After scoring a decisive victory in their tournament opener against Sri Lanka, former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers offers his assessment of the Proteas’ chances at the ODI World Cup 2023 and what they need to do against Australia. given to ICC:
The highest ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup total ever against Sri Lanka made the cricketing world sit up and take notice, but it will take a few more centuries for the Proteas’ home fans to start believing they can win their first World Cup.
They have already witnessed it far too frequently: a Proteas team that appeared to be a legitimate contender before losing before the final. Despite the team’s impressive start to the season, expectations among fans are still modest, and their recent success has gone unnoticed. But that is precisely why I am so optimistic about South Africa’s prospects in India.
I’ve played on teams before with more superstars, but I had trouble handling the pressure that came with it. The opposite is true for the current generation. There are fewer well-known figures, but there are many players who are unburdened by the weight of past failures and ready to make their mark on the global arena.
Aiden Markram’s 49-ball century demonstrated just how deadly he can be on the attack, but Heinrich Klaasen is in the best physical shape of his life, and Markram also possesses the temperament and ability to build an innings. It is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous top sixes in the competition, if not the best on current form, thanks to a superb blend of control and firepower, along with Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma, David Miller, and Quinton de Kock.
All of them are playing in a manner that makes me think of the 2015 World Cup, when we advanced to the semifinals before falling to New Zealand by a razor-thin margin, serving as a sobering reminder of the razor-thin margins in international cricket.
Every game we played with complete freedom, and I recall that semi-final feeling like we played our ideal game—a few missed catches ultimately losing us the game.
It was a component of a brand-new culture that, as far as I’m aware, is still in existence and will be on display against Australia on Thursday in a very difficult match.
I am convinced we can handle the many questions the Australian bowling attack will provide. I think South Africa has a chance to win the game with the ball. After losing to India, the Australians will be lacking in confidence, yet a wounded Australia side is incredibly dangerous. We need to take some early wickets to keep the pressure on, which is something we haven’t been doing well lately.
The most significant wicket will be Steve Smith’s, despite the fact that it may seem obvious. He keeps Australia running smoothly, so if we can get him out early, I have no doubts we can finish the job. The hitters have received all the attention, but the bowling attack must perform admirably if South Africa is to be taken seriously as a World Cup contender, especially without Anrich Nortje. After all, nobody knows how to win World Cups like Australia.
The injury-related loss of Nortje is a serious setback and puts additional pressure on Kagiso Rabada to direct the attack. He is one of the top bowlers in the world, and when I spoke to him last week, he was eager to step up and set an example for others.
Although a Proteas victory would undoubtedly convince supporters at home that they can win the tournament, there is still a lot of cricket to be played in this lengthy event, so I give South Africa a little edge.
The longer we can remain unseen, the better, as those are frequently the competitions you prevail in. All of a sudden, you reach a knockout semifinal in cricket, where anything can happen. I’m hoping that the slim margins are on our side this time because I have a strange sense that this could be the year.
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