Rilee Rossouw celebrates his century against Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup. Picture: Getty Images
Over the years, there have been many reasons and excuses for the Proteas slipping in their attempts to lift a major trophy, and it’s promising to see the national side trying to combat any potential issues at the current T20 World Cup by taking the fight to their opposition.
As has been the case at times in the past, perhaps the most damage that can be done to their campaign (other than poor performances on the field) is going to be caused by wet weather during Australia’s spring season.
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With summer approaching, that means rain, but as disruptive as it may be, it’s a problem every team should have been aware of in advance.
So with shared points being a real possibility in multiple matches, all sides in the Super 12 round are going to have to be aggressive whenever they are able to play.
With a ‘no result’ already behind their name, the Proteas cannot afford to lose any matches, and with only two teams from each group progressing to the playoffs, they have to secure big wins whenever they can.
Despite the weather derailing their opening match against Zimbabwe, in the few overs they did get to bat, South Africa didn’t mess around with a fearless knock from Quinton de Kock carrying them to 51 runs in just three overs.
And they maintained their intensity throughout their second game against Bangladesh, with Rilee Rossouw’s century carrying them to a total of 205 before Anrich Nortje led the bowling attack as they removed the opposition’s entire batting order for just 101 runs.
READ MORE: Rossouw ‘chuffed with century on World Cup main stage’
To give themselves a real chance of lifting the title, however, the Proteas are going to have to be just as explosive in their remaining games in order to combat any further loss of points caused by weather disruptions and abandoned fixtures.
And their next game, against India on Sunday, is going to be their most important in the race for the playoffs.
India are currently favourites to finish top of Group 2, but if South Africa can beat the world’s top-ranked side, they will place themselves in the driving seat.
It will still be important to prevent an upset against the Netherlands, and maintaining their intensity against a struggling Pakistan might be key, but beating India in particular will go a long way in keeping their title hopes alive.
Even if they manage this, however, if they want to avoid having to make excuses at the end of the tournament, the Proteas are going to have to be consistent all the way through to the final.
It seems the old adage is now more true than ever: This is no time for complacency.
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