De Kock's superb salvo, Hobart's cruel rain: Takeaways from Proteas' World Cup opener

The Proteas were robbed of what was a deserved win against Zimbabwe in Hobart, but there were several things that went right for them despite the truncated nature of the game.

Here are five talking points from Monday's washed-out game:

When De Kock fires, SA fires

South Africa's ultimate failure at last year's T20 World Cup was their lack of intent when they chased down small totals against the West Indies and Bangladesh.

That lesson was clearly heeded and remembered by Quinton de Kock, who took the game by the scruff of the neck and chased the rain deadline.

His 18-ball 47 saw him drive SA's 51/0 in three overs and they only needed 13 more to seal the game, but the rain intervened.

There will be sterner bowling attacks in the form of India and Pakistan, but De Kock has set out a batting stall the Proteas will have to rely on for the rest of the tournament.

READ | Boucher responds to Proteas' rain-induced World Cup heartbreak: 'We wanted to play'

The template of attacking hard at the top played a crucial role in New Zealand's big win against Australia where Finn Allen's 42 off 16 got the ball rolling for the visitors.

South Africa's equipped with power hitters who can take SA to higher batting levels.

Lungi Ngidi is SA's most adaptable T20 bowler

Lungi Ngidi's first ball was caned for four, but he bounced back with delicious varieties that lopped two wickets and stopped Zimbabwe from dreaming of a total of 100, which would have been tricky for SA to chase in nine overs.

Ngidi first removed Regis Chakabva, then claimed the key scalp of Sikhander Raza. 

The nine-over allotment meant Ngidi could only bowl two overs, but he again showcased his ability to read conditions faster than most of his teammates.

Fielding made the difference

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