Operation clean sweep
KICK SRI LANKA WHILE THEY ARE DOWN, DEMANDS DE VILLIERS Du Plessis to play his 1ooth one-day international for the Proteas clad in pink at the Wanderers today.
South Africa may well be 2-0 up and well on their way to winning the ODI series against Sri Lanka, but captain AB de Villiers said yesterday that they need to maintain a steely focus on winning the next game – at the Wanderers today – and the next two after that as they build towards another challenge for an ICC title at the Champions Trophy in England in June.
“A whitewash is definitely our aim because to win big tournaments you need to win five games in a row. We need to get into the habit of winning these series 5-0 or 4-1; 3-2 is not going to do the job when you get to the major tournaments.
“A few boxes have been ticked already, we beat Australia 5-0 which has never been done before, and we’re playing good cricket, the team spirit and culture is very good. I feel we have a lot of direction at the moment and I believe we’re on the right track, but the true test will come at the Champions Trophy,” De Villiers said at the Wanderers yesterday.
The captain confirmed Farhaan Behardien will replace the injured David Miller as the next batsman in line, having scored 659 ODI runs in the last two years at an average of 36.61 and a strike rate of 97.48. Those figures are not far off Miller’s career stats – an average of 38.96 and a strike-rate of 103.62.
“Farhaan has proved time and time again that he’s got the allround game and he has a lot of guts under pressure. He’s the guy you want out there when the chips are down and when things are going well. He’s also good in the field and can bowl a couple of overs, so there’s no better replacement,” De Villiers said.
It should be a happy day too for Faf du Plessis, who plays his 100th match in the Pink ODI that he has always celebrated in great style, especially in terms of fashion. Last year he blasted 111 off the Australian attack at the Wan- derers and belted 45 off 19 balls against Pakistan in 2013, the first year that the cancer fundraiser was held.
“As a friend, I’m going to sit and enjoy him playing in his 100th ODI and Pink Day suits him to a tee. He loves Pink Day, he always comes suitably attired and everything’s set up very nicely for him to have a good game,” De Villiers joked.
The Proteas have won all four their previous one-day internationals at Wanderers dressed in pink.
All four these outings have been run festivals of note, with the Proteas producing six individual centuries and averaging more than 350 runs per innings.
Also see Pages 12, 24 & 25.