Though they took confidence from their stunning win over defending champions and tournament hosts India last week, experienced spin bowler Keshav Maharaj said the Proteas were not getting ahead of themselves as they prepared for their next Super Eight match against West Indies at the T20 World Cup on Thursday (11.30am start).
In their opening game of the second round, South Africa defeated India by 76 runs to remain unbeaten after five games in the tournament.
West Indies beat a surprisingly strong Zimbabwe team by 107 runs, however, in their first fixture of the Super Eight stage, and Maharaj said the SA side were expecting a stiff challenge in their clash in Ahmedabad.
“Obviously that was a really big game for us (against India) so to come over the line just gives you a bit of confidence moving into the next game,” Maharaj said.
“But West Indies played an amazing game of cricket against Zimbabwe, so it’s back to the drawing board now and we’re taking each game at a time.”
Not yet looking ahead
A win on Thursday will not automatically put them in the play-offs, but if South Africa beat West Indies and India defeat Zimbabwe later in the day, the Proteas will book their spot in the knockout stages.
Maharaj said they were trying to stay focused on the task at hand, however, and they were not thinking about the next round yet as they first needed to get past the two-time former champions.
Aside from South Africa, West Indies were the only other team in the tournament who had not yet lost a game ahead of Thursday’s fixture.
“West Indies have a way of turning up in these events and we know the danger they possess from an explosive point of view, and they’ve got some batters in form and some bowlers who are finding rhythm,” Maharaj said.
“So we’re making sure we’re quite clear in what we’re trying to do and focusing solely on our execution.”
Same venue, different conditions
Thursday’s game will be the fifth match (of six fixtures thus far) that the Proteas have played at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad at the global showpiece.
Maharaj, however, did not feel it was a significant advantage to turn out at the same venue again as the wicket had been unpredictable throughout the competition.
“It’s nice to not travel, but from a pitch point of view I think every game has been very different in the four matches we’ve played here,” he said.
“So I don’t see it too much as an advantage. It’s just about making sure we adapt quicker rather than later compared to our opposition.”
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