The US performed to a tie in opposition to former champions Pakistan in the opening spherical.
Having been given a shake by lower-ranked groups in the opening spherical, Proteas batter Reeza Hendricks says the nationwide facet might be prepared for a combat after they face co-hosts the United States in their first match of the Super 8 stage on the T20 World Cup in Antigua on Wednesday (4.30pm SA time).
Though they went unbeaten in the group levels, all 4 of South Africa’s matches have been carefully contested, significantly in a four-run win over Bangladesh and a one-run victory in opposition to Nepal.
And whereas the US are not among the many title contenders, at the very least on paper, they performed to a stunning tie in opposition to Pakistan in the opening spherical, profitable the match in an excellent over and eliminating the previous champions.
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“This is not the stage to take any team lightly. They are in the Super 8s for a reason and they did well against Pakistan in the group stage to qualify,” Hendricks stated on Tuesday.
“We’ll approach them as we do with any team we play against, and hopefully we come out on top. We have to put our best foot forward.”
Close encounters
With the Proteas bowlers having contained their opposition in the primary spherical, Hendricks believed they might shine on the demise once more in the event that they have been pushed to the road in opposition to their American opponents.
“We found ourselves under pressure (in the group stages) and we came out on top… so going forward, hopefully the games aren’t as close, but we believe now that we can come out on top in those close games,” he stated.
Having struggled to carry out in addition to the bowling unit so far on the international showpiece, Hendricks hoped the situations in Antigua can be extra appropriate to the batters.
The opener stated the specialist batters in the squad remained in good spirits and he felt they might hit their straps in the enterprise finish of the competitors.
Still optimistic
“We obviously know the wickets we’ve been playing on have not been ideal for the batters, but I think the methods and the way we want to go about it – the positivity we want to feed off each other – is still there,” he stated.
“So we’re hoping to get on some wickets where the batters can contribute and put some good scores on the board.”
After Wednesday’s match, South Africa will face defending champions England on Friday and match co-hosts West Indies on Sunday, as they go in search of a spot in the T20 World Cup semifinals.
