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Cape Town: After an inspirational 3-2 one-day series win against England, South Africa are all set for two Twenty20 matches, which should get them into the mode ahead of the World Twenty20. (South Africa, England Aim To Put On Good Show In Twenty20 Series Ahead of World Cup)
The first of the two Twenty20 matches will be played in Cape Town and skipper Faf du Plessis is all set to fine tune his team.
Du Plessis said that the management has an idea of who their strongest starting XI will be, and will use the matches leading up to the tournament to build playing confidence amongst all 15 players in the squad.
“I do know what our best team is,” Du Plessis said during a media interaction on Thursday.
“The great thing about how our plans have unfolded over the last 18 months is that we sat down and planned the ideal 15 that we would like to take and that is the 15 that has been selected. In that period we experimented a bit, tried new roles, tried to see where guys are suited best, and in my mind I’m clear where that is.
“The next five games, seven including the two warm-up matches, will be about giving most of the guy’s game time. You can’t always guarantee everyone will play and it’s about getting the guys ready and feeling good before the first match at the World Cup,” he added.
The Proteas have only played England in nine T20I’s and a series win will lift them further up the ICC rankings from their current position at No.6.
“For me, honestly, the biggest thing is the World Cup,” du Plessis stressed.
“Everything that we do is geared around that. If we lose 2-0, yes it’s not ideal for preparation, but it’s about ticking the boxes that we are still working on and making sure we are improving on that so that when we get to that stage we will be ready.
“If it takes the first game, whether we have nailed our skills and we are ready to go, end up winning five out of five that will be great. If it goes the other way, it’s about gradually stepping up in two weeks. Everyone must be clear about their role in the team, once you are in that space and are in form in the tournament anything is possible.”
Source: NDTV