Impact of South African Middle Order in the WT20 2016, India

Having a strong middle order is a pre requisite for any team that desires to do well in sub continent for they will have to negotiate the tricky middle overs when the slow bowlers are in operation and making the life hell with their variations on a helpful pitch. South Africa is blessed with two batsmen in their middle order who are as good a player of spin as any in the world currently. They will have to shoulder the bulk of the responsibility to steer the Protea team towards a big total.

Faf du Plessis

Francois 'Faf' du Plessis is the Protea captain and bats one down in a strong African top order. Strongly built, he is a very adept player while facing both spin and pace bowling though it is his spin playing prowess that will mean a lot to the Protea team in the ICC WT20 event. He uses his feet to unsettle the bowler and also plays powerful reverse sweeps and lap shots. But his biggest strength is that he loves hitting straight, thus avoiding the fielders while also not playing across the line which can give the spin bowlers a chance. He is also a very good fielder inside the circle and a remarkable catcher.

A complete player with no apparent weakness, he will provide the buffer between the South African openers and AB de Villiers who is most likely to come in at 4. He had a torrid test tour to India recently but duly returned to form in the ODI series notching up more than 300 runs with a century and 3 half centuries to help South Africa defeat India 3-2 .

Impact Rating - 8/10

AB de Villiers

The best batsmen playing currently, and definitely one of the greatest ever, he is the most complete player combining his atrocious cricketing skills with unflappable temperament, a laid back approach and an affable smile. The name 'AB' is enough to send shivers down the spine of the opposition bowlers and give sleepless nights to the opposition captains and coaches. There is virtually no visible weakness in his game, he can play shots to all nooks and corners of the ground, is silky against the spinners and quick against the pace bowlers. He keeps his game very simple, does not complicate and confuse his mind with various theories floating around batting techniques, and as a result, reaps handsome rewards.

Villiers will provide a nasty headache to every opposition in the ICC WT20 that South Africa will come up against. Adding to his supernatural batting skills is his ability to keep wickets while being a panther on the field.

Impact Rating - 9.5/10

The combination of Du Plessis and De Villiers will certainly have a huge impact on the Protea WT20 campaign and how they go in the series will reflect greatly on how the South African team does on the whole and how long their battle lasts.

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