Proteas ‘inspired’ by spectacular Boks ahead of Netherlands game

Aiming to keep their momentum going, Proteas captain Temba Bavuma says the national cricket team have been inspired by the Springboks’ latest performance.

While the Boks were edging out hosts France in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final on Sunday, the Proteas were immersed in preparations for their third match of the Cricket World Cup taking place in India on Tuesday.

The cricket side nonetheless sacrificed some sleep at the weekend to watch their compatriots secure a thrilling 29-28 win.

“I’m still trying to wake up from the late night,” Bavuma said on Monday.

“It was an incredible game – inspirational the way the guys went about their business.

“I think the intensity that the game was played at from the first minute till the last, I think that’s one thing that the guys kept speaking about.”

Netherlands clash

Unbeaten after two matches at the cricket showpiece, the Proteas will face the Netherlands in Dharamshala in their third game (starting at 10.30am on Tuesday).

Despite losing to the unfancied minnows at the T20 World Cup last year, Bavuma said the SA squad were confident they could gain further momentum by securing another two points in the round robin stage of the tournament.

“I think we just keep doing what we’re doing. We’ll take it game by game, as I always say,” the skipper said.

“Every game will present different opportunities, different challenges. It’s for us to man up to whatever those challenges are… and I think the important thing is that we keep getting better and better and use that momentum.”

‘No complacency’

Bavuma insisted they were not underestimating their opponents, despite the Proteas’ impressive form, with Afghanistan’s shock victory over England at the weekend again reinforcing the idea that any team can win on their day.

“We’ll give them (Netherlands) the respect they deserve. We know that their side will prepare with proper attention to detail and they’ll cover their bases,” he said.

“So we’ve got to make sure that we do the same thing, make sure that we pitch up. There’s no expectation that things are just going to happen our way.

“Most importantly, we just keep backing what we are doing, so there’s no complacency or taking the game for granted.”