Hermann Stays Focused on Victory, Not Personal Achievements

One of their players forgetting their names would have thrown other captains' noses out of joint.  Not so much, Rassie van der Dussen.

Following his statement, "I knew coming in, the partnership that I and...," Rubin Hermann would have been exonerated.  I couldn't remember who I was batting with.  It's all a blur that I can't recall.  However, I was aware that the most crucial aspect of the game was the collaboration. 

After making his international debut in the opening game of the Zimbabwe-South Africa-New Zealand T20I Tri-series on Monday, Hermann was speaking to reporters at the Harare Sports Club.  South Africa defeated the host team thanks to his 37-ball 45, George Linde's 3/10, Dewald Brevis' 41 off 17, and Corbin Bosch's undefeated 23 off 15.  With five wickets remaining and 25 balls remaining, South Africa managed to hold Zimbabwe to 142/5.

Only 21 runs were scored during the stand-in, during which Hermann was unable to recall the identity of his partner, the captain Van der Dussen.  However, it began when Richard Ngarava dismissed openers Reeza Hendricks and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, bringing the South Africans down to 17/2 after 15 deliveries. 

"If we lost another wicket then, things could have gotten nasty," Hermann stated.  "The pressure needed to be absorbed."  The game needed to be rebuilt and set up for the second half.  The next step was to maintain the momentum.  Brevie took the game by storm after entering and playing a fantastic knock of his own.

Zimbabwean hopes of a huge shock were dashed as Hermann and Brevis decided to share 72 off 37.

Hermann played a similar position for Paarl Royals in this year's SA20, where he finished as the fifth-highest run-scorer. He is a middle-order specialist who can swing from cautious to chaotic at the flick of a necessary run-rate switch. 

"I was happy to be able to do it again today since I truly appreciate pressure situations.  I make an effort to be as explicit as I can because I know that if I give myself a chance, I'll be able to catch up to my strike rates in any game."

"Personal achievements are not a focus of mine," he said, referring to the fact that he missed out on a half-century by five runs when Ngarava hit his off stump with a dozen runs remaining.  The fact that I left 12 runs on the table aggravated me more.  I want to be a man who wins games for South Africa, and I should have been at the finish, but anyone could have taken [50]. 

With Wiaan Mulder refusing to continue batting to beat Brian Lara's Test record score of 400 not out during the second Test in Bulawayo last week, it's hardly a radical stance.  Instead, when he was 367 not out, South Africa's skipper, Mulder, enraged record-lovers everywhere.

It appears that they prioritize chasing numbers over winning.  Not for Mulder, though.  Not for Hermann, either.