Proteas' teen record-holder Kwena Maphaka ready for the fight Down Under

THERE were two moments in the opening T20I in Darwin that opened the door to the heart that burns within Kwena Maphaka.

The fact that the 19-year-old could bowl fast is well-documented. He has shown that skill countless times, and once again when he uprooted Mitchell Owen’s off-stump with his fourth ball on Australian soil.

But this was a different contest altogether when the teenager opted to head straight into a bare-knuckle contest with the 1.96m Australian slugger Tim David. 

“There was a bouncer earlier in the over that was wide, and so the second ball was a little bit shorter. It was around chest height, and he went to the umpire and he was asking about it,” Maphaka said of the incident.

 “I just told him to let the umpires deal with umpiring the game and he must focus on batting.”

The second was after David pulled Maphaka over square-leg for one of his eight sixes on the night, the teenager still had the temerity to sarcastically applaud the shot. 

It exemplified senior fast bowler Kagiso Rabada’s pre-series comments that the Proteas’ new young brigade have “no fear”.

“I think I've always been pretty confident,” Maphaka said. “I have a lot of belief in my skill and I back my skill quite a bit. I think I've always been quite a confident guy and I've always been a real competitor.

“I never like losing. I always want to come out on top of the fight. I think it's been something that's been instilled in me since I was really young.”

Unfortunately for Maphaka and the Proteas, it was Australia that despite taking a few body blows, stood up for the count and emerged victorious by 17 runs. 

The visitors will have a chance to redeem themselves on Tuesday (11:35am SA time) when the second match of the three-match series begins at the same venue.

Maphaka feels that it is the small margins the Proteas need to improve on against a fired-up Australia if they are to keep their hopes alive in the series.

“Obviously, when a team is coming out all guns blazing, there's a few more opportunities to take wickets,” he said.

“It's just about being smart and understanding what you have to do when you're faced in those situations. It depends on the wickets and the batters that you're playing against.

“Sometimes you go to a yorker, a bumper, or a slower ball. It's all about reading the game and understanding what you need to do at that moment and keeping your plans as simple as possible.

“We obviously fell short in the (previous) game, but there were still a lot of positives, and it's just about understanding the game a little bit better.

“Reading into the one percenters, what Australia did that we didn't do as well, and what we can work forward to, and I think it's going to be a really good game tomorrow (Tuesday).”