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ICC World Cup 2019 Preview: Could 2019 be the year when the Proteas finally defy the 'chokers' tag?

They did get rid of their chokers tag and are instead not good enough now. Fair play to them.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Faf du Plessis "the guys are hurting and I'm feeling 5 years older & my body is really sore after that" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvSA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvSA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> <a href="https://t.co/xuh6T3XAux">pic.twitter.com/xuh6T3XAux</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1141598472799477760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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This South Africa team was not that bad. Injuries ruined the team's chance. Also, that defeat against Bangladesh put them under lots of pressure.

ABD should've played. He could've made a difference.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Time for South African cricket to invest in its heroes & get that nation playing better than what it’s doing right now. <br>There are ICONS there who I don’t see anywhere near their academy setups or the National team!</p>— Kevin Pietersen&#55358;&#56719; (@KP24) <a href="https://twitter.com/KP24/status/1141572169748475904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Its probably their worst showing in the WC, along with 03.

92 - Semis
96 - 1st in their group
99 - Semis
03 - Group stage
07 - semis
11 - 1st in their group
15 - semis

At least in 03, they were plagued due to DL and Kenya boycotts. This year, its been poor cricket.

ABD would not have made any difference.
 
Sidilicious said:
NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Its probably their worst showing in the WC, along with 03.

92 - Semis
96 - 1st in their group
99 - Semis
03 - Group stage
07 - semis
11 - 1st in their group
15 - semis

At least in 03, they were plagued due to DL and Kenya boycotts. This year, its been poor cricket.

ABD would not have made any difference.
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Their 2003 campaign was not that bad. They had a tough group and rain didn't help.

This is their worst performance of all time. They played like associates.
 
I think we can safely say that now South Africa was just not good enough.

If I were the CSA management, I would have called AB & asked if he would want to unretire to play the T20 WC 2020. It's not that AB is 40 years old. But to me it seems like CSA & AB aren't that ''friendly'' or ''comfortable'' with each other.
 
sweep_shot said:
Their 2003 campaign was not that bad. They had a tough group and rain didn't help.

This is their worst performance of all time. They played like associates.
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I really didn't understand their ''tuk tuk'' batting. From ABD's blitz to this tuk tuk batting, what an upgrade SOU had ! No wonder where they are now in the points table. They should have just capitalized on the opportunity to have AB back.
 
AB is lucky he escaped the heartbreak. He should thank the ego of South African crixket officials for not selecting him in the team. Same goes for Steyn.
 
Symcox hits out: Cricket SA has become like Eskom

Cape Town - Former Proteas spinner Pat Symcox has hit out at the top brass of Cricket South Africa (CSA) following another Cricket World Cup disaster.

It followed the Proteas' four-wicket defeat to New Zealand in Birmingham on Wednesday, their fourth loss in six World Cup matches which leaves their hopes of reaching the playoffs in tatters.

Symcox, who played 80 ODIs for South Africa between 1993 and 1999, shared his views on Facebook on Thursday morning.

The 59-year-old said the blame should be laid at the door of CSA, who he compared to troubled public electricity utility, Eskom.

"Let us be very clear on one thing... Cricket SA has become the ESKOM of our sport. The product is poor and the business model is outdated largely through a production line that is incapable of competing in the market-place," Symcox wrote.

He added: "It is intellectually bankrupt. Self-correction will not happen sadly. It will need a massive overhaul. Unfortunately though, any narrative that does not conform and is not aligned to the current system of governance will be rebuked and rejected out of handas both derogatory and not in the interests of those currently charged with keeping the keys to the future of so many.

"I await the announcement of the investigative process that will surely follow and look forward to seeing who will be tasked to be a part of that. I remain convinced that the players selected, by and large, were the best we had and that each one was trying their best to win the World Cup for all of us back home... sadly, as a collective unit they were just not good enough."

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/C...out-cricket-sa-has-become-like-eskom-20190620
 
Gibson keen for South Africa to show what they are capable of in remaining three games

South Africa still have plenty to play for at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, according to their coach Ottis Gibson.

Although they’ve lost four of their six matches so far and only have a slim chance of qualifying for the semi-finals, Gibson would like his team to use their remaining three matches to show what they are capable of.

Gibson said: “We’ve still got three games to play and I’d like to think that we can at least play the way we know we can play.

“We haven’t played like that, for whatever reason, but I’d like to think we can still do that.

“The thing about the squad is that there are guys playing their last World Cup and I’d like to think that they will leave the world stage having signed off on a strong note.

“And there are some youngsters here that I’m sure will play in future World Cups. So they too would like to leave a statement. That’s the way we’ve got to look at it.”

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir and middle-order batsman JP Duminy will both retire from ODIs at the end of the tournament after lengthy and impressive careers.

Tahir, who made his debut at the 2011 World Cup, has played 104 matches and is the most successful spinner in South Africa’s fifty-over history with 170 wickets at 24.47.

He is also eighth on the all-time wicket-takers list and would doubtless want to claim a few more scalps before his signs off.

Similarly, Duminy will want to add to his 5,103 runs, which makes him South Africa’s 10th highest run-scorer of all time, and could even be eyeing a 200th ODI cap. He has played 197 matches so far and if he plays the remaining three will reach the milestone.

On the other hand, South Africa also boasts a crop of young stars who will want to leave their mark on this tournament.

Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lungi Ngidi, Chris Morris, Dwaine Pretorius, Rassie van der Dussen, Beuran Hendricks and Tabraiz Shamsi are all playing in their first World Cup and have an opportunity to make an impression before the competition ends.

Ultimately, Gibson hopes the experience and youth will come together to present a South African brand of cricket based on intent and energy, which they have cultivated in his tenure but not shown in this tournament.

He added: “We’ve spoken that language of being positive and aggressive and taking the game forward for a long time since I’ve been here.

“To see, when we come to this stage, guys going into their shell a little bit is a little bit surprising.”

Gibson admitted South Africa’s handicap has been their batting line-up, which has only posted a total over 300 once in the tournament and has made things tougher for their attack.

“What it comes down to is that we’ve not really been able to put enough runs on the board. We don’t have the bowling attack that we wanted to have, therefore we needed more runs to work with,” Gibson said.

South Africa lost Anrich Nortje to a hand injury before the tournament started, had to send Dale Steyn home after he sustained a shoulder niggle without playing a game and were forced to bench Lungi Ngidi for three matches with a hamstring strain, but Gibson’s biggest compliments were for the bowlers who got on the park and gave their all.

South Africa came close to defending 241 for 6 against New Zealand, who reached the target with three balls to spare, and Gibson believes there’s nothing more the attack could have done.

“You saw today the fighting spirit of the bowling attack that we put out today and had we had a few more runs today, the result could have been slightly different,” he said. “I thought our energy in the field was excellent, trying to defend a modest total at best. In the end, it wasn’t enough.”

South Africa’s next match is against Pakistan on Sunday, at Lord’s.
 
One player never makes a difference to team's result. It is the team that is responsible eventually.

2019 WC was just not meant for SA. They had a great chance to make the first finals in 2015(they would have lost to Aus although) but NZ was simply a bad luck and heartbreak.
 
Lord's - Former Proteas coach Gary Kirsten says it was always going to be a tough ask for South Africa to qualify for the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup.

Kirsten, who coached the Proteas between 2011 and 2013 after guiding India to World Cup glory in 2011, says that he always had concerns over the side's batting consistency as they prepared for the 2019 edition of the tournament.

"AB de Villiers at No 4 probably would have made a big difference," he said half-jokingly during an intimate chat at Weybridge Cricket Club in Surrey on Friday.


Kirsten was looking on as his Gary Kirsten Foundation U13 team played their final match of what has been an unforgettable tour of the UK for 13 youngsters from Khayelitsha, near Cape Town.

Not converting starts into scores of substance has been one of the Proteas' major concerns at the tournament, and one win from six fixtures means they are on the verge of elimination.

Wednesday's four-wicket loss to New Zealand at Edgbaston was the final nail in the coffin.

"I thought we actually played the game really well, but I've always felt that we are a little bit light, batting-wise," Kirsten said.

"Do we look like a team that can go and get 380?"

Known as one of the strongest players mentally that South African cricket has ever produced, Kirsten suggested that trying to figure out why the Proteas always struggle in that department at World Cups had become futile.

"We've exhausted that conversation. I don't know and nobody knows what the answers are. What more can you say?" he said.

"We've all tried different approaches and it's tough to know what the answers are.

"It's amazing. The World Cup comes around and the mist comes in and everyone talks about it.

"The only way we'll turn it around is when somewhere down the line they get it right."

Kirsten knows all about high levels of expectation having coached the Indian national side, where winning is an absolute must.

Even during his time there, though, Kirsten says he never experienced the same inexplicable weight of pressure.

"It's a different vibe," he said.

"India doesn't have that pressure and a mist that comes over the team when it has underperformed in World Cups. Nobody ever spoke about it and it wasn't even an issue."

At the end of the day, South Africa simply haven't been good enough.

"We haven't played well. Normally we have actually played well in World Cups and we've battled in this one," Kirsten added.

"I feel for the players and the coaching staff. I know the effort that they put into it and it's disappointing

"If we're brutally honest, we wouldn't have been surprised if we didn't make the playoffs."

The Proteas are next in action when they take on Pakistan at Lord's on Sunday.


https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/C...ig-ask-for-proteas-to-make-cwc-semis-20190622
 
Tahir proves that age is no boundary for skill and enthusiasm

South Africa’s premier leg-spinner dived low to his right and plucked the ball just millimetres from the ground.

It was as athletic a caught & bowled as you’ll see this tournament and sent a disbelieving Imam-ul-Haq back to the hutch for 44.

Immediately after the catch, for a South African record 39th time in an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match, the Tahir train left the station and chugged excitedly around the Lord’s infield.

At 40 years of age, Imran Tahir is the oldest player at this World Cup. For context, the competition’s youngest cricketer – 18-year-old Mujeeb Ur Rahman of Afghanistan – was born more than four years after Tahir made his first-class debut.

So, it’s almost poetic that he celebrates wickets with more unadulterated, childlike glee than every one of his younger contemporaries.

The enthusiastic manner in which he wheels away and sprints, endearingly aimlessly but with arms spread wide, further than most quick bowlers’ run-ups, is infectious.

Just ask Babar Azam – who couldn’t help but smile from the non-striker’s end at his opponent’s jubilation.

But even by Tahir’s standards, this celebration seemed to contain more vim and vigour than normal.

Perhaps it was because he had just pulled off a reaction catch with a high degree of difficulty that most 20 or 30-year-olds, let alone 40-year-olds, would struggle to make.

Perhaps it was because the wicket came against Pakistan – the country of his birth and team for which he played Under-19 and A-grade cricket in a previous century.

Perhaps it was because, having announced his retirement from ODI cricket at the end of this World Cup, he knows there won’t be many more moments like this on the grandest stage.

Or perhaps it was because he had just surpassed the great Allan Donald’s to become the leading South African wicket-taker of all-time at World Cups with 39.

Most likely, it was a combination of all these and as he prepares to ride off into the sunset, it’s worth reflecting on just how remarkable it is that Tahir became a South African record-breaker.

Some players are earmarked for greatness from an early age but the leg-spinner didn’t make his ODI debut until February 2011 – just a month before his 32nd birthday.

It’s fair to say he swiftly made up for lost time.

He was the quickest South African bowler to reach 100 ODI wickets, taking just 58 matches, and is still the only spinner to do so.

He became his country’s first player to take a seven-for in a one-day international when he ended with 7/45 against West Indies in 2016 and perhaps his finest moment in a Proteas jersey was the man-of-the-match-winning 4/26 in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2015 quarter-final with Sri Lanka.

In England this summer, he has continued to rack up the milestones: the oldest South African to appear in a World Cup match, playing his 100th ODI against Bangladesh, the first spinner – of any nationality – to bowl the first over of a World Cup match, and now leapfrogging every one of his countrymen atop the World Cup wickets ranking.

At Lord’s, in addition to his athletic exploits to remove Imam, Tahir also had Pakistan’s other opener, Fakhar Zaman, caught at first slip attempting an ill-advised ramp shot to end with figures of 2/41.

His ninth and tenth victims of the competition mean he currently has the most wickets of any wrist-spinner at the event – just another record to add to his CV.

His efforts ultimately weren’t enough to stop Pakistan racking up an intimidating total of 308/7 that South Africa were unable to chase down – and defeat means their chances of reaching the knockout stages are now over.

As a result, the Tahir train will only have two final chances to get up to speed, so make sure you catch it while you still can.
 
23 June - Lord's - South Africa Captain Faf du Plessis post-match press conference

Q. You've played a lot of games for South Africa, have you ever seen a worse performance than today?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Probably harsh to say the worst performance ever, but frustrating. You know, I feel, keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Probably started off with the bowling. Our bowling has been the one thing that's been working this tournament, and today, a well below par performance, probably bar Immy, was exceptional once again.

But the rest of the guys, probably, you know, five out of ten performance with the bowl, 30 runs too many and the same thing with the bat once again. You know, guys, we're starting our innings losing wickets again and then we build something nicely, get a partnership going and then wicket and then bowl and then wicket.

So I feel like I'm saying the same things over and over again, and that's really, really frustrating. But yeah, for me at the moment, it's a confidence thing. The guys are -- they are playing with low confidence; and therefore, making more mistakes.

Q. Are you disappointed with the performance of Lungi and Rabada, only took three wickets today, but especially with the new ball?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Yeah, I mean, the two of them has been -- the last year they have been brilliant for us, and they have been striking. Kagi has been bowling quick right through the season. I do feel Lungi's fitness is perhaps the thing that is his biggest challenge. He hasn't played a lot of cricket. His pace is probably a little bit down from where he used to be, so that's taking the effectiveness of him away.

I mean, he's had his control, but he's coming -- hasn't played a lot of games in this World Cup, and I think his fitness is probably one big challenge that he would need to step up.

