Proteas bracing for clash with ‘quality’ New Zealand side

Well settled near the top of the standings, Proteas coach Rob Walter is eager for his side to be tested by big teams in their next two World Cup games, in the build-up to the playoffs.

After six of their nine matches in the opening round of the global showpiece, South Africa were lying second with 10 points, just two points behind unbeaten hosts India and two points ahead of New Zealand in third place.

They were set to face New Zealand in their next fixture on Wednesday, however, before squaring up against India on Sunday.

“We’ve played some really good cricket so far – you could argue against lesser teams if you wanted to, based on  the log positions – but in our minds it’s really about seeing whether we can continue to replicate the way we’ve been playing against the other two top sides in the competition so far,” Walter said yesterday.

Consistent performers

While India were perhaps considered the team to beat in the build-up to the knockout stages, Walter admitted his side were bracing in preparation for their meeting with a quality New Zealand side.

The Black Caps took the runner-up spot at the last two editions of the World Cup. In addition, displaying remarkable consistency, they progressed to the semifinals or beyond at the last four successive 50-over World Cups and the last three T20 World Cup tournaments.

Walter, a former coach of the Otago Volts and the New Zealand A team, hoped his knowledge of the opposition players would give the Proteas a potential upper-hand, but he admitted they were expecting a fierce battle against the New Zealanders in Pune (starting at 10.30am on Wednesday).

“They’re a very good side. I don’t see many holes in their make-up. They’ve got a lot of depth in different positions, and for the most part they’re highly experienced cricketers who have played a lot and achieved a lot,” he said.

“They’ve played in a lot of World Cup finals across different formats, so they understand how to win games of cricket. That’s what makes them a quality team.

“You don’t just get to so many finals and semifinals of competitions consecutively without doing something right and without playing good cricket.”