Proteas attempting to summit Burj Khalifa against England
DUBAI: For the Proteas Men’s team to have come as far as this so quickly is staggering. The fact that they are within touching distance of a place in this T20 World Cup semi-finals is beyond belief considering what this side has endured the past 18 months.
And yet they still need to climb the height of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world that overlooks the metropolis of Dubai, for a rampant England side and possibly net run-rate stands between them and progression to the knockouts today.
But considering what they have endured on and off the field as a unit, captain Temba Bavuma believes their collective spirit will get them over the line.
“The team has gone through a lot over the last while, players, members of management, and I think we’ve learnt a lot about each other. We’ve grown a lot as a team in finding ways to get through all the tough times that we’ve gone through collectively,” Bavuma said of the virtual quarter-final in Sharjah.
“I think every game we only speak about going out and fighting it out as a team. We don’t leave it to individuals. We don’t rely on individual brilliance to bring it home for the team, but it’s all about us as a team giving everything that we want.
“Saturday won’t be any different. We’ll still be showing the same character, the same fight that we’ve shown while in this tournament.”
England are already the 50-overs kings and Eoin Morgan’s charges are besotted with adding the T20 jewel to their crown here in the UAE. They have already mathematically qualified for the semi-finals.
England pose a threat with the likes of Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Eoin Morgan, Dawid Malan and Moeen Ali able to unleash the type of fireworks with the willow that would set alight any Diwali festival.
It’s for this reason that the Proteas need not just a character-filled display, but also one filled with skill and desire.
“I think every game we’ve kind of had a tailored strategy, you could say, according to the opposition that we’re playing. So I think that approach, that’s not going to change in terms of our preparation, our planning when it comes to England. We’ll put together plans that speak to their strengths and their weaknesses,” Bavuma said.
“I think mentally that’s where I would say that things shouldn’t be any different. Like I said, we’ll still be putting in our spirited effort. We’ll still be fighting to the end and playing as a team.
“England are obviously a strong side. We’ve seen that not just in this tournament but over the years. As a team we’ll know that we’ll have to be at our best in all our departments.”
The Proteas are mulling over a possible change in the batting unit with Heinrich Klaasen likely to be recalled at the expense of Reeza Hendricks, while the Sharjah surface also favours three specialist spinners. The latter course of action is unlikely though due to the sterling work of allrounder Dwaine Pretorius thus far.
LIKELY TEAMS FOR SHARJAH
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Anrich Nortje. England: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wkt), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan, Liam Livingstone,
Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid.
Start Time: 4pm SA time. TV: SS, Radio: SABC Radio 2000
Dubai: England captain Eoin Morgan has once again stressed that his team’s culture is built on inclusivity and diversity.
English cricket has been rocked to its core with recent revelations related to alleged racist behaviour at Yorkshire County Cricket Club having unprecedented ramifications.
The Yorkshire CCC has already lost a host of sponsors, with Headingley stripped of its right to host international cricket in the near future. The England cricket team have, though, long been a beacon of racial inclusivity under Morgan’s leadership, with the Irish-born captain famously saying after the tense 2019 World Cup final victory at Lord’s “that even Allah was on our side”.
Morgan again emphasised that his team does not tolerate discrimination.
“First and foremost for probably more so the last two to three years, our culture has been built around inclusivity and diversity. It’s actually been quite a strong part of our game,” he said. “For that period of time in particular, we’ve been active about talking and actioning things that show meaningful change. We’re very serious about it.
“We firmly believe that there is no place in our sport for any type of discrimination. From our point of view as a team, we can only do so much in role modelling what we believe is right, because yes, we talk about it, but equally we want to do things that make a difference. “I believe that we’ve made huge strides forward as a group in doing that in various parts of our game, and we’ve found things that are not only, I suppose, pushing things forward, taking the cart forward, but also feel very authentic to individuals and where they’ve come from and the journeys that they’ve been on.”
Morgan expects a tough challenge against the Proteas today in Sharjah.