And then Kagi, Kagi is trying. But I suppose same thing with Kagi is that a lot of the guys are struggling with at the moment is they haven't started the tournament well; and therefore, your confidence has taken a bit of a hit, and it just rolls on. It's such a snowball effect that your performance, you open your eyes, and you're doing the same thing again.

So that will be something that Kagi will need to -- you know, he's a great bowler. He will be able to fix that. His career has been one that's been probably just going up and up and up and up and up every time he's played for us.

So this is probably his first stumbling block as a great fast bowler. So for him now, it will be to how he responds, how he learns in this period and how he makes sure he gets better. Because he has been great for us, but now he needs to take stock of where his bowling is and then try and get better as a bowler.

Q. You speak about confidence, and guys being low on confidence now. How do you go about fixing something like that? What did you try before this game earlier in the tournament and what hasn't worked?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Yeah, it's a difficult one. The real honest answer is it chips away at you. You know, trying very, very hard, and then coming and playing another game and the same thing happens against and you go back and you try and train hard again and you make the same mistake again. It does; it chips away at your confidence. It chips away at your ego. It chips away at you as a player. As much as I can say or the coach can say, the responsibility lies with every player to try and make sure that he comes to the park and give everything, and if confidence is an issue, you need to sort it out yourself. Everyone has played the game of cricket long enough to understand that you do go through highs and lows.

The frustrating thing for us at the moment is we have got more people going through lows than highs right now, and therefore, the team confidence is low. You know, from a batting point of view, there's a lot of guys low on runs. You need at least three out of your five guys firing in a tournament like this to be successful, and at the moment, that's not happening.

And as I said, from a bowling point of view, as well, we've been lucky enough that our bowling unit has been strong for a long period of time, and perhaps carried some of the batting units that we've had, but now the fact that on a day like today when they don't bowl well, then it makes it really tough for us to go and chase it down.

Q. What impact did Dale's leaving have? Because when he gets a wicket, he gets so pumped up that he gets the rest of the bowling unit going.
FAF DU PLESSIS: Yeah, that's what Dale does and Kagi to a degree, as well. But I feel like I'm saying the same thing, but it's a confidence thing. You know, when Dale is bowling well and he's pumped up, it's because he's at the top of his game.

Kagi at the moment is feeling like he needs to do something, but it's not happening for him; and therefore, you're not seeing that same intensity when he bowls -- or not bowls; or when he celebrates a wicket or when he's going through after the over bat to his mark.

Obviously Dale is a special bowler, and the fact that he's injured, we can't use that as an excuse. There's enough good bowlers in our team to still be better than what we did today. There was a lot of bad bowls balled on our wicket that if you just bowled really good lines and lengths, it was tough for the batters to score.

Q. Going for quite a few matches left for you in the tournament, so what will be South Africa's approach in the remainder of the tournament, and as a captain, how will you motivate the team?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Yeah, it's tough. That's where it's lying at the moment. I've tried certainly my best to try and make sure that we can get stronger, trying to get better, and I thought before today, even though we are losing, I did feel that there was an upwards curve in the cricket that we were playing. You know, we started doing more things right since the Afghanistan game.

New Zealand game, we played a good game of cricket. One or two things perhaps you could have done a little bit better.

But today, then taking a step back, two steps forwards, one step back, that's not a great team. For me, we are sitting at that mediocre team at the moment because we are making the same mistakes all the time.

Yeah, I'll go back and do exactly the same as we did last week. You know, trying to make sure that -- you have to keep trying. Unfortunately you can't go away, because otherwise, there is naturally in your team -- you'll have guys when they get low on confidence they will get quiet and they will go away into the backgrounds a little bit, but for me as a captain, that's not something I can do.

Q. Is this turning out to be the lowest point of your career as national captain?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Yes, definitely. I'm a very proud player and captain, and playing for South Africa means a lot for me, and the fact that the results we're dishing out at the moment -- you know, it's really, really tough, and borderline -- today, it's becoming where it's a little bit embarrassing. We're trying but it's just not good enough. Obviously I'm human, as well, so it will keep chipping at me, as way -- at me as well -- sorry about that.

But I don't have an opportunity to go anywhere. Like I said, it's important that the coach, myself, the senior players, are the guys that needs to front up to this challenge. That's when your players need you the most. So right now, I need to be there for the other players, as well.

Q. This is a bitter moment for the South African cricket because South Africa was always in the first four or five teams in all international tournaments. We cannot understand when the players play league cricket, they play vital role and they are all playing very good. But when they play for the South African team, then they are not showing their actual performance. What is the reason behind?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Well, I think through the season, they do that. We've had some great performances in the season, but like I said what's happening at the moment is we started the tournament probably average, poorly, and the fact, the spinoff of that has been that the guys have -- the knock-on effect of that is the guys are now, there's a lot of pressure on this team to do well.

The fact that every game you play, there's more pressure on you now because there's a lot of people, rightly and fairly criticising this team, because they are not playing the cricket that we should. And therefore, it makes it even more, more pressure on the players, and the fact that a lot of the group is low on confidence means that we aren't producing the results that we need.

So I don't think it's necessarily a case of people playing in different leagues and doing well. I think it's just a case that just the nature of this tournament, specifically. You need to start well. You need your players on form. You need a few guys on a purple patch, and if you do that have, then hopefully from there you start playing some good cricket. If you look at all the other teams that's doing well, they have got guys in their team that's consistently doing that, and we haven't had -- apart from Immy, we haven't had a purple patch guy on our team that just comes in every game and dishes out good performances.

As a whole, as a team, yeah, we've got a lot of guys very low on confidence at the moment.

Q. I just wanted to go back to Kagi for a second. Are you happy with the way he's been managed from a workload perspective over the last three, four years? He's obviously bowled a hell of a lot of balls over the last four years. Are you happy that he was in optimum condition when he came into this tournament?
FAF DU PLESSIS: I don't think we'll ever have a perfect answer for that because he's probably biting on too much. But we did try and get him not to go to the IPL; to try and stay and get fresh. That wasn't the case of -- and then when he went there, we were like, let's try and get him back halfway through the IPL because it's important, not just for him, but a few other players.

I mean, I spoke about it before the IPL even started, that it's important that we try and find space to rest our three-format players, because they play all the formats all the time, and then IPL.

So I don't think it's necessarily just the IPL, but it was important for a few guys to rest; and the fact that they didn't meant that they -- you know, they came into the tournament not fresh. That's not an excuse; that's just a fact. And Kagi is -- you can see that his pace is probably a little bit down from where he normally is.

But that challenge we are going to have as a team all the time. You can't unfortunately go back with the national side and say to Kagi: Listen, you're going to rest for the next two series'. He's such a big player for the team; it's a difficult thing to do. You know, you need guys that can -- you need three or four or five bowlers in the wings waiting, so you can have a bit of a rotation system.

I mean, that was the plan with Anrich in the backup and pipeline, and he got injured, as well. So there for all our pace is gone and there's so much responsibility on Kagi to carry that load of being the lone fast bowler.

Q. You mentioned the batsmen being low on confidence and also the bowlers not performing up to expectations. In the last couple of years back home, you guys have been playing on pitches that have really assisted the bowlers a lot and have been very tough for guys to bat on. Do you feel maybe that's played a role here and that the bowlers have arrived and maybe you've had it too easy back home and maybe the batsmen have had their confidence irreparably damaged by how tough it's been back at home?
FAF DU PLESSIS: I think if this was a test championship, I would have said yes to that. But the fact that we have been playing on good wickets and one-day cricket at home doesn't change that. The one-day wickets that I was really good; the guys at home play on good pitches. They score runs back at home. Probably bar one or two players who carried a bit of low form into the tournament, I think if you look at Quinton, myself, Rassie over the last two years, there's been consistency with us with our one-day game and we are scoring big runs.

But the fact that you look at some of the other guys, it's probably a little bit of experience and probably a little bit of low on form. But as I said, one-day wickets, wherever you play in the world, are pretty similar. Sometimes there's a little bit of the new ball, but then it generally gets good. Yeah, I don't think so.

Q. You've received praise in the way that you've captained the side, and obviously the way you've gone about your business, are you worried that will World Cup perhaps like taints your legacy and the legacy of Hashim and JP and David and some senior players? Is that something that you worry about at all?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Yeah, I'd be lying if I say no. I think, as I said, as a player, I'm very proud. But I've always said that my most enjoyment that I get from the game playing for South Africa is captaining the side. The fact that we are really under performing, as I said, chips away at me, as well. It's really important for me.

I love captaining this team, and the fact that we are playing way, way below our potential, is not something, as I said, it's not something that sits with me well. There's too much pride for me, and that's why -- I mean, I'm trying as much as I can, but unfortunately not everything is in my hands. You know, if I could, I would get my wand out and get some runs on the table for our batters, but I can't, unfortunately.

So it is a challenge, and my character is one that will try and fix as many problems as I can and try and control the areas that I can, but unfortunately, I can't control everything.

So yeah, I have to make sure that I put my head on my pillow at night knowing I've done everything in the buildup to that match and then just trust the players to perform.

Q. Is there anything in your captaincy you think you could have done differently looking back?
FAF DU PLESSIS: No. As I said for me, the biggest thing is making sure that I could put my head on my pillow at night knowing I've done everything in the buildup to that week, and you know, as far as preparation, we've done as much as we can. The one area where if I could have it definitely was having more players to rest before the tournament, but that's something that's not in my hands. Yeah, I can't do anything about that.

Thank you.
 
This World Cup is a perfect example to those people who used to question ABDV's match winning ability and the difference he makes to the team.

While it is true that de Villiers presence won't have earned SA a world Cup trophy as this is a team game and not individual function but their situation in the tournament won't have been this terrible where they struggle to win even a single match against any team except Afghanistan.

SA would have most likely made it to semis if de Villiers would have been there in the XI and this is an answer to the anti-ABD fans across the world. While there is no defense for de Villiers attitude towards the game in last 3-4 years, however, this is certainly a defense to people who were questioning his ability and performance with the bat.
 
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their system not producing enough good youngster to replace guys like Morkel and rabada looks like he needs a long break.

thats before stating the obvious that guys like ab, rillee roussow, abbot, parnell would have added to the squad.
 
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis is determined for his side to restore some confidence and pride in their final two matches at the World Cup after their slim hopes of making semi-finals were ended.

Their 49-run defeat by Pakistan at Lord's was their fifth loss in seven matches and means the maximum number of points South Africa can accumulate is seven.

Already, four other teams have exceeded that tally, which rules South Africa out of the knockout stages, but captain Du Plessis sees their remaining fixtures as an opportunity to rebuild.

He said: “We need to try and get stronger and better, I thought before today, even though we are losing, I did feel that there was an upwards curve in the cricket that we were playing.

“We started doing more things right since the Afghanistan game. Then in the New Zealand game, we played a good game of cricket.”

“We need to try and make sure we can get stronger and better and we want to see an upwards curve in the cricket we are playing.

“We started doing more things right since the Afghanistan game and then in the New Zealand game.”

South Africa’s only victory came against Afghanistan in Cardiff, where they marched to a nine-wicket win.

Three days later, they lost narrowly to New Zealand in Birmingham where du Plessis praised his men for giving everything in their four-wicket defeat. But on Sunday, against Pakistan, du Plessis felt the team regressed.

“Today, then taking a step back, two steps forwards, one step back, that's not a great team. For me, we are sitting at that mediocre team at the moment because we are making the same mistakes all the time. But we have to keep trying.”
Du Plessis has personally promised to rally his troops for their matches against Sri Lanka next Friday and Australia the following Saturday, where he will put the focus on the leadership group to lift the rest of the team.

He added: “I’m a very proud player and captain. With the results we are dishing out at the moment, it’s really tough. We are trying but it’s just not good enough.

“It’s important that the coach, myself and the senior players, front up to this challenge. I need to be there for the team,” he said.

He acknowledged that the team’s self-belief needs has been eroded by a string of poor performances.
“It’s a confidence thing. Guys are playing with low confidence and making more mistakes,” he said. “It chips away at your confidence. It chips away at your ego. It chips away at you as a player.”

Although du Plessis has committed to leading from the front, he also wants the players to take it on themselves to improve.

“The responsibility lies with every player to try and make sure that he comes to the park and give everything. Everyone has played the game of cricket long enough to understand that you do go through highs and lows,” he said.

And du Plessis admitted this is one of the lowest lows. It is only the second time in the eight World Cup South Africa have played in, that they will not reach the knockout stage but still, du Plessis would like them to show what they are capable of before signing off.

“I love captaining this team, and the fact that we are playing way, way below our potential, is not something that sits with me well. There's too much pride for me, and that's why I'm trying as much as I can.”
 
Du Plessis wants South Africa to get ‘stronger and better’ in their final two matches

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis is determined for his side to restore some confidence and pride in their final two matches at the World Cup after their slim hopes of making semi-finals were ended.

Their 49-run defeat by Pakistan at Lord's was their fifth loss in seven matches and means the maximum number of points South Africa can accumulate is seven.

Already, four other teams have exceeded that tally, which rules South Africa out of the knockout stages, but captain Du Plessis sees their remaining fixtures as an opportunity to rebuild.

He said: “We need to try and get stronger and better, I thought before today, even though we are losing, I did feel that there was an upwards curve in the cricket that we were playing.

“We started doing more things right since the Afghanistan game. Then in the New Zealand game, we played a good game of cricket.”

“We need to try and make sure we can get stronger and better and we want to see an upwards curve in the cricket we are playing.

“We started doing more things right since the Afghanistan game and then in the New Zealand game.”

South Africa’s only victory came against Afghanistan in Cardiff, where they marched to a nine-wicket win.

Three days later, they lost narrowly to New Zealand in Birmingham where du Plessis praised his men for giving everything in their four-wicket defeat. But on Sunday, against Pakistan, du Plessis felt the team regressed.

“Today, then taking a step back, two steps forwards, one step back, that's not a great team. For me, we are sitting at that mediocre team at the moment because we are making the same mistakes all the time. But we have to keep trying.”

