'We feed off each other very nicely' - Connor Esterhuizen shares experience of opening with Lhuan-dre Pretorius ahead of tri-series final

Esterhuizen-Pretorius Blowout Powers Proteas Into Triseries Final

South Africa's openers turned the screws early in the Windhoek T20I against Namibia on Saturday, with a monstrous 156-run stand setting up a comfortable win.

Esterhuizen (88 off 40, 4x4s, 8x6s) top-scored for the Proteas and Pretorius bagged his maiden T20I ton, and the pair raced to 70/0 in the powerplay before SA posted a respectable 228/4. Namibia's chase never really got going—they finished 217/3, falling short by 11 runs.

The chemistry behind the stand:

Esterhuizen says their dynamic works because they balance each other out:

> "When batting with Lhuandre, he's super laser-focused and always looking to get at the opposition. I sometimes can be a bit of a nervous wreck out there, so I'm looking for jokes or banter with a friend I'm batting with. We feed off each other very nicely."

Versatility is Esterhuizen's trademark:

Despite feeling most comfortable at the top, the AR has batted across the order—almost every position from 1 to 7 in his T20 career. He's happy to slot wherever the coach needs him.

What's next:

SA now turn attention to Sunday's triseries final against Zimbabwe (Sept 6), where Sikandar Raza's side await. The Proteas have the edge having beaten the Chevrons twice already—ZIM will need to bring their A-game to pull off the win.

Source: Crictracker