Proteas fast bowler Anrich Nortje won’t allow his “millions” of haters to burst his bubble at the T20 World Cup.
Nortje, 30, copped some flak recently for his performances in the Indian Premier League where he plays for the Delhi Capitals.
But he responded in the best way possible by taking career-best bowling figures of 4/7 in South Africa’s tournament- opening six-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Monday.
Armed with the Man of the Match award after they bowled out the Lankans for just 77, Nortje admits there were some work-ons.
Player Of The Match. ⚡️
Anrich Nortje starred with the ball in New York on Monday!
Credit: ICC/ Getty #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #OutOfThisWorld #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/edhYpIKir4
But he adds of the “abuse” he received: “The other important thing is keeping the 20 people who work with you and encourage you very close to you and the other 10 million or million that abuse you to keep them out of your circle.”
When pushed on the matter, he adds: “It’s just about having the positive energy and the positive people around you in your close circle, not letting anyone into your circle who’s not on a positive note.
“You know as a player what you can do and what you can produce. It’s just about getting to that stage where it does come off and don’t let any other interference come into your personal bubble or circle. I think from there on you would be good…”
SA next face the Netherlands in Group B this Saturday.
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— ICC (@ICC) June 4, 2024
Protea fire at the Times Square in New York 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/MQI9mQ8drc