I enjoy high-pressure moments: Phehlukwayo

CENTURION: South Africa all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo has said that he “enjoys” pressure moments ahead of their final Twenty20 match against Pakistan on Wednesday (today).

Phehlukwayo reflected on his nerveless final over at the Wanderers that sealed the T20 series for South Africa. Pakistan needed 15 from the final six deliveries with Shoaib Malik at the crease, Phehlukwayo gave away just seven runs and picked up two wickets. It was a high-pressure moment, but Phehlukwayo insisted: “I do really enjoy them.”

“I always land up in those situations,” he said. “Sometimes it won’t go your way and you’ll be criticised, sometimes it will. It’s really nice when it does go your way, but when it doesn’t you need to pick your head up and go through your training and remember the things that worked well.”

Being ice cool at the death is a skill that Phehlukwayo has demonstrated before in domestic cricket, so he also has experience to draw from.Indeed, it was his match-winning performances with the ball for Dolphins in South Africa’s domestic T20 competition that first brought Phehlukwayo into the spotlight.“David [Miller], before the last over, told me I was going to bowl the last over,” Phehlukwayo said of the Wanderers T20I.

“It’s a situation that I’ve been in in the field before for the Dolphins, so I tried to think of options and we were debating and talking about different fields we could have, different variations, plans to bowl to a certain batter.”

“At the Dolphins I was put into those positions quite a lot with Lance [Klusener, former Dolphins coach] there, so you learn to take responsibility, ownership. And if you’re put in the situation, you want to achieve. Every player wants to win big moments. It won’t always go your way, but the more often you’re in those situations, the more you’ll get it right.”

While Phehlukwayo sealed the game — and the series — for South Africa, there have been match-turning performances from several players.“Every individual that has come into the squad has put in a performance,” Phehlukwayo said.“The depth in the system is obviously showing,” he added.