“They are creating that choke nicely” – Robin Uthappa feels Afghanistan’s fast bowling will hold the key against South Africa

Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa believes the pace bowling duo of Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi will hold the key against South Africa in the first semifinal of the ongoing T20 World Cup. While Farooqi is the leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets in seven matches, Naveen-ul-Haq has bagged 13 wickets in as many games. 

On the other hand, Uthappa noted that South African opener Quinton de Kock likes pace and bounce with the new ball, which Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq don’t provide as they are skiddy and short. The South African opener has been in fine form as he has scored 199 runs in seven games at an average of 28.43 and an impressive strike rate of 148.51 in the ongoing T20I showpiece.

Robin Uthappa said on Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube Channel, “Why South Africa have to really watch out is because Quinton de Kock likes pace on. For tall bowlers and for fast bowlers, his pick-up pull is on play and his off-side game is completely gone. With Naveen and Farooqui, both being skiddy and short. If you don’t get that early start and Reeza Hendricks plays, then the game is solely dependent on Heinrich Klaasen. And Afghanistan are creating that choke nicely.”

Meanwhile, Afghanistan didn’t bat well against Bangladesh as they could only post 115 runs but Uthappa backed them to come up with an improved show against the Proteas.

“And another thing is, Afghanistan haven’t batted well in two games on the trot. But whenever they have failed, the next game, they have put in a solid batting performance.”

On the other hand, Uthappa reckons South African spinner Keshav Maharaj is an underrated bowler. Maharaj has scalped nine wickets in six matches at an average of 16.22 and an impressive economy rate of 6.08.

“According to me, he is a very underrated bowler. He flies under the radar. But he bowls gun every match. If you watch all the matches, you will see that he has bowled exceptionally well. Again, very seldom goes at least in this World Cup has gone for over 28-30 runs in his four overs. He has always picked up one or two wickets.

“So, for me, I think he will play especially after hearing everything about Tarouba, how the wicket is, how it goes down, how it gets kicks up. So, I feel like his experience and he trusts his skills so much. You have to bowl with that confidence. So, for me, I like him as a bowler. I think he will play a very crucial role in this game.” he added

Afghanistan will face South Africa in the first semifinal at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad on Wednesday.