Du Plessis has personally promised to rally his troops for their matches against Sri Lanka next Friday and Australia the following Saturday, where he will put the focus on the leadership group to lift the rest of the team.

He added: “I’m a very proud player and captain. With the results we are dishing out at the moment, it’s really tough. We are trying but it’s just not good enough.

“It’s important that the coach, myself and the senior players, front up to this challenge. I need to be there for the team,” he said.

He acknowledged that the team’s self-belief needs has been eroded by a string of poor performances.

“It’s a confidence thing. Guys are playing with low confidence and making more mistakes,” he said. “It chips away at your confidence. It chips away at your ego. It chips away at you as a player.”

Although du Plessis has committed to leading from the front, he also wants the players to take it on themselves to improve.

“The responsibility lies with every player to try and make sure that he comes to the park and give everything. Everyone has played the game of cricket long enough to understand that you do go through highs and lows,” he said.

And du Plessis admitted this is one of the lowest lows. It is only the second time in the eight World Cup South Africa have played in, that they will not reach the knockout stage but still, du Plessis would like them to show what they are capable of before signing off.

“I love captaining this team, and the fact that we are playing way, way below our potential, is not something that sits with me well. There's too much pride for me, and that's why I'm trying as much as I can.”
 
South Africa’s batsmen aiming to build on starts and score big in final games, says Miller

South Africa’s batsmen head into their final two ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup fixtures looking to convert starts into long stints at the crease, according to middle-order batsman David Miller.

So far, no South African batsmen has scored a century, with the highest, a pair of 68s from Quinton de Kock, against England and Afghanistan, and Miller hopes that will change before the tournament ends.

“As a batting unit, we’ve had starts and we haven’t kicked on and it’s happened throughout the competition,” Miller said, after South Africa’s 49-run loss to Pakistan at Lord’s.

“All the batters have got starts and not finished the job. We haven’t had enough hundred partnerships or fifty partnerships and you’re not going to win games of cricket like that.”

De Kock and Hashim Amla have shared in South Africa’s only century-stand, 104 runs in their victory against Afghanistan, but bigger partnerships have eluded South Africa.

Miller put that down to lack of execution, especially when considering his own performances. “I’ve scored four 30s.

“Two of them have been at the back end, trying to go for it and the other two, I feel like I could have put in two big performances there. On self-reflection, it has been quite disappointing.”

Miller was dismissed in the 36th over in both his 38 against Bangladesh and 31 against India, the two occasions where he feels he could have kicked on.

He also scored 36 against New Zealand, where he was dismissed in the 45th over trying to take South Africa to above 250 and 31 against Pakistan, where he was out in the 41st over, trying to push the chase towards 309.

In a bid to score big runs as quickly as possible, Miller admitted he sometimes gets it wrong but said that can’t be helped in a format where luck can play a deciding role. “The margins are really small. It’s a split second here or there when you could be caught. On another day, that could be six,” he said.

And because the difference between success and failure is so tiny, Miller believes South Africa are not far away from turning things around. “It’s difficult for people to believe that we are very close. The guys are starting well but not continuing with that pressure,” Miller said.

Though Miller’s captain, Faf du Plessis said some players’ self-belief has taken a knock, Miller ruled himself out of that group and said he hopes to prove his worth before the campaign comes to a close.

He added: “I don’t feel like my confidence is low. For me, personally, it's been lack of execution. We haven’t won so you start looking at a lot of different things where we could have done better.

“Ultimately, we’ve been really close and when you are playing at the highest level, the margins are so small. We are doing the right things, we are just not extending it and we’re not winning games due to that.”

South Africa’s next match is against Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street on Friday.
 
Jacques Kallis: South Africa should use England’s blueprint for World Cup recovery

South Africa need to take inspiration from England as they rebuild their team for the next ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Four years ago, England were perhaps one of the lowest ranked teams in the world after really struggling at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

However, they used the disappointment of their performances in 2015 to rebuild their team and totally change their mentality and approach to one-day cricket.

England now play without fear and aren’t afraid to make mistakes. For me, South Africa have approached things too defensively at this tournament and they need to attack each match with much more positivity going forward.

You don’t need to make wholesale changes, England are still captained by Eoin Morgan, as they were four years ago.

Some will demand everything is changed but a total clean out is just not the way ahead, we need to be more considered and thoughtful.

The first thing that needs to be looked at is the brand of cricket South Africa are playing and all the players will want to be part of that conversation.

In my career I always improved after a setback, that’s sport. It’s human nature to want to learn when things don’t go according to plan.

There will need to be some honest conversations and they will need to trust each other. However, you cannot keep chopping and changing a team and I don’t think they will

South Africa have some great young players in their 20s (Kagiso Rabada, 24, Lungi Ngidi, 23, Andile Phehlukwayo,23, and Aiden Markram, 24) and they can be the foundation for the future.

What those guys have been through at this World Cup will be invaluable and the process starts with them and hard work begins with the very next series.

England are proof how quickly things can change in four years, so long as you have the right approach.

© ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2019. All rights reserved
 
Rabada insists Proteas will learn lessons from World Cup campaign

Kagiso Rabada insists South Africa will be quick to learn the lessons of a difficult campaign.

The Proteas defeat to Pakistan at Lord’s ended their hopes of making the knockout stages, meaning the focus will be on the future ahead of games with Sri Lanka and Australia.

Former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis has urged his one-time team-mates to follow the example of England, who endured a difficult ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup four years ago but have since established themselves as one of the world’s top ODI sides.

And Rabada agrees they’ll emerge stronger for the experience of recent weeks.

“There have been times where we’ve been really unlucky. At the same time, there have been times where we have let ourselves down. But there are plenty of learnings. That’s why we play this game,” said Rabada, at 24 one of a number of twenty somethings in Faf du Plessis’s squad.

“It’s not easy. As much as you want to be at the top, you will never find it smooth sailing. It’s extremely tough and when you’re playing out there, you experience all these feelings, the highs and the lows and that's’ a part of the game.
Now the key is to bounce back and to plan forward and stay positive.

“We will definitely be back firing and looking to really nail some of the things we wanted to nail in this tournament.”

While the batting line-up has been South Africa’s major concern, Rabada’s form is also a talking point. He has taken just six wickets at an average of 50.83, an unexpected performance after an Indian Premier League season where he was the second highest wicket-taker with 25 scalps at 14.72.

And Rabada admitted disappointment with his showing.

“I got a lot more results in the IPL. In this tournament, I think I have just done okay. I would have liked to have done better. These are the tournaments you really want to stand up in,” he added.

But one player has stood up for South Africa, their veteran leg-spinner Imran Tahir who, at 40 years old, is the oldest player in the competition.

He is also South Africa’s leading bowler, and the leading spinner at the World Cup, with 10 wickets at an average of 27.90 and an economy rate of 4.89.

But the biggest lesson South Africa have learnt is from Tahir’s enthusiasm and belief in himself and his ability.

Imran Tahir
Imran Tahir
“Imran has been bowling unbelievably well and his confidence has been high,” said Rabada.

“Sometimes the players who have confidence at the time are the ones who are going to lead. I think he is a leader.

Whatever he does, he is always up for the challenge. We can take a leaf out of his book. He is a leader for our team.”

Tahir has played 105 ODIs for South Africa since his debut in 2011, and is appearing at his third World Cup. He will retire from the 50-over format at the end of this tournament and needs nine more wickets to finish as the seventh-highest wicket-taker in South Africa’s history. He is currently eighth, with 172 wickets at an average of 24.43.

Rabada and the rest of the South African team will want to help send him off on a high.
 
Few careers will end....Amla, Duminy, Tahir, steyn in ODI arena

Even Faf's if they think he cannot be around for next world cup in 4 years time
 
'Heads will roll‚' warns Cricket SA president Nenzani after the Proteas' World Cup shock

Cricket South Africa (CSA) president Chris Nenzani fired a warning shot at the Proteas on Tuesday and said heads would roll after the team's ‘shocking failure’ at the Cricket World Cup in England.

SA surrendered any hopes of reaching the tournament's semifinals with two games still to be played after their 49 runs defeat to Pakistan on Sunday.

Nenzani did not mince his words and said the team's poor performances in England would be high on the agenda when the CSA board meets on July 20.

“What is the best way of putting it‚ it is a shocking failure‚” Nenzani told TimesLIVE on Tuesday.

“We selected the best team available.

"We chose the players we believed were the best in the country to represent the nation at the World Cup.

"We really believed that the team we selected would go out there and compete.”

The South Africans are languishing second from the bottom on the standings with only one win from seven matches.

One of those seven matches was a no-result as it was rained out.

Coach Ottis Gibson and other key members of the management team are approaching the end of their contracts in September and Nenzani said this would be another item on the agenda.

“The tournament is still on at the moment to talk about the coach’s contract.

"But we are waiting for it to finish and we will make an assessment then‚” he explained.

The Proteas have only managed to score more than 300 runs once in seven matches (in the defeat to Bangladesh) and they have not been able to bowl out the opposition.

Their only win came against tournament whipping boys Afghanistan.

The Afghanistans remain at the foot of the table and they've lost all their seven matches.

Nenzani said while changes are inevitable‚ they would be rational during their deliberations for the benefit of the sport in the country.

“We are not going to be irresponsible or irrational in our deliberations during the assessment but we are going to take decisions for the best of the sport in our country.

"Definitely‚ there are going to be changes in the set-up.

"But at the moment I can’t say what is going to be nature and form of those changes.”

https://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/c...nt-nenzani-after-the-proteas-world-cup-shock/
 
MenInG said:
Jacques Kallis: South Africa should use England’s blueprint for World Cup recovery

South Africa need to take inspiration from England as they rebuild their team for the next ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Four years ago, England were perhaps one of the lowest ranked teams in the world after really struggling at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

However, they used the disappointment of their performances in 2015 to rebuild their team and totally change their mentality and approach to one-day cricket.

England now play without fear and aren’t afraid to make mistakes. For me, South Africa have approached things too defensively at this tournament and they need to attack each match with much more positivity going forward.

You don’t need to make wholesale changes, England are still captained by Eoin Morgan, as they were four years ago.

Some will demand everything is changed but a total clean out is just not the way ahead, we need to be more considered and thoughtful.

The first thing that needs to be looked at is the brand of cricket South Africa are playing and all the players will want to be part of that conversation.

In my career I always improved after a setback, that’s sport. It’s human nature to want to learn when things don’t go according to plan.

There will need to be some honest conversations and they will need to trust each other. However, you cannot keep chopping and changing a team and I don’t think they will

South Africa have some great young players in their 20s (Kagiso Rabada, 24, Lungi Ngidi, 23, Andile Phehlukwayo,23, and Aiden Markram, 24) and they can be the foundation for the future.

What those guys have been through at this World Cup will be invaluable and the process starts with them and hard work begins with the very next series.

England are proof how quickly things can change in four years, so long as you have the right approach.

© ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2019. All rights reserved
Click to expand...

RSA should never use England's blue print. Blue print of india after 2007 exit will be much better.
 
27 June - Chester-le-Street - South Africa player JP Duminy pre-match press conference

Q. JP, does you being at the press conference mean you are going to get a game tomorrow?
JP DUMINY: We'll find out later after practice. Team selection is after practice, so I'm hoping that there is an opportunity, yes (smiling). Two games left, it would be nice to end playing a game in a World Cup, yeah.

Q. JP, how disappointing would it have been to have come to this World Cup and only played three games after you have already announced you will be retiring from ODI cricket?
JP DUMINY: It is disappointing, yes. It is not the biggest disappointment. If I had played three games and we had made a play-off, or fought for the title, I think anyone, particularly myself, would be in a lot happier position.

I think the most disappointing part has been our team performance and I think it will be amiss of me not to mention how disappointed we are particularly letting all our fans down back home. It's been pretty dismal from our part and we wish we could point out one thing that, or the reason why we haven't performed, you know.

I think we've put in a lot of effort in terms of our preparation, in terms of our strategy, going out there with a good mindset, a strong mindset. But, unfortunately, we haven't been able to produce and executed our plans and that's been the most disappointing part for all of us, including myself.

And yeah, we obviously want to apologise to the public and the South African fans for letting them down. You know when you represent your country it is always a proud moment and you understand that you represent 50, 60 million people, that is a proud moment in itself.

And when you put in performances like that, you know, you in a way almost feel ashamed of that. But we know that it's not all lost, even though yes, it's a World Cup and I believe that this team will come back stronger. There will be some sort of introspection around where we have gone wrong, and that's going to be some conversations ahead post-World Cup and, as I said, I believe that we will come back stronger.

Q. JP, it's a slightly different, well maybe a very different dynamic for you because you'd already announced you were retiring and that. Just maybe if you can give us some insight into how this tournament has felt for you because you are retiring at the end, compared to some of the other guys who still have a future, who still have to carry on and pick up the pieces if you like?
JP DUMINY: (Smiling) The last thing I would have thought is playing the first three games and being left out, particularly after a retirement call. But that's the nature of the beast, you know. You're never guaranteed a selection.

Nobody -- everybody has an opportunity not to be selected if you are not putting in performances.

It's a bittersweet moment for me, you know, wanting to end off on a real high in terms of international one-day cricket, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be and I think the important thing for me is when you reflect post-World Cup as to see where I could have done better, but also you're kind of in a space of awe.

Why I say that is because you are sort of looking back not only on a World Cup, you are looking back on a 15-year career and that's something that I'm very proud of and very grateful for.

To be able to date play 197 games, it is not something that I've thought about or dreamt of being a young boy. So those are the sort of positives that you will take away. But yes, it is a little bit different for guys that will carry on because, as you said, they have to pick up some of the pieces that have fallen in this World Cup.

But I think that is what makes a strong South African team. We have always been resilient, we have always had opportunities to come back and that is why I said there will be opportunities to come back and I have no doubt that this team will come back stronger and be even more prepared and driven to put in a really a good performance in four years' time.

Q. If you can elaborate on that, what that process looks like? When the guys get home, what does Cricket South Africa do in terms of taking those steps to recover from this?
JP DUMINY: I wish I could give you an answer. I'm not sure. Obviously, we heard reports that heads will roll.

