Former South African captain AB de Villiers feels that early wickets will be vital for the Proteas team despite the Australian side seeming lacking in confidence following their defeat against India. De Villiers believes that Steve Smith’s wicket could be crucial for the side in the high-octane encounter.
Both teams have had quite different ODI World Cup starts, the Proteas defeated Sri Lanka in a run-fest, while the Australians were defeated by India in Chennai. The five-time champions will look to return to winning ways in the game against South Africa.
“The Aussies will be low on confidence after defeat to India, but a wounded Australia team is very dangerous. It will be crucial to pick up some early wickets to keep that pressure on, something we have not done too well recently,” De Villiers wrote in his column for the ICC.
“It might sound obvious, but Steve Smith’s wicket will be the most important. He holds everything together for Australia and if we can get him out early, I am confident we can get the job done,” AB de Villiers added.
Pat Cummins-led side has experienced players in their team but they failed to apply themselves on tricky Chepauk surface. The Aussies were bowled out for 199 runs in their opening encounter and failed to defend the total in the game after picking three quick wickets in the game.
Kagiso Rabada Is Determined To Step Up To The Plate – AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers feels that South African bowlers need to step up for the team in the marquee event to be real favourites to win the championship in India. He asserted that Kagiso Rabada needs to take responsibility for the team in the absence of Anrich Nortje.
“All the focus has been on the batters, but this is a huge test for the bowling attack if South Africa wants to be seen as real contenders, especially without Anrich Nortje – no one knows how to get it done at World Cups like Australia.”
“The loss of Nortje to injury is a real blow and means there is extra pressure on Kagiso Rabada to lead the attack. I spoke to him last week and he is determined to step up to the plate and lead by example as one of the best bowlers in the world,” Ab de Villiers further added.
Proteas bowlers Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, and Kagiso Rabada had a decent outing in their clash against Sri Lanka. The Proteas will look to deliver a punch against Australia in their second ODI World Cup game to keep up the momentum in the tournament.
