With the South African team eager to remove the chokers tag, celebrity batsman Hashim Amla has said the experienced crusaders in the team will need to step up their performance when they take on Sri Lanka in the World Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
On Sunday Amla said at the team’s practice session held in Blacktown, that there is no second thought that when one get to the knockout stages he wants to be the man to score the big runs to put the squad in a good position.
He added that every team members in the team, particularly the senior guys, want to be the guys to make the big plays for them with the bat, ball and in the ground.
Hashim said the team is motivated to improve on the failures of past World Cups and will be holding the expectation of the event. He added that they are well aware that they have not won a knockout match and that serves as good motivation for the players to make it a first for South African cricket.
He further added that the Proteas will have to restraint Sri Lanka’s X-factor players in Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga, oppositions they have faced many times over the past two years. Sri Lanka are a wonderful squad, they compete very well at World Cups. Asian islanders seem to be playing good cricket. Thankfully proteas have played them in the recent past, two teams know each other well. A one-off match like this will be played with good intensity, it is going to be a good match.
They have been lucky that they were at home for the build-up of this ICC World Cup. They came to New Zealand and Australia for a tour, returned home for a month and a half then came back there.
HE concluded saying that most of the players are fresh, some of the other teams have been away from home for a long time, and thankfully they are fresh and eager to make a good play on Wednesday.