WeeklySA_AdminSPICY: SUNDAY ENCOUNTER A TASTER OF WHAT MAY BE TO COME IN THE KNOCKOUT STAGES
By Sports Reporter
As the Springboks embark on their trophy tour after winning the Rugby World Cup, the Proteas are having an extremely successful Cricket World Cup.
After their decisive victory over New Zealand on November 1 it is highly likely that our national team will secure a spot in the semi-final.
India are the only unbeaten team left in the event heading into their eighth of nine league-stage games, against South Africa on Sunday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata from 10:30.
In addition to this win the Proteas have made history by breaking a number of records.
This includes the most team sixes in a Cricket World Cup so far with 82, the most Wickets taken in the Powerplay with 12, and the most team (8) and individual (4) hundreds in a Cricket World Cup to name a few.
Rassie van der Dussen has urged the Proteas to remember that they beat India on the World Cup hosts’ home turf last year.
The batsman was speaking after his century helped set-up South Africa’s 190-run rout of New Zealand.
Van der Dussen made 133, his second hundred of the tournament and Quinton de Kock 114 – his fourth – as the Proteas piled up 357-4 in Pune on Wednesday, with the pair sharing a second-wicket partnership of exactly 200.
New Zealand were never in the hunt, slumping to 167 all out after succumbing to both the Proteas’ pacemen and the spin of Keshav Maharaj, who took 4-46.
South Africa, bidding for their first World Cup title, are now top of the 10-team table and virtually assured of a semi-final spot.
Van der Dussen made no attempt to down play the extent of the challenge confronting South Africa ahead of Sunday’s clash in Kolkata with the in-form hosts.
“Playing India in India is a massive event,” the 34-year-old told reporters in Pune. “They’ve been playing really well … They’ve got all bases covered, a brilliant bowling attack and obviously the batting as well.
“But we’ll go into that game knowing that if we do the things well that we want to do, we’ll be in a really strong position. The challenge is to do that under pressure, to stay with that.
“But we’ve played them here before and we’ve beaten them here [in India] before. So even though it’s a World Cup, it’s not really too much different.”
The Proteas defeated India by nine runs in Lucknow in October 2022 although the home team clinched the series.
When the two countries met in Mumbai in 2015, South Africa famously routed India by 214 runs with De Kock making a century and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, also part of the current World Cup squad, claiming four wickets.
De Kock’s innings on Wednesday saw him become the first batsman at this World Cup to break through the 500-run barrier, the left-handed opener continuing his superb form in what the 30-year-old has insisted will be a last major tournament before he bows out of ODIs.
“It’s been so good to have ‘Quinny’,” said Van der Dussen. “He has a determination about him that I haven’t seen in a very long time. He’s ploughing back into the team in all aspects, in the bowling meetings, in the batting meetings, being one of our senior guys.”