If I look at our management staff, and the amount of work they have put in over the last two years...

And it's always a difficult one when they bear the most brunt of our performances. The important thing for us is to take responsibility for that and sort of stand up and be man enough to know that you know we have come up short. They have given us the support. They have given us all the backing that we need to go out there and put in big performances, but we are the ones that have come up short.

So in terms of the decisions that Cricket South Africa make, that's out of my hands. I wouldn't -- I don't know what decisions will be made. But going on the back of previous World Cups, there will probably be some shifting and I think that's the reality that we all understand.

What shifting will take place, that's out of my hands, but it's important for us to be accountable for our actions.

Q. JP, is there a -- we all know South Africans in this room about Vision 2019 and all of these things that went into this World Cup in terms of planning and everything else. It was possibly South Africa's most ever-planned World Cup. And the team have been so utterly uncompetitive in most of their games. Does that make you think that science is lying? Is it a worry that -- if you do all that, how can it go so badly? Is that a worry?
JP DUMINY: I wouldn't say it's a worry in that science is a liar. I think it's a combination of a few things. I think you have to understand what play science has in the game. I've always been a big fan of the mental side of the game, so that is an important facet that we need to make sure we cover.

Are things put in place for us to be mentally fresh, mentally strong when it comes to the pressure moments of the game? So, that's -- those are kind of things that we want to reflect on.

In terms of our preparation, were guys fresh? Were guys technically sound? There's a whole host of things that one can reflect on and point fingers at, but I'm always going to come back to the fact that, particularly at this level, you are accountable for your own game.

There's a lot of mature guys in this team that have been around for two or three World Cups and, unfortunately, we haven't had the answers for the questions that have been posed at us this World Cup and that's a difficult pill to swallow.

With myself, this has been my third World Cup, coming here, pretty confident that I can put in big performances for the team and not being able to do that. I walk away feeling pretty disappointed with that and I think everybody will have that self-reflection and, for me, that's the most important thing.

Q. JP, you have been around quite a long time. And you have seen a lot of things happen. It does look like this time there is a lot more kind of outside stuff going on and I'm wondering... You have seen administrations change and so on. How much has the outside stuff played a role in what is going on here? How much do you think about Saker taking CSA to court etc?
JP DUMINY: Honestly, I think it's had no part. We've been strong, particularly the leadership of the team. We have been strong in the fact we have created a bubble and there are certain things that we understand where that sits. It sets outside the bubble.

So coming here, that has been the last thing on our mind. We had one mission, and that was to play really good cricket in this World Cup and give yourselves a good chance to get into the play-offs and take it from there.

Unfortunately, we have come up short and our skills haven't been good enough on this trip. From a batting perspective, you know, nobody's stood up to score hundreds, partnerships, no hundreds. From a bowling perspective, we had opportunities, but unfortunately we have never closed it down.

So, those are the things that we need to reflect on, you know.

Outside influences: We are mature group of men that have come along for a long way and we can't use that as an excuse. We are professionals and I think we've created a good environment and a culture that understands how to block out the negativity and we know that there is a job at hand and we have got to find a way to get it done.

Q. Looking ahead post-World Cup, your plans? You are playing t20 cricket. Are there coaching plans? Commentary plans? There must be vacancies coming up. Is that part of the plan going forward?
JP DUMINY: (Laughter) I haven't looked that far. Obviously, got a few t20 leagues lined up and just taking it series by series and seeing how things unfold.

With getting older, the body takes its toll, so kind of assessing that, understanding where my family is, young family growing you want, so I want to be at home, and just kind of planning and thinking about what's next in terms of post-playing cricket.

Obviously, I had a few stints in the commentary box which I enjoyed and hopefully I don't chirp the current players too much (smiling).

Q. JP, your career, will always be remembered for that 166 you got in Australia, but inconsistencies as you have gone along, how much are you using these two games if you are selected to leave on a real high note and be remembered for a hundred tomorrow?
JP DUMINY: I don't say this boastfully, I say this because I think it's the honest truth.

For me, legacy is not in performance. I think legacy is the person you are. And, for me, it's about being a good person, it's about influencing people in the right way. So that, for me, is the biggest legacy.

There is no doubt that I want to put in a big performance for the team, for the public, for the fans that have supported us through thick and thin.

But, for me, the legacy lies in when people look back, or think of you and they've had the opportunity to interact with you. I don't think a hundred is the thing they remember. They remember the impact you had on their life and I think that is the most important thing for me.

The friendships that I have formed with this group of men that we have and previously before, those are the things that I will hold on to.

You know, playing for South Africa, there is no doubt that performance is one of the most important things and it doesn't stop you from wanting to put in big performances but ultimately, for me, that is not the end all and be all.

Q. JP, you said post-World Cup how motivated are you guys to stop Sri Lanka in having a chance of qualifying for the semifinals? They still have a couple of games left, about tomorrow's game?
JP DUMINY: No, I wouldn't say that's a mission of ours. I think the important mission for us is to play good cricket. The cricket we know and the brand we know we are capable of playing and I think if we do that, particularly tomorrow, and the game against Australia, we give ourselves the best chance of beating them.

We played good cricket against Sri Lanka, in Sri Lanka a few months ago and recently in South Africa, so we know we can beat them. We can put in big performances but the important thing is to look introspectively and how we are going to do that.

We don't have a grudge against Sri Lanka to want to kick them out of the World Cup. It is not about that. I think the important thing for us is to make sure we put in a big performance.

Q. JP, you touched a bit on the comments that have been made by former players. Do you feel as though that just becomes part of the job, that you become critical of the national team, especially when the team hasn't performed? You yourself, you have been in this position before in the commentary box. What does the leadership group, the guys like Hash, Faf, yourself who have been here for a long time think about that sort of criticism and does it harm the team?
JP DUMINY: I think there will be certain guys that will take it personally, but again like I mentioned earlier about the bubble, those kind of things stay outside of the bubble and we try and keep it out as much as possible.

But the difficulty with that is certain guys will have relationships with past players and if a past player has a comment, whether it is a negative or positive, or whatever it may be, it can possibly affect certain players.

The important thing for me is that we understand the context of where it comes from and why it is coming from there.

I think a big part of it is that past players still feel a part of a team and they feel the sort of pain possibly of the poor performance and they want to see guys putting in big performances, but when you have agendas, that is something that's out of our control and we have -- it's difficult for us to have a say over that because we don't understand the agenda, where it comes from, what's the meaning behind it and that is why it's important for us to keep it outside of the bubble as best as possible.

At the moment, the most important thing is what's inside and that is this group of players and the management and we need to try and look after them as best as possible so whatever happens outside, that's their own prerogative and at the end of the day, they know the real reason why they are saying what they are saying and that is out of our control.

Q. Sri Lanka's coach said that once a team has been knocked out of the World Cup, they can either rock up to the field playing with freedom, or with one foot already on the plane. You guys probably want the former to happen. How do you make sure that that's what happens then?
JP DUMINY: I think that's a personal thing. From a leadership point of view, you can speak about that but ultimately you need to make that decision for yourself.

Is your foot on the plane or does that give you a sense of freedom? I 100 percent agree with the freedom. Just go out and play your natural game, your naturally-gifted game.

And that's not a cop-out. That is just an understanding that you have almost the licence to just go out and play with the freedom that you were allowed to play with almost as a young kid and play with a smile on your face, play to enjoy the game and that's the kind of mentality that I certainly want to end my international one-day career with.

Just enjoying, having fun with my friends on the field and understand what a huge privilege it was to represent my country so many times and you should never take that for granted and if any of us has one foot on the plane, that means you are taking it for granted. And that is definitely something that we don't encourage.
 
Duminy determined to end international ODI career on a high with South Africa

South Africa will approach their last two matches at this ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup with the joys of youth, according to middle-order batsman JP Duminy.

With just one win from seven matches, South Africa are unshackled from the pressures of needing to qualify for the semi-finals.

And Duminy believes it could bring out the best in them when they take on Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street on Friday.
“(It’s a chance to) go out and play your natural game, your naturally-gifted game - and that’s not a cop-out. That is just an understanding that you have almost the licence to just go out and play with the freedom that you were allowed to play with almost as a young kid and play with a smile on your face and play to enjoy the game," Duminy said.

For Duminy, that mindset is even more crucial because this tournament is his last. The 35-year old announced his retirement from ODI cricket prior to the World Cup and wants to end his 15-year career on a happy note.

“That’s the kind of mentality that I certainly want to end my international one-day career with: just enjoying, having fun with my friends on the field and understanding what a huge privilege it was to represent my country so many times,” he continued.

“It’s something you should never take for granted.”
Duminy has played 197 ODIs for South Africa and if he plays the remaining two games, will end with 199 caps.

He could have had a few more but was benched after the first three matches of the tournament, having got into double-figures only once, and admitted that has made this experience bittersweet.

“The last thing I would have thought is playing the first three games and being left out, particularly after a retirement call,” he said.

“But that's the nature of the beast. You’re never guaranteed a selection.”
Instead, Duminy hopes he will leave a legacy in conduct and be remembered as a good team man.

“For me, legacy is not in performance. I think legacy is the person you are. It's about influencing people in the right way,” Duminy said.

“When people look back or think of you and they've had the opportunity to interact with you. I don't think a hundred is the thing they remember. They remember the impact you had on their life and I think that is the most important thing for me.”
But that does not mean Duminy is not hungry for a few more big shots and he wants to see South Africa play to their potential before they leave the World Cup.

“The important mission for us is to play good cricket, the cricket we know and the brand we know we are capable of playing,” Duminy said.

Then he expects South Africa to return home and rebuild, with the young players that are part of this squad as the base and the older players like him around as a sounding board ahead of the next time they play at a major tournament.

“We have always been resilient, we have always had opportunities to come back and I have no doubt that this team will come back stronger and be even more prepared and driven to put in a really good performance in four years’ time,” Duminy said.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JP Duminy "we want to apologise to the public and the South African fans for letting them down" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> <a href="https://t.co/epdUb46NWD">pic.twitter.com/epdUb46NWD</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1144263939972374528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JP Duminy disappointed that he's only played 3 games at the World Cup <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> <a href="https://t.co/SfZvPGZzWZ">pic.twitter.com/SfZvPGZzWZ</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1144266371993415682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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I think Jacques Kallis will be a handy guy to have as their head coach post WC.
 
Amla rolls back the years as South Africa look to end World Cup on a high

Hashim Amla scored 80 not out from 105 balls as South Africa beat Sri Lanka by nine wickets

Amla showed some of the form of old as he and captain Faf du Plessis saw South Africa home

South Africa would love the chance to start this World Cup all over again, but they will have to console themselves with a Hashim Amla throwback instead.

The South African great rolled back the years with a masterclass in Durham on Friday as his side completed a routine nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka.

For what might be the final time at an ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup – Amla laid the platform for a Proteas side that, while already eliminated, are clearly determined to finish with a flourish.

In truth it has not been a World Cup to remember for South Africa or indeed Amla who was roughed up by Jofra Archer in the tournament curtain raiser and has struggled ever since.

One fifty against New Zealand at Edgbaston was all the right-hander had to show for his efforts before his arrival in the north east.

That is a poor return for the man who was once the fastest batsman to 2,000 (40 innings), 3,000 (57 innings), 4,000 (81 innings) and 5,000 (101 innings) runs in ODI cricket.

But at Chester-le-Street, in an enthralling duel with another old master in Lasith Malinga, Amla served up a timely reminder of his talents to an English audience.

He set his stall out early, a delightful clip off his legs through midwicket and push through point both whistled to the rope in the first over – classics of the Amla oeuvre.

He also looked composed against the short ball in a way that he hasn’t in recent weeks as Malinga strained every sinew to try and keep Sri Lanka’s semi-final hopes afloat.

Quinton de Kock was yorked with a peach in the first powerplay but Amla continued on his serene way.

The fluidity and freedom of old had returned and on a spongy wicket that yielded few boundaries all day – Amla had all the time in the world to pick his spots.

His half century, the 39th of an all-time great ODI career, duly arrived off 56 balls and – although Malinga returned with a hailstorm of yorkers – Amla and captain Faf du Plessis dug them out to keep the Proteas rolling to the finish line.

Granted a reprieve on review when on 68, Amla was almost up the stairs on his way to the pavilion before ambling back out to the middle with a smile on his face to finish the job.

Du Plessis quickened the tempo as the target neared – catching and then overtaking Amla who was content to play the anchoring role he has made his own since his ODI debut back in 2008.

Victory was soon theirs – with a whopping 11 overs to spare – Amla and du Plessis both running out of time to score the first South African century of the tournament.

And while a second win of the tournament will not heal the Proteas pain of what has come before, it is a start from which to build some optimism moving forward.

Amla and du Plessis might represent the best of South Africa’s past – but undoubtedly the future belongs to Kagiso Rabada.

The 24-year-old was back to his snarling best with the ball to set up South Africa’s cruise to victory.
With the very first ball of the match he rushed Dimuth Karunaratne with a short ball that was gloved to gully and – having plucked the jewel from Sri Lanka’s crown – it was largely smooth sailing from there.

Rabada returned at the death to pick up a second scalp but in between it was the recalled Dwaine Pretorius who really impressed.

The all-rounder – left out of the Proteas side since that defeat to England a month ago at the Oval – proved worthy of his recall for Lungi Ngidi with three wickets.

But even more impressive than his scalps was the economy rate – ten overs for only 25 runs is the most frugal effort of this World Cup and the sort of numbers to make a qualified accountant like Pretorius very happy.

The re-building will begin in earnest for South Africa after this World Cup – and Rabada and Pretorius should be central to those plans.

Whether Amla will continue deep into the autumn of his career remains to be seen – but it was a treat to watch the great man go to work one last time on a sunny Durham afternoon.
 
