Rassie van der Dussen hits out during his innings of 73 not out off 45 balls for the Lions against the Titans on Wednesday. Photo: BackpagePix
Quiz question: Who are the only two batters in the world to score more than 1 000 T20 runs in 2024?
Virat Kohli? Travis Head? Yashasvi Jaiswal?
All the above answers are incorrect. In fact, it’s none of the batters currently blazing away in the Indian Premier League, with former Pakistan captain Babar Azam (1 084) and South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen (1 017) leading the pack.
Coincidentally, they are followed by fellow Lions batters Ryan Rickelton (953) and Reeza Hendricks (909).
There are many that may be surprised that Van der Dussen is in such exalted company, but the stylish right-hander has taken his T20 game to the next level this year.
Van der Dussen has always been a consistent performer, but he has now added an explosive element to his batting style.
It’s been a conscious decision from the 35-year-old to elevate his game, and the results have been outstanding since the beginning of the year.
During the SA20, Van der Dussen formed a formidable opening partnership with Rickelton at MI Cape Town, as the pair blasted bowling attacks to all parts.
Van der Dussen finished the competition with 328 runs, at an average of 32.80 and a strike rate of 147.74.
Upon the conclusion of the SA20, Van der Dussen packed his bags for the Pakistan Super League, where he showed his versatility in being able to adapt successfully to batting in different positions and conditions.
Playing for the Lahore Qalandars, Van der Dussen’s harvest in the PSL yielded 364 runs at an average of 72.80 and a strike rate of 154.89.
Tellingly, he struck magnificent centuries in both the SA20 and PSL.
Van der Dussen has maintained the momentum in the Cricket SA T20 Challenge, where despite playing in a star-studded Lions squad where players and batting positions have been rotated regularly, he has still managed to put together another 328 runs at an average of 40.62 and a strike rate of 138.88.
Furthermore, his 73 not out off 45 balls (SR 162.22) in the eight-wicket victory over the Titans in the first semi-final at the Wanderers on Wednesday came at a crunch time for the Lions.
🦁 Back-to-back unbeaten 5️⃣0️⃣s for RVD in the clutch. ⚡️#CSAT20Challenge final next. #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt#LionsCricket #ThePrideOfJozi pic.twitter.com/pDp9OSFbcg
— DP World Lions (@LionsCricketSA) April 25, 2024
But will all these staggering numbers be enough to convince Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter to recall Van der Dussen to the national squad for the looming ICC T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and US?
“Hey … I don’t know. But I have certainly given it my best shot,” Van der Dussen exclusively told Independent Newspapers yesterday.
“Rob and I had an open and honest chat after last year’s 50-over World Cup in India. I was forthright in telling him that my only priority has always ever been to play for South Africa, and I wasn’t happy sitting on the sidelines of the T20 team, knowing what I was capable of.
“The feedback from Rob was that he wanted me to have a bigger impact on the game. I said that my current (T20I) strike rate of 130 was due to a particular role that I was required to play under the previous management.
“I know that I am capable of batting at 150 to 160, so from the beginning of the year, I have woken up every day with that thought process on my mind.
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 💪
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) April 24, 2024
The DP World Lions beat the Momentum Multiply Titans by 8 wickets on the DLS method to punch their ticket to the #CSAT20Challenge final 🏏#WozaNawe | #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/UK06YlQLyO
“I said to myself that I have three to four months of playing just T20 cricket, and my sole focus was to put up the numbers. I have done that now, with over 1 000 runs at a strike rate in excess of 150.
“I feel like I have given myself a chance to be part of the conversation at least, but it’s not up to me – so, we’ll see how it goes.”
Sunday’s showpiece final at the Wanderers could not only decide the fate of the CSA T20 Challenge, but could also be a three-way shootout between Van der Dussen and Lions teammates Rickelton and Hendricks for a ticket to the Caribbean.