George Linde thrilled to be going to World Cup: ‘I dreamed about it as a kid’

George Linde says he will do whatever is necessary to try help win the T20 World Cup for South Africa when the tournament gets underway in India and Sri Lanka next week.

The slow left-arm spinner also said it was a dream come true to be picked for the tournament.

“This is my first World Cup. It’s something I dreamed about as a kid,” said the 34-year-old who helped the Proteas beat the West Indies in the first of three T20s in South Africa this week in Paarl on Tuesday.

Linde returned figures of 3/25 to be named man of the match. After the West Indies had posted 173/7, the Proteas chased down the target with one wicket down and 13 balls to spare.

Lhuan-dre Pretorius, in as a replacement for just the first T20, scored 44, while Aiden Markram scored 86 not out and Ryan Rickelton 40 not out.

The Proteas and West Indies meet again in Centurion on Thursday before wrapping up their series in Joburg on Saturday.

‘Mentally strong’

Looking ahead to the World Cup, the spinner added: “The main thing is to try go and win it for South Africa. I’m really excited for what’s coming.”

South Africa have yet to win a major global trophy, but they have a team that appears to be in form following a number of individuals, Linde included, doing well in the recent SA20 competition.

Regarding his role and what he is expecting, Linde said: “It will come down to being mentally strong.

There will be pressure on us, but it’s about just being yourself, and not trying to impress. I don’t feel I have to impress anyone. I do it for myself, my family and South Africa; that’s how I look at it.

“There will always be pressure. You try take a deep breath, look at the conditions and they’ll tell me what to do.

“Also, a nice thing, a lot of the guys got a nice run over the last month [in the SA20] and everyone is sort of in form. That’s really exciting for the World Cup.”

Quinton de Kock, Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen sat out Tuesday’s first T20 after helping the Sunrisers Eastern Cape win their third SA20 title on Sunday, when they beat the Pretoria Capitals. They are expected to be back in the mix for Thursday’s game.