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28 June - Chester-le-Street - South Africa Captain Faf du Plessis post-match press conference

Q. Faf, not to sound negative, but why didn't you guys play this the whole tournament?

FAF DU PLESSIS: Well, I think chasing 200 is obviously a little bit easier than chasing 350, by starting your innings off, it is a completely different game, you can bat towards your own tempo. Dwaine bowled well today. The bowlers after the first six overs, the bowlers did a really good job and they put their skills together.

I can't give you the answer why it hasn't happened before. Just today was -- you know, Dwaine didn't play the previous games, so maybe in English conditions he worked really well today and our plan was especially on this wicket, the slower the bowler the harder it is to face, so it worked out perfectly that he was the guy that was going to be successful.

And then with the bat, I have been saying it a lot, the guys have been batting well but only for short periods. And the basics of batting once again. If you get in, someone to bat through the innings, it then becomes easier. So, it's just probably doing the basics better today than we've done in the tournament.

Q. Faf, as a player, how do you see that, at a time when you are striking, both you and Hashim? Does it somewhere, down the line, do you feel that it would have been good had this come earlier in the tournament?

FAF DU PLESSIS: Yes. I personally felt I batted really well throughout the tournament. I have been getting starts, been feeling good. I just haven't been able to convert it into big scores.

But I suppose there's always that fine balance when you are chasing big scores that you have to go through times of risks and times of just playing the pace of the innings.

Today, the pace of the innings was dictated by the batters. When you are chasing a much higher score, the risk of your game goes up quite a bit and, therefore, I've made quite a bit of mistakes trying to take on the game, trying to get to the run rate we've needed.

For me, it's the basics of getting a partnership together. Once you have got that partnership, everything becomes so much easier and batting becomes in your own terms out there and we haven't had enough of that, you know.

Hash has also got one or two starts, but hasn't been consistent enough at all to put us into good positions from a start of the innings point of view.

Q. Faf, obviously the win and the way you guys played will put a smile on your face. You seemed to enjoy yourselves. Imran came and gave you a cuddle on the field. There seemed to be a couple of jokes going about. Chris was doing some push-ups. What is the vibe in the camp like leading up to this game, what's it been like?

FAF DU PLESSIS: It's the first time I have seen Morris do push-ups (laughter). It's been good throughout the tournament. I find that as tough as it's been behind-the-scenes, there has still been a team behind, there's been teamship behind the performances. So, that was never the issue. There was never anything behind-the-scenes that wasn't working. It was purely a case of us not being good enough to beat teams and us letting ourselves down on some other occasions and we have been outplayed one or two times, but we have tried to enjoy it.

But in saying that, it's not, it's difficult to enjoy it all the time when you are not getting the performances that you want, you know. So then we try and get away from the game to make sure that there is still a bit of fun away from the game, so it was really good to see that we could enjoy ourselves on the field today as well.

Q. Faf, the way Hashim batted today, you know, the last three or four years we haven't seen him at his best. Now with this World Cup, where do you see him going from here? Because he's such a key element as we saw today, when he gets going, but with him losing his touch over the years, how do you see his career panning out from here?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Yeah, I know, it's probably stating the obvious, but our dependence on how well and how badly we have done would have been a case of how well our top players scored runs, senior players doing well, and Hash played brilliantly today.

If there was one or two more innings like today we would have sit in a different position. Similar with myself. One or two more scores where I have batted through. Same with Quinny. Those are probably three of our most senior players. The other guys are still young in their careers. Rassie has shown signs for us this year and Aiden is just starting off. But the big scores have been highly-dependent on those top three the last two years and if that happens, we do well as a team.

Q. I think the question about Hashim is, do you think he will continue from here, or have you got any signs of what his plans are?

FAF DU PLESSIS: He said he wants to keep going, so, you know, I think you leave it to a great player to make that decision himself, that is how I see... I see certainly great players almost planning their exit so, you know, if Hash is doing well and he still wants to play, he will keep playing.

Obviously, performances would be important for him to make sure that as any of us in the team that if you are not consistently putting the runs on the board and someone else is pushing you out the team, then you are competing with someone else. So yeah, it's probably still too early to tell.

There will be a sitting down I'm sure after this World Cup where whoever decides what's the way forward, you know, and that discussion will happen then.

Q. A little bit off cricket for a sec. The bees in the end of the Sri Lankan innings, how weird was that? Have you ever been stopped by bees before?

FAF DU PLESSIS: Yeah, I remember the last time, it was at Johannesburg against Sri Lanka, the same thing happened. It is very funny. Looks like someone's just had a machine-gun through all the players on the field and everyone is down on the ground (smiling). Yeah, you are not brave enough when there is a bee, a swarm of bees flying. I think I'm brave, but not that brave (smiling).

Q. Faf, I think it is fair to say that today was the first time that you put together a good bowling performance and a batting performance in the same game.

FAF DU PLESSIS: Yeah.

Q. Can you say at this point if that is because of the pressure of reaching the semis is off, or did you just happen to get it right?

FAF DU PLESSIS: I can't say. I mean, it looks, if you look at the facts, it looks like that. But it's just, we just put it together today. I thought -- I mean, you mention it. Our bowling was working... The last two games there were signs of good bowling and signs of poor bowling. We have chased almost 300 every game. I think 80 percent of the games have been high-scoring games and that is a different beast in a World Cup when you are chasing a big score.

But as I said today, it was a smaller score so I think even if we were still in it chasing 200, it is a far easier task than it is chasing a big score because you are facing against scoreboard pressure, you know, you are looking up, the rate is at nines or tens, and you know you've got to make a play, so I think today was just -- whether this was before, today would have been the same result. We bowled really well. We restricted them to a score and chased it down clinically. So there is learning from both bat and ball that we haven't been good enough with bat or ball at different stages through the tournament.

Q. Faf, in the greater scheme of the World Cup, is this victory a hollow one, or is it one that is a relief after everything that's gone before?

FAF DU PLESSIS: It still feels hollow. It's great winning, obviously, but it does -- it is very, very bittersweet because you know that we've let a lot of people down and that was never the plan. So we will enjoy in the changing room. We will get together and we will enjoy the performance.

But I think when you go back, there will still be that hollow feeling of stuff that could have been in this tournament.

But the crazy thing about this World Cup, it's been a remarkable tournament where different teams on their day can beat anyone and it shows you that if you are not on top of your game, in international cricket, the margins are so small and we will look back now and look back at this tournament as being very disappointing, but there's been a lot of games where the margins were so small.

You know, New Zealand, I remember India when we were bowling well, their second innings, when KG was so unlucky, the margins are so small, and you get something going and that is the end of the game and you look back and it looks like you have been completely outplayed.

But we haven't been great this tournament, but we certainly haven't been that far off the ball.

Q. Faf, you had a challenging start to the tournament with India and England in your first three games, Sri Lanka you have done well against over the past year, a sort of a niggling feeling that if matches had been different, if sequences had been different, things might have panned out a little bit differently for your batting order?

FAF DU PLESSIS: No, definitely. I think it is crucial, especially for a team like us in tournaments like these, that you need to start well. If you start well, your confidence in your team will grow and then from there, anything is possible. But to start the way we did, I mean you come here already with an expectation of needing to do well and then you go zero from three and that expectation becomes a weight on your shoulders. That is a heavy burden to carry.

But we... That's the sport we play. We accept that and we acknowledge that that we put ourselves in that position. I think it's the way you start, I think you get confidence from that, and that first week was a really tough week for us.

Q. Faf, it's becoming a really interesting competition now with the permutations for other teams. How frustrating has it been to watch it from the sidelines now you are out of contention? And how long does this final week become knowing that Australia is only next Saturday?

FAF DU PLESSIS: No, I mean, we will make sure that we enjoy the time that we have. We said to the guys this morning that there were two games left with this group of players playing together. There will be a few players signing off after this and we've got to make sure we put in our best performances for the guys who have served the game so well over the years, you know.

So I think the guys will still be very motivated to do that. I think you could see today that we still came here with a massive intention of trying to fight as hard as we can, even though we are out of the competition. Yeah, it's going to be for the other teams, it's going to be exciting to watch, especially now seeing what England is going to do in their last two games. That will be exciting to see.

But certainly I feel that the better teams are in the positions they are for a reason. Us, West Indies, Sri Lanka, have been the most inconsistent teams, I suppose, and you look at Australia, New Zealand have been very consistent in their performances so they deserve...

This tournament is a lot tougher than it used to be. The quarterfinals -- I remember the previous World Cup, I don't think we played great cricket to get to the quarterfinals but we got to the final. So you can almost afford a few slip-ups in a tournament like that, but with this just semifinals tiers, you have to be on top of your game or you won't make it.

Q. A lot of the time before the tournament you spoke about guys not needing to be superheroes... The bowling of Dwaine Pretorius today, does that epitomise the approach you were looking for? Can you talk to us about the reasons why Dwaine hasn't played since the England game in terms of conditions and that?

FAF DU PLESSIS: I will answer the second part first. As I said on a lot of our occasions, Dwaine has been our No. 7 starting the tournament, but as soon as Dale went down, our bowling attack needed something more, it needed some more oomph, some x-factor, and that is why we went to Morris, and I thought he's had a really good competition.

So there was never really any other options really to look at. It was always a case of Morris versus Pretorius and because he had a bit more pace, and we had a No. 7 and No. 8, you are looking for a bowling all-rounder. And Morris, as I said, he did well.

So, after the previous game I just felt that Lungi's fitness, as I said after the post-match, I just feel like he was a bit underpace-wise where he needs to be and, therefore, for this game, and that conditions that we are playing at, that we were not necessarily looking at pace on this wicket, we were looking for someone that was accurate.

That is what we were looking for from all our bowlers in all conditions. The more accurate you can be the more effective you are. And probably Morris and Tahir and Andile, most of the stages have been the guys that have been really consistent in landing the ball in good areas, and that is why they have been the most consistent.

But today was a case of just we have been trying to find a way for him to play and almost the performance of Lungi the previous game gave us the opportunity to say, "You know what, it is worth a punt on him now."

Q. You said the players not needing to be superheroes...

FAF DU PLESSIS: Yes, okay. That is what it is. It is about doing your job and the basics extremely well and that is not needing to bowl at 160Ks, or swinging the ball both ways consistently. It is literally running and doing the basics of your job as well as you can and that is what he did today.

There was nothing much about his bowling, he just ran in and bowled a good line and length.

But Dwaine is a good example, but also with the bat. We said we want players to play more freely and now you see that that comes with building a partnership.

I said a lot about the style of play we want to play. But in order to get there, you need to put the foundation first and then today was an example of that, getting a partnership going and then there was an opportunity for myself to say right, it is time to put the foot on the gas.
 
Dwaine Pretorius felt like an outsider, stuck on the sidelines as South Africa’s World Cup went wrong but he was integral again on Friday as they claimed a morale-boosting win over Sri Lanka.

The all-rounder had not featured for the Proteas since their tournament opener almost a month ago at the Oval, where he finished wicketless and ran himself out for a duck in their defeat to England.

But he returned in Durham for the already-eliminated South Africa and claimed the man of the match award after taking 3/25 with the ball to set up a nine-wicket win.

The 30-year-old produced the most economical ten overs of the tournament so far, and admitted afterwards that the wait had been starting to get to him.

“I found out yesterday before training (I was in the team), normally I do train quite hard and they asked me: ‘please don’t do that, you will not have energy for the game.’

“I’m glad they did that, I didn’t expect to be playing, I just tried to do what I normally do, be consistent and accurate and hit top of off as often as possible.

“It is a really weird feeling (not being in the team), there are a few of us sitting close to the field, we chat about it.

“It is a tough situation but the players and the group look after us nicely. We were never made to feel like outsiders, even though in your mind you do feel like an outsider because you are not getting opportunities to play.”

Indeed Pretorius feared he had blown his chance: “I hoped (I would get back in), but the seven overs for 42 probably didn’t get me out of the team, it was probably me running myself out! With a great fall, not even a dive. That was what killed me.

“But at the end of the day you have to keep working hard and learn from your mistakes.”

The nine-wicket win was only South Africa’s second of this World Cup – but gives them some hope for the future and their final clash of the tournament with Australia.

Pretorius added: “I am very happy, very happy that we won and that it was a good victory, not just scratching through.

“There are a few more smiles on the faces, but also a few questions like: ‘why now?’”

“There is a t20 World Cup coming, I desperately want to play in that and hopefully this one in four years time in 2023.

“I want to keep myself strong and work on my skills to carve out a niche for myself as the most consistent bowler and hopefully contribute with the bat as well.”
 
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis says his side are determined to enjoy their final week at the World Cup – and that started with a nine-wicket victory over Sri Lanka at The Riverside.

They now have a week until their final match – against Australia – at Old Trafford but are keen to ensure they bow out on a high.

South Africa cannot make the semi-finals after but are trying to make their remaining time in the tournament as fun as possible.

Du Plessis said: “As tough as it's been behind-the-scenes, there's been teamship behind the performances.

“There was never anything behind-the-scenes that wasn't working.

“It was purely a case of us not being good enough to beat teams and us letting ourselves down on some other occasions and we have been outplayed one or two times, but we have tried to enjoy it.

“In saying that, it's not, it's difficult to enjoy it all the time when you are not getting the performances that you want.

“Then we try and get away from the game to make sure that there is still a bit of fun away from the game, so it was really good to see that we could enjoy ourselves on the field today as well.”

South Africa were all smiles after bowling Sri Lanka out for 203, and completing their second-successful chase, and first over 200, at this tournament.

Du Plessis made particular mention of Dwaine Pretorius, who came off the bench to take 3/25, after not playing since the opening match against England.

Pretorius missed out to fellow all-rounder Chris Morris before this match, which du Plessis explained was based on conditions that called for more pace. In Durham, on a slower surface, Pretorius’ consistency cracked the nod.

“We were looking for someone that was accurate,” du Plessis added. “It is about doing your job and the basics extremely well and that is not needing to bowl at 160kph or swinging the ball both ways consistently.

“It is literally running and doing the basics of your job as well as you can and that is what he did today.”

Pretorius set the tone for South Africa to dismiss Sri Lanka cheaply and then bat without pressure in chase of a small target.

