‘NO REASON WHY SA CAN’T WIN’ WORLD CUP

FORMER South Africa captain Shaun Pollock has put his weight behind Faf du Plessis and his men to do well in the Cricket World Cup later this year.

The tournament will be held in England and Wales from 30 May to 14 July.

“There is no reason why South Africa can’t win it,” Pollock said. “There are some strong teams around. We thought we had the formula before, but it didn’t work out. There’s no reason why this team can’t come up with the right strategy and perform at the right time and bring home the silverware.”

Pollock, 45, said SA’s best stint at the World Cup came in 1999, when they faced Australia in the semi-final. The fixture ended in a tie, but Australia qualified for the final, having beaten the Proteas in the Super Six stage. “Going to the World Cup with South Africa was always special. We always had that team that had the potential to go all the way. It wasn’t like we were ever just making up the numbers,” he said. “99 was probably the best performance we put in. Unfortunately, the tie in the semi-final meant we were knocked out.”