Ashwell Prince shields Proteas amid batting woes

None of the South African players were able to record triple figures in their recent ODI series against Australia, despite coming out 2-1 victors Down Under. 

The team is currently in England for another three-match ODI series, and Prince says they won’t obsess over players needing to score hundreds when it may not be possible to do so.

"Maybe a little bit disappointing that nobody went on to score a hundred, but to be honest, the focus is more making an impact, so we don't necessarily want someone in the 70s and 80s to have just a 100 in the back of his mind and sort of nursing himself towards that," said Prince.

"We want to try and encourage, particularly those guys in that phase of their innings – and if they fancy it, to put their foot down, and sometimes they will go on to get a hundred.

"And if they don't, if they bomb out, that's the way the cookie crumbles, but we're encouraging guys to, particularly before the final powerplay, take advantage of the one extra fielder being up in the circle.

"So if you are feeling good and you want to take it on, by all means, do so."

READ: Pretoria Capitals appoint international legends on coaching staff

Coach Shukri Conrad is a huge fan of Ryan Rickelton and his opening partnership with Aiden Markram, which hasn’t exactly borne the ripe fruit he’s looking for. 

Prince says they know what Rickelton can do, and it’s only a matter of time until he finds his footing.

"It is a rhythm thing, sometimes that can happen, but we're woking on it. Most of the communication is about trying to free people up – that's the big thing," he added.

"And sometimes, with Shuks and his style of play that he wants the guys to play – it's front-foot style, and if anything, Rickleton is naturally a positive player, but from Shuks' point of view, he might want a little bit more aggression.

"Sometimes it can take time for people to settle into that mindset and style of play, but we do encourage that and I'm sure we'll see the best of him soon again."