South Africa’s top-order enjoyed the opportunity to spend time in the middle and both Hashim Amla and du Plessis scored unbeaten half-centuries, something that had been missing from South Africa’s performances thus far.

Du Plessis put that down to them being under less pressure to score quickly which allowed them to settle.

He said: “Chasing 200 is obviously a little bit easier than chasing 350, by starting your innings off, it is a completely different game, you can bat towards your own tempo.”

South Africa’s comfortable victory cannot change that they will exit early. Despite their disappointment, they are starting to reflect on what du Plessis called a crazy competition, which has sprung its surprises and kept the best teams guessing.

“It's been a remarkable tournament where different teams on their day can beat anyone and it shows you that if you are not on top of your game, in international cricket. The margins are so small,” du Plessis said.

“We haven't been great this tournament, but we certainly haven't been that far off the ball.”
 
South Africa’s Andile Phehlukwayo admits the biggest challenge of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is the speed at which strategies need to change to take on different opposition.
Each of the 10 teams at this edition of the tournament plays the other nine once in the league phase over the course of five weeks, with the top four progressing to the semi-final stage.
And the quick turnaround between games has schooled all-rounder Phehlukwayo, who has featured in every game for the Proteas in this World Cup, in how to plan at the highest level.
“You’ve got to change your game plans and you’ve got to train differently because the opposition is not the same,” said Phehlukwayo after South Africa’s win over Sri Lanka in Durham.
“It’s been my first World Cup and it was really tough but we’ve got to adjust. Because it’s international cricket, you’ve got to be able to adjust and execute.”
Though this is Phehlukwayo’s first senior World Cup, he was part of the South African U19 squad that won the age-group World Cup in 2014 and has experienced the pressure of competing for a title before.
The step up to the biggest stage has shown Phehlukwayo that the margin for error is even smaller and he acknowledged that South Africa slipped into that zone too often.
“We’ve just been short at times. We’re are not far off. It’s just in patches that we’ve lost the game and that’s something in international cricket you can’t do or you don’t win games,” he said.
“You need to win those patches in important games and if you don’t it becomes really tough and you are chasing the game all the time. And you don’t want to be chasing the game.
“You want to be either on par or ahead of the game. That’s something we haven’t been very consistent in at this tournament. Hopefully, that’s something we will take with us and learn from.”
Because South Africa have fallen short in five out of the eight matches they’ve played, they were out of contention for the semi-finals before the Sri Lanka match. Instead, they went into it determined to prove their worth and achieved that with a nine-wicket victory.
“We needed to win after a few sad performances. We owed it to the country and we owed it to ourselves. We’ve been working really hard and it just hasn't been going our way,” Phehlukwayo said.
“A performance like that was long overdue to show that we are not just giving lip service to the things we are saying and we can do it.”
Before the match, South Africa spoke about needing three players to make big plays in their penultimate fixture and that's exactly what happened.
Dwaine Pretorius’ 3/25, Hashim Amla’s unbeaten 80 and Faf du Plessis’ 96 not out earned them a big win. Phehlukwayo was most pleased to see Pretorius, one of his direct competitors in the all-rounder role, make a statement.
“I’m really happy for Dwaine. The work he has been putting in off the field is unbelievable. He hits the most balls and he leaves training last. To see such a performance from him shows the hard work that he’s been putting in,” Phehlukwayo said.
“There’s a reason why we push each other so hard. It’s wonderful for him to come out here and show the country and the world what we can do.”
Phehlukwayo, Pretorius and the rest of the South African squad will have one more opportunity to show their skills on this stage when they play Australia in their final match in Manchester.
 
Tahir prepares for emotional farewell but says the future of South African cricket is in good hands

Imran Tahir is expecting his 107th and final ODI to be emotional but remains convinced the future of South African cricket is in safe hands.

Imran Tahir will retire at the age of 40 after making 107 ODI appearances for South Africa

South Africa have won two of their eight matches at this World Cup and looking to end on a high with victory over Australia

Imran Tahir is expecting his 107th and final ODI to be emotional but remains convinced the future of South African cricket is in safe hands.

Tahir made his ODI debut in February 2011 – just a month before his 32nd birthday – but has still racked up a century of appearances, more than 170 wickets and the most dismissals of any South African at ICC Men’s Cricket World Cups, surpassing Allan Donald earlier in this tournament.

It will all come to an end for the 40-year-old spinner at Old Trafford on Saturday, when the Proteas take on Australia in their final game of this World Cup and he then retires from 50-over cricket.

Tahir will look to finish on a high and help his side to just a third win of the competition but he is anticipating goodbye to be the saddest word.

“As a team, we need to think about finishing on a good note,” he said. “But it makes me feel very sad and emotional that I’m going to leave.

“It was always my dream always to play international cricket and I’m really grateful to everyone who helped me on the way.

“They accepted me for who I was, the guy who came from overseas and got the opportunity and they accepted that.

“It’s a big moment of my life – I always wanted to play cricket and play as long as I could and now is the right time to go. I never thought I’d be here in England playing my last ODI.

“It will be quite a hurtful and sad moment for me but I’ve prepared myself for that, so hopefully it will go well for me and the team.

“I’m not worried about future of the team – we’ve got lots of youngsters. Obviously those youngsters need a bit of experience of international cricket but that happens to all the teams all over the world.

“I strongly believe there is lots of talent but they just need experience and then they’ll get to the stage where everyone wants to see South African cricket.

“People expect higher and a lot from us – this World Cup was totally different but I’m pretty sure things will be fine for South Africa.”

The leg-spinner has become famous for his enthusiastic celebrations when taking a wicket, as the Tahir train leaves the station and, with arms spread wide, chugs endearingly aimlessly around the infield.

The veteran sprints further in celebration than most quick bowlers’ run-ups but he has quashed suggestions that any wickets in a swansong will be met with a new, even bigger celebration.

“There won’t be anything extra because I don’t have a clue what I do when I take wickets to be honest with you!” smiled Tahir.

“I never prepare for these things, they just happen but I’m happy people like it – it’s just my pure passion for the game.

“I got to where I am today by coming through really tough times, so that’s probably why I want to release whatever is inside me.

“Every game and wicket I take is very special but it doesn’t come easy – no international player is just going to give you their wicket, so you have to work hard for it.

“It just gives me a joy and a happiness, so probably the celebrations are the only way I can express myself.”
 
Aussie rivalry still inspires Proteas skipper Du Plessis

South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis is preparing himself for the end of an era but says there is no opponent he would rather be facing to mark the milestone than Australia.

South Africa looking for third victory at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup

Match will be final ODI for veterans Imran Tahir and JP Duminy

South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis is preparing himself for the end of an era but says there is no opponent he would rather be facing to mark the milestone than Australia.

The Proteas’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 campaign finishes at Old Trafford on Saturday, with the semi-finals having been out of their reach for the last couple of games.

It is simply pride they will be playing for after two wins and five losses in the competition but with Imran Tahir and JP Duminy confirming their retirement from ODI cricket following the conclusion of the World Cup, and questions also surrounding other veterans such as Hashim Amla, there is still motivation.

And for Du Plessis, the fact that it will be Australia on the other side of the square only makes the occasion all the more special.

“Once you cross the rope, Australia are my favourite team to play against,” he said. “It’s a great competition between two fierce nations.

“It is always a great battle – the teams are always very competitive. That’s why I love playing against them.

“At the moment, they are a very, very confident team sitting pretty in the World Cup, whereas we’re a little bit off where we need to be but we still need to make sure we’re giving it everything.

“We did target this game when the fixtures came out – as the last game of the group stage we thought it would be a great opportunity to play a match that is almost like a quarter-final but that’s not the case now.

“There’s still a lot to play for though. There are a few guys signing off after the World Cup. This is our last game as a unit and no-one knows what happens next.

“Playing for your country is always special and playing with guys for the last time gives me a lot of pride.”

Turning 35 in a week’s time and with more than 140 ODIs under his belt, Du Plessis knows there are also questions surrounding his own future with the Proteas.

But he doesn’t’ want to make a hasty decision in the heat of the moment, so will allow emotions to settle before deciding what his next move is.

“My plan was to commit fully to the World Cup and not think of anything else further than that,” he added. “I didn’t want my mind to start drifting, I wanted to be completely present as captain.

“Now is not best time to make decisions because you are disappointed. I wouldn’t say I’m emotional but you don’t want to be in this mode when making career decisions.

“I’ll take some time off, reflect what the future looks like for me and what my purpose is. In terms of my own game, the last year is the best I’ve played – performance-wise there are no question marks but it’s about making sure there is a lot of purpose to what I’m doing.

“I’ve had huge belief in myself over the last year, which makes it easy not to consider anything else because my purpose in captaining the team is so strong.

“I’ll take two or three weeks after the tournament, have another look and see what the future holds.”
 
5 July - Manchester - South Africa Captain Faf du Plessis pre-match press conference

Q. Faf, there's been quite a dramatic sort of reversal of fortunes between the two sides from say 18 months ago when, clearly, the Proteas had the upper hand over Australia and, you know, I think the record is you have won eight of the last 11 games. Do you think it is fair to say all the momentum has turned around and it's in Australia's favour at the moment and what does that say about sport and the World Cup in general?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Sure, I think to say that it's been heavily in favour of us -- maybe the scoreline says that but the last series certainly against Australia was a really, really close one, 2-all going into the last, and then putting together our best game of the series in that last game.

And then obviously the World Cup. I think the fact that Australia's been boosted by the two guys coming back into their batting line-up has made them a pretty complete team. There's not many holes in their team now and they've played some really good cricket at this World Cup.

But I think they have some nice confidence also leading into the World Cup, beating I think it was Pakistan, pretty convincingly, and playing well in India as well.

Yeah, but obviously, as you rightly say, they are a very, very confident team probably right now and we probably just are a little bit off where we need to be, but in saying that, once we cross that rope tomorrow, playing against Australia is certainly, for me, you know, my favourite team to play against.

It's a great competition between two fierce nations, so, yes, they are looking pretty where they are sitting in terms of the World Cup, but we are still going to make sure we give it everything.

Q. Faf, when the fixtures came out 18 months ago, whatever it was, was this fixture one that you immediately identified as one that could potentially make-or-break your tournament? Was it always going to be a massive one? And how disappointing is it that it's not?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Yes, we did. We did exactly look at the last game of the World Cup especially with, as I mentioned the other day, the two less teams going into the final stages, it is not a quarterfinal tournament anymore, it is only a top four.

And when we looked at it, it was like "Sure, Australia in the last game will be a great opportunity for possibly one or two of the teams to play the last game almost like a quarterfinal" but it isn't the case now.

Yeah, as I said, we'll still make sure tomorrow's -- there's a lot to play for for us. The discussions within the team is that there's a few guys signing off after this World Cup, it's the last time that we are together as a unit and no-one knows what is going to happen after this tournament and just making sure that we put a lot of pride into that.

Obviously playing for a country is always really special, but losing a few players that won't be together with us in the field again gives me great, not confidence, but a lot of pride to play for for those guys tomorrow.

Q. Are you concerned that the end of this World Cup cycle could mean another sort of glut of Kolpak departures and is there anything that Cricket South Africa or the ICC can do to help?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Good question. I don't -- the ICC certainly not. Cricket South Africa, I know they have been trying to put things into place. There's two, there's almost two groups of players when it comes to South African cricketers. There's I suppose your more of your Test players. For them the Kolpak option is the dangling carrot and then more your white-ball specialist is probably the circuit, the T20 circuit around the world.

So both of those areas is big concerns for cricketers in South Africa. So I think more looking at the one-day side, your players that will move on from the Proteas would potentially move on to the T20 circuit, maybe bar one or two, but that is generally where the opportunities lie for the white-ball players.

So I think, naturally, with some of the guys finishing, they'll do that. I know JP's plan is to play one or two tournaments before he finishes. Certainly, that will become the biggest issue for us to try and stay away from for all players and that's, you know, including myself.

Q. The reason I asked about the ICC is Jason Holder in the past has talked about subsidising salaries and these sorts of things. Is that something that you think would be helpful?
FAF DU PLESSIS: I think that is the perfect world, but we don't live in a perfect world so I don't think -- I think your England, Australia, India will always be the higher-paid nations.

If that changes, it will be amazing for the rest of the world, but I think it's a long, long way from happening and that's one way that you can try and keep -- you look at the -- it is easier for the guys who are playing for England or Australia or India to remain in their countries and just play their cricket there. Obviously the currency is very strong but also the packages that they get paid is obviously a lot different to your smaller nations.

And West Indies are a great example. They probably are the worst off and that is why they have lost so many players to the circuit. So, it would be great to see that happening, but I think it's a long way from happening.

Q. Would you call on the ICC to look at that, to do that?
FAF DU PLESSIS: I think it would be great for the rest of the teams if you could do that. If I had that much power to say that to the ICC I think I would have said it a long time ago, but I know it's a lot bigger than me and, you know, certainly all of the other nations, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies, Pakistan. I think all of us, you know, fall into the same category like maybe your second tier nations and then you get your top tier which is a little bit different.

Q. Faf, this is the first time you have played against David and Steve since Cape Town. What do you think the game learnt since that incident? Do you feel those two guys will forever be tainted or forever remembered by that game?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Certainly, they are extremely hungry to perform at international cricket again. I think any player that is as good as the two of them that will get taken away from playing at the highest stage will come back extremely motivated. And I think you can see that the two of them are and they are doing well and scoring runs.

Yeah, for me, I don't look at it like that. Whether the game will remember them for that, I don't think so. I think their records and their performances will speak much louder than one incident as a once-off and I think they are probably better, not -- I won't say people -- but if you can look at them now you can see as a team, obviously, the Australian culture looks like it's really good, so they have learnt from that and they have made themselves stronger for it and I think that's a good sign for anyone. All of us make mistakes. It is about how you learn and how you move forward.

