Balance key for Proteas

THE balance of the current Proteas side gives captain AB de Villiers genuine hope that they will do well in the Champions Trophy to be held in the UK next month.

South Africa starts their campaign against Sri Lanka at the Kennington Oval on June 3 in London where they will be looking for a solid performance to set the tone for the rest of the tournament.

Speaking in Johannesburg before the team departed on Tuesday‚ De Villiers said balance was their biggest asset because they cover all the bases with bat‚ ball and on the field.

“Our biggest strength is the balance that we have in the squad. I really believe that we cover all the bases when it comes to spin‚ seam and proper pace bowling.

“We also have an amazing bowling line-up which is similar to the one that we had at the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and prior to that. The other important thing for us is we have played together for a while now.”

De Villiers‚ who last year controversially opted out of some of South Africa’s tours to manage his workload‚ said he would be devastated if the Proteas failed to lay their hands on the trophy.

“We have been playing some good cricket over the last few years since the 2015 World Cup‚ which was a disappointment.

“But we have raised the bar and picked ourselves up. We go there with confidence and we would like to win the trophy. I have not won a Champions Trophy before and obviously the desire is there‚ lots has happened in my career individually and I have shifted my focus to this kind of tournament.”

De Villiers said adapting quickly to English conditions was going to be important for the Proteas if they were going to return with the trophy.

“You have to be able to adapt to conditions that change all the time.” — TMG