Proteas blooming as one ahead of Sri Lanka match
DUBAI: If any good has come from a wretched week for everyone involved in South African cricket, it has to be the fact that the Proteas team have pulled together like never before.
For all the talk of disunity in the camp, and splits along belief systems, they are projecting a united front that’s ready to tackle all comers head on, starting with Sri Lanka in Sharjah today.
They don’t need any more directives, according to Keshav Maharaj, the team’s most senior player bar captain Temba Bavuma, to light the fire in the belly.
“It’s obviously been a tough week, but I think the boys are mature enough and adult enough to sort of adapt to the situation. I think the spirits were really high at training,” Maharaj told reporters.
“There’s that buzz and that drive that’s back into the team after quite a long two days. But yeah, I think the boys are in good stead, and our focus is back on cricket for now.
“I think we drew a lot of inspiration from the way we’ve reacted in the past to various situations thrown at us, and I think this has just made us bond and gel even stronger. You’ll probably see a lot more energy than you have seen in these last two games, which it’s hard to believe in terms of topping up, especially the way we started. I think it has brought us together.”
Everything that has transpired over the past week has been a long time in the making. True, it required Quinton de Kock not to take the knee to set it in motion, but what emerged so messily in the past few days, like all that has gone before in recent times, was inevitable.
At least this way, cricket's enduring hold has ensured that the issues of taking the knee were aired. Cricket has again entered public consciousness and perhaps now it will be embedded deeply enough for everyone to understand its significance for all the people of South Africa.
“We’ve had endless chats about this as a team and we respect everyone’s decisions and views and opinions. We know everyone supports one another, and I think that’s the way forward in this team. I think respect is one of our pillars, and I think that’s where we all stand, too.
“We speak about our pillars as a team and our values, and I think we’ve spoken at length with that, and we know we respect everyone’s beliefs. No one is a racist within our team. We all support one another and respect everyone’s cultural, religious and spiritual differences.”
Will De Kock line up today against Sri Lanka?
“It’s been a tough week for him, but he’s a very mature character despite what people may think. Quinny is Quinny, and we love having him in the team. He’s in a good space,” Maharaj explained.
“Obviously that’s down to the selectors in terms of whether he starts or not tomorrow, but I know that if
MANCHESTER United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has backed midfielder Paul Pogba's decision to publicly denounce a media report as "fake news" and vowed to fight back from the difficult position he has found himself in.
Solskjaer came under intense criticism after United's shocking 5-0 home defeat by Liverpool on Sunday, but ahead of today's trip to Tottenham Hotspur the Norwegian was in bullish mood. Pogba had posted a response to a tabloid media report that said he had “snubbed” Solskjaer and stopped talks over a possible new contract with the club, labelling it “fake news” and commenting: “Big lies to make headlines.”
Sloskjaer said: "We expect to be criticised because, hands up, the performance wasn't good enough, you expect to hear it from right, left and centre, but we don’t expect or can't accept when lies are being made up.
“Paul came to me and told me what he has put out on his social media account and ... when it is blatant lies we have got to stand up and say so,” added the Norwegian.
“All the opinions and reports, fine, but don't make up lies about players or me,” he said.
Solskjaer confirmed he had met former manager Alex Ferguson during the week after the
13-times Premier League champions attended a commercial event at the club’s training ground. “I met him and spoke to him, just for a brief moment. I’ve been through some very bad moments here as a player and when I’ve been a coach and a manager as well," he said. he does get the opportunity, he’ll definitely slot back into the team,” Maharaj said.
“A person of his calibre, we know what Quinny can do with the bat, and he puts match-winning knocks on. I’m sure he will slot straight back into the opening role.”
It seems likely that Reeza Hendricks, who struck the ball sweetly against the West Indies after replacing De Kock, will keep his place at the top of the order, with Heinrich Klaasen likely missing out against Mickey Arthur’s Sri Lanka.
Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Start: 12pm (SA time), TV: Supersport, Radio: SABC Radio 2000 "I've had to deal with setbacks, there's probably been two or three crises at least since I became the manager here. One thing I can say is that I'll always give it a good shot and fight back.“Solskjaer added he had a good week at the training ground with the players as they seek to put right the errors which cost them so dearly against Liverpool and he suggested that reports of dressing room divisions were wide of the mark. “When you come in for criticism, like you do, you come into the trenches with your team mates and that reaction I’ve seen this week. Whatever this club has been through before, it’s always about getting through with courage, self-belief, sticking together,” he said.
"We’ve had a good week, a good week on the training field, I have to say that.
“We need a reaction and it’s my job as well to put the players in the right frame of mind. I’m responsible for the reaction, the result, the performance. We’ve worked on the pitch, we've worked on everything that needs to be sorted for a footballer.
“It’s not just frame of mind, it’s the approach, strategy, gameplan, tactics, technically. We've had a good week and I feel the boys are ready to give their best, as they always do. Of course, nothing went to plan (against Liverpool) and that was nowhere near our best," he said.
United are seventh in the table, eight points adrift of Chelsea and trailing second-placed Liverpool by seven points. They are one place and one point behind Spurs after nine games.
OTHER EPL FIXTURES TODAY:
Leicester v Arsenal (1.30pm), Watford v Southampton, Liverpool v Brighton, Newcastle v Chelsea, Man City v Crystal Palace, Burnley v Brentford (all 4pm). | Reuters