Q. Faf, has there been any chat about the events in the Kingsmead stairwell, or what happened on the field in Cape Town amongst yourself, Quinton, has there been any chat in the team?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Not really, apart from me putting a shirt on next time (smiling).

No, no, no chat. It was quite a funny -- it was serious but it was funny watching that video, so that's probably something we will be remembered for, the stairwell, but no, certainly not. We saw it as a very, after that, a very, very light-hearted thing.

Q. Faf, to take you back to the bigger picture. It's not been a great World Cup for South Africa and there's all sorts of people calling for all sorts of change in the bigger system of the game in South Africa. Do you agree that a lot has to change and what do you think that change might need to be?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Sure, that's a question that's way above my pay grade (smiling). I don't -- it's difficult for me to say. I don't know to the context of what have people been saying needs to change. Yeah, I think Cricket South Africa is in a good place. It's producing young cricketers.

If you look at the last year or two, there's been so many young cricketers jumping through into the main side, probably more than ever, so that means there is talent, there's definitely talent and we are performing, you know, and obviously prior to this World Cup we are performing, we have been playing winning cricket, so long as you are producing cricketers that are winning there is nothing that needs to change.

The question would come in is when you start losing consistently as a team and then you go "Right, what do we need to change here?" Right now, obviously people would be very, very disappointed and so are we as a team, but I don't think it's not desperate times calling for desperate measures yet.

I think it is just having a bit of time after this World Cup for everyone to go their separate ways and just sit and think what needs to be done, where does the team need to move forward, what decisions need to be made for this team to move forward, you know.

I don't feel there is a style of cricket that needs to change in any way. I think the last year certainly we have looked at a style of cricket that we have wanted to play and we have played that style of cricket, but I can tell you that it is easier playing that style of cricket in a five-match series because if you make a mistake you get another opportunity.

When you come here, you want to play that style of cricket and that's the plan, but as soon as things don't go well, then obviously the lights get shined on your mistakes even more and it is really, really challenging to keep trusting that way of playing and, obviously, form will always play a role in trying to play that style.

And I thought, as I said before the tournament, the success of us going through to the semis, or possibly go to the final, even winning it, we rely on this team being in form and there has been probably a little bit too many of our players short of runs and wickets and then you'll never make, especially like I said with the new format, with only four teams.

Q. Being captain of an international side is a stressful experience even when everything is going smoothly. Have you given any thought to your own future as captain or future as a South Africa player?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Yes, as I said, now, I'm, I think the same for me. My almost, like, plan for myself was to commit fully to the World Cup and not even think of anything else further than the World Cup because I didn't want my mind to start drifting into the future, I wanted to be completely present in this World Cup.

And now the same thing for me applies. I'll -- right now is possibly not the best time to be making decisions because you are disappointed -- I won't say emotional -- but you don't want to be in this mode when you are making career decisions. So, for me, it will be a case of taking some time off and reflecting what does the future look like for me as well, what's my purpose going forward, is it still playing all three formats for South Africa? Those are the things that I would need to consider.

I feel in terms of my own game, the last year is certainly the best I have ever played. I still believe I'm on top of my own game, so performance-wise there is no question marks there.

It's just making sure that there's a lot of purpose to what I'm doing and a lot of purpose in my cricket and I've had a huge belief the last year and it's been very easy for me to not even consider anything else because my purpose in captaining this team are so strong that I didn't even think of anything else.

So that will probably, two or three weeks after this tournament, just having a real look at that and seeing what the future holds for me over the next year, two years.

Q. Faf, the incident in Cape Town, is it an area that will be discussed during the game? Is it something you can use when it comes to the verbals?
FAF DU PLESSIS: No, not at all. We have played against each other since then. As I said, it's not -- for me playing against Australia has always been a great battle because you face a team that's always very competitive and you face -- and that is what I love about playing against Australia.

There was certainly no talk about the past or bringing up comments. As I said back then, and I will say it now, I believe as a team we are a pretty low-key team when it comes to verbals.

We just try and get on and play the game and certainly the last few games playing against Australia that is exactly the same, the same from them.

Q. Can you give us an injury update on Miller and Ngidi?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Miller is not 100 percent for the next game and Lungi was fit the previous game, but we just decided to go with a different balance, so that will probably be going in with the same team.

Q. Faf, taking it back a little bit, I have asked a few players this this week. Obviously, 20 years ago is one of the great one-day matches played between Australia and South Africa in a World Cup here in England. I was interested in your memories and I guess where you saw the game, how you saw the game -- and I know you were very young then?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Yeah, I don't remember them as great (smiling). I remember them as being said, but for you guys it was amazing.

Yeah, funnily enough, because you, or myself, were quite young at that stage but you watch the game and you didn't understand the finer details of the game and like watching it back now, you see a completely different game.

I see South Africa cruising and then Warney coming on and bowling, one ball hitting on the toe and going to slip, and you are thinking DRS, could it have been different?

And then you watched the last over and you like think Lawrence basically was batting, he was seeing the ball this big, so you could take down a boundary at any stage of that over.

But then you put yourself in that situation, you go it's actually, in that moment, it's not always as easy as it looks, you know, there's not that clarity of thinking because there's so many pressure on that period of the game and it's easy to sit now and go well, "Why wasn't there a discussion between the batter and the tailender saying 'Listen, I'm going to take care of this bowler'?"

But it doesn't work -- everything happens so quickly. So I just look at the game now obviously a lot different because I have gone through a lot of these events as well now, but yes, Australia -- the catch of Herschelle -- like I watched, then and I go, "Like, it looked like he was out" but it wasn't a catch. Small margins in the game that completely went against South Africa, especially in that one game.

Then you look at the great knock that Steve Waugh played. So it's nice watching it now, but tomorrow will be another great opportunity for hopefully one of those great games. Hopefully, great for us (smiling).
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Faf du Plessis regarding David Warner and Steve Smith "all of us make mistakes and it's about how you learn and move forward" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvSA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvSA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZuUMhAOV0a">pic.twitter.com/ZuUMhAOV0a</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1147407678416797696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Rassie van der Dussen relished batting against Australia’s full-strength attack at Old Trafford in South Africa’s best performance of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

In his first meeting against Aaron Finch’s team, the 30-year-old scored a career-best 95 runs off 136 balls and shared in a 151-run third-wicket stand with captain Faf du Plessis.

It was South Africa’s highest-partnership of the tournament and van der Dussen hopes his innings establishes him as a player who can perform in tough situations.

“I would like to be a guy that performs under pressure and performs when the team is down and when the team really needs it,” van der Dussen said.

“Any World Cup game is a high-pressure environment and I felt I did fairly okay. Luckily today’s innings contributed to a match-winning cause.”

Van der Dussen was forced to take his time to settle after being hit on the helmet by Pat Cummins off the 13th ball he faced, before offering Alex Carey a stumping chance when he was on five.

His first boundary came off the 33rd ball he faced but he was in no rush after Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram put on 73 runs in the first 10 overs to give South Africa their best first Powerplay of the tournament.

The speedy start meant van der Dussen could be more circumspect, especially with du Plessis providing support at the other end.

“It was tough upfront. I didn't really get going like I normally do and like I wanted to. I found it a bit difficult to rotate and they didn't give me any free runs,” van der Dussen said.

“Faf was really good. He got me through that tough period. He is so experienced and he has seen it all. He kept our momentum going. I knew if I could stay in, I could catch up.”

As his innings developed, van der Dussen grew in confidence and found the boundary more easily.

He was in sight of a century as in the final few overs, but wickets at the other end meant he fell five runs short, something which he was happy to accept because South Africa won.

“The key was to keep staying in, keep that positive intent and luckily late in my innings I could get a few boundaries away,” he continued.

“It was disappointing not to get a hundred but it wasn’t my day for a hundred. I’ll take the victory with a 95 rather than a hundred and a loss. It was still a good day.”

South Africa have not had too many good days at this tournament, with only three wins from their nine matches and one no result against the West Indies.

They fell out of contention for the semi-finals more than two weeks ago, on June 23, when they lost to Pakistan and have spent the time since hoping to show what they were capable of.

Victories over Sri Lanka and Australia have done that, as has the form of van der Dussen, who has emerged as their find of the tournament.

After making his debut against Pakistan in January this year, van der Dussen has quickly made his mark on the international stage.

He has six half-centuries to his name, including three at this World Cup and finished the competition as South Africa’s second-highest run-scorer, behind du Plessis, and is ready to embrace his role as a key player in South Africa’s future.

“I know I can play a role going forward in our team environment. I will take a lot from this World Cup, a lot of experience, a lot of learnings,” van der Dussen said.

“I will try and apply that going forward. If I get my chance again, I will try to be at my best and try to grow as a player.”
 
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis paid tribute to his two retiring players, leg spinner Imran Tahir and middle-order batsman JP Duminy.

The pair signed off on a winning note after South Africa’s thrilling 10-run victory over at Old Trafford.

The duo played alongside du Plessis for the bulk of his career and formed the senior core of South Africa’s squad.

And despite a disappointing World Cup campaign, du Plessis praised their individual efforts over the years and hailed their contributions to South African cricket.

He said: “They are two players who I have got so much respect for.

“Imran has got such incredible passion and love for the game of cricket. He commits to whatever team he plays for and is such a big-hearted player.

“He is hands down South Africa’s best celebrator ever. And JP is the father figure of the side. He has been my sounding board. He is the guys who has the conversations with players.”

Tahir remains available for T20 Internationals but Duminy confirmed he has played his last match for South Africa in all formats although du Plessis hopes he will become involved with the squad in future.

“He is perfectly suited as a mentor and someone who can help young players deal with what they are feeling,” du Plessis added.

Mental preparation has been a focal point for South Africa at major tournaments especially when it comes to pressure situations.

In the last two World Cups, South Africa have been knocked out the competition in nail-biting circumstances - in the quarter finals in Dhaka in 2011 and semi-finals in Auckland in 2015 - but this time, they did not run it that close.

They were out of contention for the final four after seven matches and played two dead rubbers, including the one against Australia in Manchester.

Still, South Africa wanted to show what they are capable of and used the occasion to make a statement about the kind of performances they can put on.

They scored 325/6, asking Australia to pull off the highest successful chase of the competition, and defended it in fine style and du Plessis was not surprised to see Australia bring the best out of his players.

He added: “When we play against Australia, my message is to just make sure that you are there to look the opposition in the eye and fight for your country.

“I think it brings the best out of all of us as a team. We have probably played our best cricket the last two years against Australia because we do raise our intensity a little bit more, which should be there for all games, but I can't tell you why it's not.”

Instead, du Plessis said South Africa will leave this World Cup a wounded, but united, outfit who hope to come back stronger at the next event in four years’ time.

“The one thing that has been true to and consistent through losing and winning has been the team morale.

“We showed great unity in tough circumstances and that's when you get tested as a team, that cracks can appear and you can really start blaming each other and I never felt that this tournament,” he said.
 
6 July - Manchester - South Africa Captain Faf du Plessis post-match press conference

Q. Faf, you saw the amount of people that waited for you outside when you came off the field. What do these type of victories mean for the people back home especially considering the way the campaign went?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Yeah, I mean, it's probably difficult to describe it because all of us are very, very passionate about playing for the Proteas, you know.

I have said that on so many times that that's been my absolute purpose the last year. I haven't even looked at anything else because there is such a big desire to play for the Proteas and do well so, obviously, when it doesn't go according to plan, which it didn't do for the first seven games of this tournament, then it hurts because you are very proud to play for the Proteas.

So I'm, you know, after a tough tour, I'm just glad that hopefully the team could put a small smile on the South African supporters' faces again. I know they just as much as we do enjoy beating Australia. There's always rivalry there so a small smile, but we'll take it.

Q. Faf, there was lots of hugs and lots of emotion when you scored a hundred, when you walked off the field and even during the innings break, Ottis Gibson was hugging everyone.
FAF DU PLESSIS: I've said it a few times that I think the one thing that has been true to and consistent through losing and winning has been the team morale.

Yes, obviously, we've been very disappointed how it's gone. I never really felt that behind closed doors that there was excuses being made or fingers being pointed at players in the team, or coaching staff, and that's a real positive for me to take away from a disappointing tour that the one positive, bar the last two games, has been the fact that we do -- there's more that we do than just cricket, you know.

As a team, we showed great unity in tough circumstances and that's when you get tested as a team, that cracks can appear and you can really start blaming each other and I never felt that this tournament.

So, that is a real positive for me as the captain, that I can say I'm really proud of that, that things are right in the team. Obviously, performances, we weren't up to scratch where we needed to be in the first seven games. Inconsistent. But the last two games have been brilliant. We've played some remarkable cricket and it's sad that it didn't happen earlier.

But it was always -- I mean, I have said it and it doesn't sound probably not right. But we weren't far off. It is a case of like someone getting a hundred, or one bowler bowling well on the day. And that's the small margins of international cricket.

The teams here have been very, very strong and if you are not on top of your game, you get beaten and we were on the wrong side of that this tournament.

Q. Faf, what did you identify before the game as the being the real keys on knocking off Australia and a tip on who wins it from here?
FAF DU PLESSIS: You need to be up for the fight when you play Australia, up for the challenge. It is a team that if you slightly off in terms of being up for the fight, they will bully you and that is a fact.

They have shown that on a lot of occasions, so that's always my message when we play against Australia, just make sure that you are there to look the opposition in the eye and fight for your country.

It doesn't mean abuse but it is just that presence that you have. And I felt, I think it brings the best out of all of us as a team. We have probably played our best cricket the last two years against Australia because we do raise our intensity a little bit more, which should be there for all games, but I can't tell you why it's not.

But for me, personally, when I get confronted with playing against Australia, there's an extra motivation for me because it's been past successes I have got through and I can rely on that. The second part was going forward?

Q. Who wins it?
FAF DU PLESSIS: It's difficult. I think Australia and India has proven it time and time again. They are teams that win big games. You mean it's hard to look past Australia and the success they've had in winning World Cups, as much as we would like to say we want to compete with that. The confidence that an Australian team comes into a World Cup with, what was it four or five times that they have lifted the trophy? That confidence is just like an extra player on your team so Australia would be -- they've got a tough game in the semifinal. They would probably prefer playing against New Zealand, so I would say one of Australia or India.