“I think they’re a dangerous side. I think when you look at them from a squad point of view, they have, I suppose, everything at their disposal that you need at a World Cup like this where wickets are potentially getting slower and lower throughout the tournament. So it’s a matter of finding, I suppose, what works for them given the conditions,” Morgan said.
| Zaahier Adams
MANCHESTER City manager Pep Guardiola yesterday refused to get caught up in the hype surrounding the weekend derby at Manchester United, saying it was special for the fans but was not like playing in a semi-final or final.
City travel to Old Trafford in the Premier League today, with Guardiola’s side three points ahead of their rivals after 10 games.
Asked if it was the biggest game for him, Guardiola replied: “I don’t think so, maybe for some people. We try to make every game important.
“Of course derbies are special for many sentimental issues but we want the same results. But in the end it is not a final or a semi-final. I don’t go to restaurants or pubs. I can imagine how important it is for both sides, but I have to be cool in my mind and head, to know what we have to do, to do our best, no more than that.”
City bounced back from a 2-0 home defeat by Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend with a thumping 4-1 win over Brugge in the Champions League in midweek.
Guardiola added that City can cope without a traditional number nine and have enough players to score goals, amid criticism that the champions are struggling without a top-class striker.
“Just trust a bit how many goals we scored last year without a striker because Sergio (Aguero) was injured? Maybe in the future we will buy a proper striker, a number nine who will score goals, who knows,” he said.
Third-placed City have scored 20 goals in the Premier League this season, nine fewer than Liverpool in second and six behind leaders Chelsea.
“When you don’t score goals it is ‘be calm for the next one’. When you score it is ‘be calm for the next one’. In three days we don’t need a striker and then after that we need to buy seven strikers. We need to be calm and go out and play our game.”
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has won four of his eight meetings with Guardiola in all competitions, with the Spaniard saying that the addition of Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo had made the opposition stronger. “With Ronaldo they’re even better, they do get their results against us. Incredible physicality, people up front with ability to win games by themselves. Good runners in behind especially when (midfielder Bruno) Fernandes has the ball.” | AFP
Silencing the fortress
There will be 76 000 boisterous Welshmen packed into the Millennium Stadium and when they burst forth into anthems such as Land of My Fathers and Bread of Heaven, their players grow an extra arm and a leg, as Bok coach Jacques Nienaber put it. Of course, the best (and only) way to silence the masses is for the Boks to hit the ascendancy early.
Bok back three must handle the pressure
Two of the three newcomers to the Bok starting 15 that beat the All Blacks are in the back three while Wales welcome back kingpin Dan Biggar, who was not available for their All Blacks game.
The 27-year-old Kriel is playing his 49th Test and I am backing him to be up to the best Biggar can dish out. Willemse is a controversial pick in that while Willie le Roux had a poor Rugby Championship and Nienaber needs to explore new options, most thought this would be an opportunity for rising talent Aphelele Fassi.
Bok forwards must live up to their reputation
Siya Kolisi leads a monster pack that tamed their All Black counterparts two matches in a row. Most of this pack started in the World Cup final where the England forwards were humbled, and then against the British and Irish Lions, while the Wales pack has been hard hit by injuries. They are without Alun Wyn Jones, Ross Moriarty, Ken Owens, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faeltau and Josh Navidi.
The Boks surely will outgun them this evening.
TEAMS
SOUTH AFRICA:
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Jesse Kriel, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Kwagga Smith, 6 Siya Kolisi (capt), 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nché Bench: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Jasper Wiese, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Frans Steyn Wales: 15 Johnny Mcnicholl 14 Louis Rees-zammit 13 Jonathan Davies (captain) 12 Nick Tompkins 11 Josh Adams 10
Dan Biggar 9 Tomos Williams 8 Aaron Wainwright 7 Taine Basham 6 Ellis Jenkins 5 Adam Beard 4 Will Rowlands 3 Tomas Francis 2 Ryan Elias 1 Rhys Carré.
BENCH:
16 Bradley Roberts 17 Wyn Jones 18 Willgriff John 19 Ben Carter 20 Seb Davies 21 Gareth Davies 22 Gareth Anscombe 23 Liam Williams.