possible, really," he added. Before the Zimbabwe series, he had played five T20Is, two ODIs and a Test before turning 19. While his returns have not been at his best, he has no doubt that Proteas see him as a major future player, and he has learnt to handle that level of expectations, breaking out after a 'Player of the Tournament' U19 WC 2024, with 21 wickets. "The most important part is just really accepting the fact that you are going to have bad days, you are going to have good days, and it is just sticking to your game plan and sticking to whatever you do best. I am not going to be the best player in the world overnight, and I understand that. It is all about growing as a player day by day, and just keeping focused on the grind and what I have to do to make myself better on a daily basis," he said. "I have always been pretty confident and a real competitor," he said. "I never like losing. I always want to come out on top of the fight. It is something that has been instilled in me since I was really young," he concluded.
IOL News
15 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Proteas' teen record-holder Kwena Maphaka ready for the fight Down Under
Kwena Maphaka. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix THERE were two moments in the opening T20I in Darwin that opened the door to the heart that burns within Kwena Maphaka. The fact that the 19-year-old could bowl fast is well-documented. He has shown that skill countless times, and once again when he uprooted Mitchell Owen's off-stump with his fourth ball on Australian soil. But this was a different contest altogether when the teenager opted to head straight into a bare-knuckle contest with the 1.96m Australian slugger Tim David. 'There was a bouncer earlier in the over that was wide, and so the second ball was a little bit shorter. It was around chest height, and he went to the umpire and he was asking about it,' Maphaka said of the incident. 'I just told him to let the umpires deal with umpiring the game and he must focus on batting.' The second was after David pulled Maphaka over square-leg for one of his eight sixes on the night, the teenager still had the temerity to sarcastically applaud the shot. It exemplified senior fast bowler Kagiso Rabada's pre-series comments that the Proteas' new young brigade have 'no fear'. 'I think I've always been pretty confident,' Maphaka said. 'I have a lot of belief in my skill and I back my skill quite a bit. I think I've always been quite a confident guy and I've always been a real competitor. 'I never like losing. I always want to come out on top of the fight. I think it's been something that's been instilled in me since I was really young.' Unfortunately for Maphaka and the Proteas, it was Australia that despite taking a few body blows, stood up for the count and emerged victorious by 17 runs. The visitors will have a chance to redeem themselves on Tuesday (11:35am SA time) when the second match of the three-match series begins at the same venue.
The Citizen
15 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Kwena Maphaka ‘keeping things simple' on tour of Australia
Maphaka took a career best 4/20 in the opening match of the T20 series at the weekend. Starting to find his feet at senior international level, 19-year-old fast bowler Kwena Maphaka says he is focusing on keeping things simple and building self-confidence ahead of the second T20 International against Australia in Darwin on Tuesday (11.15am start). Playing his ninth T20 game for the Proteas, Maphaka took 4/20 in South Africa's 17-run defeat in the series opener on Sunday, becoming the youngest SA player to take four wickets in a match in the shortest format. A fiery character who brings additional energy to the Proteas side, Maphaka said he was relieved to be hitting his straps after the teenager struggled to find his best form on tour in Zimbabwe last month. 'It's really just about trying to keep the game as simple as possible and not trying to overcomplicate things or make it seem like it's a game of 20 000 deliveries, and just going to your best ball at the particular moment in time and backing your plans,' Maphaka said on Monday. 'I think belief is a massive part in performance and I think I might have been a little bit short of belief in Zim, so that's probably been one of the big takeaways for me from that series.' Proteas aim to hit back Trailing 1-0 in the three-match T20 campaign against Australia, Maphaka believed the Proteas could level the series on Tuesday if they could make a few small tweaks to their approach. Though they got off to a good start against an aggressive Australian side at the weekend, the South Africans relinquished control in the latter stages of the home team's innings. And while opening batter Ryan Rickelton contributed a useful 71 runs off 55 balls, the Proteas struggled to build partnerships in their chase, ultimately falling short of their target. 'I think there's a lot to look forward to. We obviously fell short in the game, but there were still a lot of positives,' Maphaka said. 'It's just about understanding the game a little bit better, reading into the one percenters and what Australia did that we didn't do as well, and what we can work forward towards. 'I think it's going to be a really good game tomorrow.'
IOL News
a day ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Kwena Maphaka just trying to keep it 'smart and simple' for the Proteas
Kwena Maphaka may just be 19 years old but is quickly showing signs that he has a cool head on his young shoulders. The Proteas paceman certainly needed it after Australia came out 'all guns blazing' in the Powerplay, powering to 71/4 after the first six overs in Sunday's first T20I in Darwin. Would the teenager blink first when thrown the ball in the seventh over? No, he would not, as he dismantled Mitch Owen's off-stump with his fourth delivery. On a night the Aussies, in particular the big-hitting Tim David, sent the ball searing into the stands for 13 maximums, Maphaka held his nerve to pick up a further three wickets to finish with a career-best 4/20. 'Obviously, when a team is coming out all guns blazing, there's a few more opportunities to take wickets,' Maphaka said on Monday. 'It's just about being smart and understanding what you have to do when you're faced in those situations. It depends on the wickets and the batters that you're playing against. 'Sometimes you go to a yorker, a bumper, a slower ball. It's all about reading the game and understanding what you need to do at that moment and keeping your plans as simple as possible.' In all of Maphaka's previous eight T20I's he had been utilised within the Powerplay when the restrictions of only two fielders outside the 30-yard circle are being enforced. The Proteas shifted their tactics in Darwin with captain Aiden Markram calling on the speedster when he had greater protection in the deep. Maphaka feels this allows him to employ a greater attacking strategy. 'It may have been a tactical ploy, but I think it's also just about giving me a little bit more freedom,' he said. 'I'm a guy that likes to take wickets in the middle and I think the team understands that. I think it was really just a tactical ploy in terms of getting wickets through the middle rather than protecting me as a player.' The Proteas don't have much time to dwell on Sunday's defeat with the second match starting on Tuesday at 11:15am (SA time) at the same venue. Maphaka feels the visitors only need to improve on the 'one percenters' in their bid to keep the three-match series alive. 'We obviously fell short in the game, but there were still a lot of positives, and it's just about understanding the game a little bit better,' he said. 'Reading into the one percenters, what Australia did that we didn't do as well, and what we can work forward to, and I think it's going to be a really good game tomorrow.'
