Death bowling gives Hendricks the edge

South Africa are into the World T20 semi-finals in the most un-South African way: unconvincingly. They lost their first match, snuck through in the next two and were almost derailed in the fourth but hung on.

With the knockouts looming, South Africa will have to guard against slipping back into old habits of succumbing to pressure and predictability. There is not much they can do about the first until game day but they can avoid the second in their team selection, specifically their choice of bowlers.

The importance of being in the final four will present a temptation to return to the experience of Morne Morkel or Lonwabo Tsotsobe at the expense of Beuran Hendricks and that would be a mistake. "I'd pick Beuran Hendricks straight away," Paul Adams, Cobras' coach, told ESPNcricinfo. "He's got a real feel for when to bowl certain deliveries and what happens at the back end of an innings."

Adams has overseen Hendricks' development through the Western Province structures, but he is not simply backing his own horse. Hendricks has the form and the skill to justify Adams' statement and merit a place in the semi-final.

Hendricks finished the domestic twenty-over competition as the top wicket-taker, 12 scalps ahead of his nearest competitor. His 28 wickets were collected at an average of 10.28 but the numbers, as they often do, only tell half the story. Hendricks was instrumental in the Cobras reaching the final because of the role he played in defending totals the batsmen posted.

The Cobras batted first in seven matches in the competition and won six. Four of those victories were by a margin of less than 20 runs, an indication of how close and tense the finishes were. That was when Hendricks was at his best.

In the team's opener, against the Knights, the Cobras set their opposition a target of 154. The Knights needed 15 off the last over. Not only did Hendricks prevent that with a selection of slower balls but he also took three wickets in the over to end with a match-haul of 6 for 29 - his career-best.

Hendricks helped the Cobras defend 161 against the Warriors with a return of 1 for 15 in four overs. The Warriors needed 25 off the last over, a steep ask, but not an impossible one. Hendricks gave away six. Against the Lions, the Cobras' 187 was always thought to be a safe bet but the Lions batted well enough to need 55 off the last four overs. Hendricks bowled two of those, conceded 17 runs and took two wickets. Even when the runs seemed insufficient, like the 129 against the Titans, Hendricks made chasing look a tall order. He took 3 for 18 in his four overs in that match to bowl the Cobras to a win.

"He is really good at just focusing on what needs to be done and not getting too flustered," Adams said. For a 23-year-old, who is only in his second full season of professional cricket, that temperament is rare. Adams explained it was honed in training. "Beuran understands that in twenty-over cricket you have to be on the button 90% of the time. So when he practices his yorkers, for example, he makes sure he hits the spot every time he bowls the ball."

His skills at the death got him picked for the South African squad because they were still searching for a last-over hangman. Dale Steyn has since made that role his own but Hendricks has a useful part to play in supporting him. He showed that against Netherlands when he was asked to bowl the penultimate over with the Dutch needing nine runs off 12 balls.

They only had a wicket in hand but most teams would back even their last pair to get close. Hendricks gave away only two runs and took the final wicket. He was South Africa's most economical bowler in that match, costing them less than 4.5 runs an over, against a team who were scoring at a rate of 10 runs an over at one stage.

The going was a lot tougher against England. Hendricks' recorded a half-century of the undesirable kind when his four overs cost 50. Despite that, Hendricks found the block hole and took pace off the ball, a vital ability on the tracks being used in this tournament.

That should be the prime reason Hendricks plays ahead of Morkel or Tsotsobe. He may lack the experience both players have, but it may be worth remembering the experienced pair have each conceded 50-plus in a match on this trip as well.

"The team management are showing confidence in Beuran, which is a good sign," Adams said. "When it comes to performing in big situations, he knows how to get the thing done." And that is all South Africa need.