Muthusamy says Proteas have to be flexible to thrive in T20 format

While winning remains the primary focus of the Proteas, broadening their range of skills is as important for the players, says Senuran Muthusamy.

The 31-year-old made his T20 International debut last Wednesday against New Zealand and bowled well, taking 1/19 in four overs, but was less productive with the bat, making seven off nine balls. 

Muthusamy was moved up the order to No. 4, with the Proteas hoping that as a left-hander he would be able to take advantage of a short boundary on one side of the Harare Sports Club ground.

It was also to keep a left/right batting combination going in the hopes of upsetting the lines of the Kiwi bowlers. 

“It’s the way modern cricket is going. In a batting order, it's more overs or situation based and everybody in the top eight has to be adaptable,” said Muthusamy, who normally bats in the lower order. 

“A series like this is really good to gauge a few options, for us to really grow as well.” 

The Proteas have followed a similar philosophy since 2023 when Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter were appointed coaches.

The bilateral series were used for experimentation — with personnel, combinations and even strategies.

Walter had a poor record in bilateral series’ and despite reasonable success at the three ICC tournaments when he was in charge, still faced criticism.

He eventually resigned, taking up the post as the Black Caps’ head coach, leaving Conrad to add the white ball formats to the Test job. 

What Conrad seems to want from the players is a similar mindset to that which he’s instilled with great success in the Test side. For the player to be themselves, but to play aggressively. 

Someone like Dewald Brevis seems to be thriving. He followed an excellent half-century in his Test debut with two action-packed knocks in the opening two matches of the triangular series in Zimbabwe, helping South Africa to win the first one and almost putting them in a position to win the second. 

Muthusamy is aware that he needs to throw himself into the furnace regarding how the Proteas want to play. “It's for us to be adaptable,” he said.

With Conrad wanting as much batting depth as he can in the limited overs side, Muthusamy knows what part of his game needs to be improved.

“My power hitting, hitting against spin, death hitting and generally being more flexible to do what the team needs of me.”

His batting record in the T20 format is reasonable — a strike rate of 112.47 and five half-centuries. He’s better known for his bowling, with consistent contributions across formats earning him eight international caps, including five Tests. 

Muthusamy has been a keen listener throughout his career, starting with long chats with Keshav Maharaj when the duo were together at KwaZulu-Natal.

At the Pretoria Capitals he tapped into the expertise of England World Cup winner Adil Rashid, when the leg-spinner spent a season in the SA20.

“To pick his brain, what his thought processes are, and the way he dissects what he is trying to do in different conditions was very interesting,” said Muthusamy.

With the T20 World Cup being hosted in India and Sri Lanka next February, the composition of the spinning line-up will form an intriguing subplot in South Africa's build-up.

Nqaba Peter, George Linde and Muthusamy are getting a first crack at impressing Conrad in what will be a busy six months leading up to that tournament with T20 series’ in Australia, England, Pakistan and India on the calendar. 

However after the loss against New Zealand, Muthusamy said that the Proteas' focus is very much on the short-term. “We don’t look too far ahead, the most important game is Sunday’s against Zimbabwe.”