Q. Faf, there was a pretty emotional celebration after you got your hundred. Was that your last one-day knock for the Proteas?
FAF DU PLESSIS: It was just -- I have been batting, I felt like I have batted really well throughout this competition and I had high expectation of myself as a player but also as a captain to lead from the front, you know, I wanted to be -- my goal was to make sure that I'm the leading run scorer for this team and I wanted to lead from the front.

So the fact that I have been batting really well the whole tournament and so desperate to get a hundred because... I can't talk about getting hundreds if I'm not getting hundreds myself. I need to do that firstly and then only I can look at other players.

So the fact that I have been getting 50s and 60s right through the tournament and the previous game would probably have got a hundred if there was more time, but obviously just a bit too late in that regard.

But I was just, I suppose, a relief of emotion showing that I'm -- I've been really wanting to get that hundred for the team, so that was purely the reason for that.

And then going forward, yeah, I don't know right now. As I said before the previous, or the before the game yesterday (smiling), I love playing for South Africa and I hope that that is still something that I -- but the big thing for me is to have purpose as a leader.

I don't want to just play games for the sake of playing games. When I play I want to make sure I'm motivated to keep doing it and right now sitting here I am still, very very much motivated, but it's...

I decided way before this World Cup that I was going to play the World Cup, win or lose, good or bad, and then after the tournament sit down and just like anything just relook at what how hungry you are, how motivated, what has Cricket South Africa, what is their plans? So those things will happen over the next three, four weeks. But I really enjoyed today so it will be hard to walk away from the feeling of today and playing international cricket.

But that will probably be decided in front of a fireplace with a glass of red wine in my hand (smiling).

Q. Faf, Imran Tahir and JP Duminy played their last games today, a word about their contribution especially under your captaincy?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Two guys I've got so much respect for. You know, Imran, if we go right back, Imran started with me at the Titans. He was straight out of Pakistan and it was like from Lahore into the Titans, so I have played a long time with Immy and I played with him in the IPL as well. He's just got an incredible amount of passion and love for the game of cricket and he really commits to whichever team he plays for because he's such a big-hearted player.

He's got the same amount of energy everywhere he goes. If he is playing a domestic game or international game, South Africa's hands down by far our best celebrator ever, so I hope that people will remember that because that inspires kids, you know.

Kids will, when they are running around they want to do what Immy does, so yes he's been a fantastic cricketer but in terms of what he brings to our team, has been really special because he is a really caring person.

So, yeah, I'll make sure that I keep pushing him to be hungry to play for us in the T20 World Cup. He will be a big player. So over the next while I think he will be released a little bit from international commitments so we can make sure we can get him back in a year's time for that T20 World Cup.

And JP has been the father figure of the team for a long time now, he's been my soundboard in the team, he's a very wise man. So it's always nice for me to have him around to talk to him about how I'm feeling, what's the team's feeling. He's the guy that has the conversations with guys in the team just how they are feeling, how they are going, so he is the father figure in the side.

I know with him it's, you know, over the last year or two, it's probably not gone as well as he would have liked, but he's had a great career and he can be incredibly proud of what he produced for... I think he's played the most one-day cricket in our team right now so the most experienced. So I wish him well for what lies ahead.

I'm sure it will be in cricket. I think he will be perfectly suited, even in the future for the Proteas, to just be a bit of a mentor to help young players deal with what they are feeling because he's a "What are you feeling kind of guy?" He loves that chat (smiling). So, I think there will be a good space for him to move into that.

Q. Faf, do you think that plans for 2023 should start as early as possible in terms of a four-year cycle and identifying a blueprint and one coach and one captain and one group of players, or kind of working together for that whole period? Is that something we should be doing?
FAF DU PLESSIS: In a perfect world, yes. Obviously two guys are retiring, but maybe one or two more guys are a little bit older now so in a perfect world you would like to do that.

I think there is a still a space for the in between of now and four years' time, so if your plan is to start introducing some young players, I think you need to have some experience around those players because they learn very quickly from those guys. From a leadership point of view, whoever is going to be the next captain, I think there is still a lot of value of playing with me for a year or two to make sure that they can learn and grow and mature into what will be the next World Cup.

I think to completely cut off everything is not necessary. I think probably four or five players make space into the team and then you start phasing it out by getting players ready four years' time.

The last part was the coach question. I said initially the plan was for me and Ottis to go to the T20 World Cup so that is in a year's time. For us it was not to look past that, both of us, so that will be if Cricket South Africa believes they can do that and change the coach and captain probably after that tournament and still have what will be two-and-a-half, three years before the World Cup, that's also a possibility.

But I don't have any idea what they are thinking, so I haven't had conversations with anyone back home, so I assume that all of that stuff will fall on to my plate after this (smiling).

Q. Just a word about Rassie's innings and the form he's shown at this tournament. He's had to wait a long time for his chance on the international stage. What was it like batting with him today?
FAF DU PLESSIS: I mentioned it in a post-match with Mark Nicholas, he asked me the same question. I said today was a great example of Rassie for young players out there, that you start your innings and everything is going wrong, like he's hitting every fielder, five off 30 balls or 20 balls or whatever.

95 percent of players would panic and they would try and hit their way out of it. But the conversations with me was to "Stay calm, trust your game, it will turn, you will hit one in the middle and you will roll." He is a very composed player and that is why he's done so well so quickly because he's got a very mature head on his shoulders.

So I think Rassie has got a good future ahead of him, maybe in all three formats for South Africa. He's got that, I think that extra thing that is required to do well at international stage. And you can see that when big moments show themselves, Rassie has been there all the time, so he's got a bright future ahead of him.

Q. Faf, do you think your team played as well as they did today because they've had a bit of a break and able to get out the bubble and the pressure has been off, or did they find their best game today?
FAF DU PLESSIS: I think both. We've had conversations behind closed doors about this and I've -- I'm a big believer that especially your more experienced players, players that know their game are best when fresh.

I speak on my own behalf and personal that after the four days that I had now, coming back away from the game, just away from everything that's been going on, I came back and the net session was probably the best one on tour.

So I -- I have gone through the ups and downs and I know what is required and the younger players are probably a bit different. They need to feel like they are prepared for the game, they need to hit a lot of balls, bar Quinny, he just goes on feel.

But I think it was a good example once again that it is something we need to learn from, from a team point of view, that if there is an opportunity to make sure that players can get rest, especially before a tournament like this going forward, we need to take it because we -- I think in all sports you are your best when fresh mentally because it's that extra 10 percent which we probably lacked in the first seven games. It's the battle of the mind and then that's possibly something that we can learn from.

Q. Faf, after the Pakistan defeat we asked you about your legacy and you were honest about that. Now after a victory and after a hundred, if this is your last game, ODI game for South Africa, how do you think you will be remembered?
FAF DU PLESSIS: It was a weird one. I didn't feel -- as I said, I felt like I have batted well through the competition, but it's just felt -- I take it very personal the fact that the team don't do well. It is something that I'm very proud of. So if I got four hundreds and we are still in the same position that we were, I would still feel exactly the same way and that is why I haven't -- it doesn't sit well with me, the performance we have had because it was under the standard that we have in this team.

So to at least prove to ourselves and to the people that there is still, this is still a great team and the performance the last two games have done that.

Obviously, rightly so, people gave us a lot of stick because we didn't produce that cricket, but we didn't turn into a bad team over two weeks' time.

So that's good for me now that we can show the world that we are still a very good cricket team. There's one or two things that you hope will fall in your favour, a little bit of luck here and there, no injuries and your performances need to be more match-winning innings and that was the difference between the top teams and the teams that didn't make the semis.

Q. Faf, three World Cups later, and four years' time, the team that goes to 2023 will be vastly different. In terms of what you have seen, having captained here and played in a couple of other World Cups, can you pinpoint what it would take for this Proteas team to win a World Cup?
FAF DU PLESSIS: Difficult to answer (smiling). I don't know to be honest with you. Probably learnings from this one is that if you have -- the last two years with this team, we've always struggled a bit with balance. We always are a batter light, a bowler light. So I'm hoping in four years' time that will sort itself out.

The perfect combination team-wise is you have always got a sixth bowling option as a captain and you have got a top seven plus maybe or an 8 or a 9 and if you look at the teams that are here, a lot have that.

They have got a great balance, a long batting line-up, great pace. I think you could see the success of this tournament has been the fact that the teams that have done well has got fast bowlers in their team. Starc, Ferguson, and England's got, what's -- Archer. They have been their best three best bowlers in their teams.

And I'm so glad for KG today. KG showed what makes KG the world's best. He was at his best again today. That first couple of overs to David Warner was like the Test series in South Africa when he was pumped up and bowling at him so great to see him back at his best.

But I'm hoping balance. I'm hoping balance over the next four years that can be a real area of making sure that we are a bit stronger because we always have pace in South Africa. So that will be a great asset.

Spin -- the next World Cup is in India. How well we play spin and how many options we have. I think right now we have three or four really good players of spin and you have some young guys that have got time on their side to get better so that will be the difference between doing well or not.

Q. Faf, you've probably had a bit of time for hindsight now and you have mentioned before that the start of the tournament. Do you feel that maybe coming into the tournament there's been a lot of talk about playing aggressive cricket, positive cricket, using fast bowlers, that sort of thing. Do you feel maybe that there might have been a couple of mixed messages at the start there with the first game against England, pace off the ball was the big thing, and then against Bangladesh, maybe not laying down a marker, taking a less aggressive approach and bowling first?
FAF DU PLESSIS: I think that probably changed the day we didn't have the bowling attack that we would have wanted, so that was the plan going into the World Cup, that whatever runs we got we backed our bowling attack to get less, to do better than the runs than we got.

So when that changed, we didn't play one game with our full-strength team this World Cup so we never had Dale Steyn available, Lungi played one game, but he was always a bit under where he himself wanted to be, he came off an injury, two injuries actually before this World Cup. We tried to get him some game time, but unfortunate, it was off-season in South Africa so there was though cricket for him.

So our X factor that we had as a team wasn't there. And therefore we needed to change and adapt and try and win in a different way and a different style, so I think we -- it is not necessarily where we went out against England and tried to hit every ball for six, they just got a biggish score on --

I think you have seen through this World Cup if you get runs on the board, 320-plus it hasn't been defended that much and, obviously, vice versa, if we've bowled teams and we have kept them down to a low score, we have batted at a completely different tempo.

So the first three or four games we chased 330 probably every game. Bangladesh, yes, hindsight, I would bat first on that track. The tricky part with subcontinent teams, if you can get them out for 250 or 280, then you can easy chase it down.

But if they get 320, they become right in the game. So our plan that day was never for them to get 350, it was to bowl them out for 250.

If you look at Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, we did bowl them out and we chased those scores down very easily. So that is always the risk that you take when you are playing against subcontinent teams, when they get a score on the board their spinners are in the game and that is what happened on the day.

So, I look back at the tosses as something that I could change, but our skills were never there against Bangladesh, we bowled very poorly that day and batting we tried, but we were chasing 340 or something that day, so it was 40 or 50 runs too many.
 
Jacques Kallis: South Africa need to copy England’s blueprint ahead of the next World Cup

South Africa should watch England in the Cricket World Cup and think - that could be us in four years time.

South Africa ended their World Cup on a high with victory over Australia at Old TraffordJacques Kallis believes South Africa should look at how England have improved since the last World Cup

South Africa should watch England in the Cricket World Cup and think - that could be us in four years time.

It’s been a tough campaign but they need to seize on the positives. They will start rebuilding from the top and decide on where they want to go and how they want to go about it.

They will lose a few players, especially a guy like Imran Tahir who’s been such a pivotal part of that one-day setup for us, and it’s going to take time to replace those guys.

It’s not going to be an easy period going forward but they are going to have to decide on the type of cricket they want to play and how they are going to go about doing it.

They need to think about the personnel they want involved, the players they want involved, and stick to game plan they want play and how they see themselves playing in the next World Cup.

They need to work towards that next tournament. We saw the way England did it, so we know it’s possible but it’s going to need some hard thinking off the field as well as hard work on it.

The way they played their last game against Australia, with freedom, without being scared of failure, without worrying about losing, that’s what we need to follow.

It’s as much of a mindset change as it is to do with the technical side. In fact, it’s probably a mindset change more than it is anything else.

The talent is there and even though we weren’t favourites, that’s why people thought we still had a chance of winning it because we know what the players can produce.

Unfortunately they only produced in the last couple of games, but that’s the level they were expected to perform at but for whatever reason it didn’t happen.

They now have to sit down and chat about where it went wrong, but the players are there it’s just about putting the performances together and finding out why it didn’t go to plan.

One result doesn’t cover up all the issues they’ve got. They are going to have to sit down and work out why it went wrong, just because they won the last two doesn’t mean there are no issues.

There are issues there and they need to work out what those are, but I think a lot of us feel better after those last two results as it shows we do have the players to move us forward.

Against Australia they produced the type of cricket I think everyone kind of expected them to produce, it’s just a shame that they were not able to do it earlier in the tournament.

Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen both performed really well with the bat and it proved the point again that if you do get in, you have to take it big and get a big hundred.

That’s what South Africa were lacking throughout those other games, no one got in and got a big score and when you get in and go big it takes your team total to those 300-plus scores.

If you’re batting first that then makes it tough for the side chasing. Also, if your chasing you need those guys to get those big hundreds to have any chance of reaching your target.

So South Africa needed a lot more of those big scores throughout the World Cup and for their batsmen to not get out so many times in soft ways when they got in.

The bowlers also showed what sort of ability they do have and even though a guy like David Warner gets a hundred and gets Australia close, they still held their nerve.

They made the right calls when they were under pressure and followed through with their plans, so all round it was a good performance for South Africa to finish on.

© ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2019. All rights reservedThis content is available for use by the media free of charge, but credit should be given to ICC

ICC Media Release
 
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