Domingo: T20 foundation has been laid

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Proteas T20 coach Russell Domingo.

Durban – Proteas Twenty20 coach Russell Domingo remained upbeat after the first of two matches against Pakistan was washed out in Durban on Friday.

Heavy rain in the hours leading up to the opening 20-over international at Kingsmead left umpires Shaun George and Adrian Holdstock with little choice but to call off the clash without a ball being bowled, less than 30 minutes after the scheduled start.

“We've worked really hard these past couple of days, trying to devise our own culture and own way of playing,” Domingo said.

“The Test side is the icon side and we're all trying to emulate their performances, but we've also got to develop our own identity and I think that's going to be important.

“It's still a work in progress, but the foundations have been laid these last couple of days and also in the last T20s against New Zealand, so although it’s disappointing that we haven’t played (in Durban), it's been a really enjoyable and constructive week for us thus far.”

Domingo, full-time assistant to national head coach Gary Kirsten, is in charge of the Proteas for his second T20 series after guiding them to a 2-1 win over the Black Caps in December.

The hosts also have a new captain, Faf du Plessis, and Domingo revealed that their plan over the coming months was to develop a strong squad for next year's World Twenty20 tournament in Bangladesh.

“We've got to identify a group of players we feel can perform in the sub-continent,” Domingo said.

“We want to win every single game we play here in South Africa and we know the public demands that.

Looking ahead to the global 20-over spectacle, he said there were crucial steps along the way, in search of their first global title in any format.

“It is a year away. There are still a lot of gaps to be filled in the squad and that's why these games are so important.

“We need to get the balance right in terms of preparing and picking the right players. At the same time we need to be winning games before we get to the World Cup and develop some sort of playing style by the time we get there.”

The fifth-ranked Proteas and world number six Pakistan will square off in the second T20 in Centurion on Sunday, ahead of a five-match one-day series starting next week. – Sapa