Proteas batsmen can deliver – Du Plessis
Proteas will play West Indies in their Group B fixture.
Past success will serve as a timely reminder for the Castle Lager Proteas’ batting unit when they take on the West Indies in their ICC Cricket World Cup Group B match at the Sydney Cricket (SCG) on Friday February 27.
The top order of the unit has struggled in the opening matches of the tournament, but will gain confidence from their impressive record of 28 hundreds in their last 34 matches.
“It’s obvious that after the game the other day we were disappointed,” No.3 batsman Faf du Plessis admitted on Wednesday. “What you can reflect on are some of the stats on our batting unit, we have scored the most hundreds over the last year. Our average as a top six is also the highest in the last year, so consistency is always a thing you look at, stats don’t lie. We have to look at the positives, look at what we have been doing this year, we batted brilliantly over the last 18 months.”
The Proteas are aware of the importance of a win against the West Indies following their 130-run loss to India, as their World Cup campaign picks up momentum with matches against Ireland, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to come.
Du Plessis says it will be important to dismiss Chris Gayle early on in his innings, following his world record innings against Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
“It’s unfortunate that Zimbabwe decided to bowl Chris Gayle into some good form,” Du Plessis joked. “We played a series against them in South Africa and we know what kind of team they are, they are dangerous and have a lot of match-winners. We are confident going into the match.”
Early morning showers forced the Proteas indoors for their training session at the SCG on Wednesday. The T20 captain feels the optional training session will benefit the squad, particularly the bowlers, who took some strain during the high temperatures and intensity in Melbourne on Sunday.
“Not really,” he said of the inconvenience of an indoor session. “These days we are used to playing the series where there are one or two days of practice. We would obviously like the practice to get some time to get plans in place, but we have had a lot of practice sessions, one extra session is not going to make a huge difference.”
Friday, 27 February 2015
South Africa v West Indies, SCG 14:30
South Africa ICC Cricket World Cup Itinerary
February 27 – South Africa v West Indies, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney 14:30 local time
March 3 – Ireland v South Africa, Manuka Oval, Canberra 14:30
March 7 – Pakistan v South Africa, Eden Park, Auckland 14:00
March 12 – South Africa v United Arab Emirates, Westpac Stadium, Wellington 14:00
