AFRICAN SPORTS MONTHLY
'Sports is our Business'
  • Home
  • NEWS
  • Radio
  • TV

Proteas Building Up Intensity: De Villiers

2/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Castle Lager Proteas are slowly building up their intensity ahead of their opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup against Zimbabwe in Hamilton on Sunday. The Proteas play their last warm-up match against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval on Wednesday, but already have one eye on their tournament-opener against their Southern African neighbours.

"We have played quite a lot of cricket in the last month or so, we are ready to play now," Faf du Plessis said at the squad's optional training session on Tuesday. "It's difficult to get yourself motivated with these warm-up games as you would do in a normal one-day international. The nice thing is that we haven't really tried to be intense about it because we do understand that it's quite a long tournament, mentally you need to be fresh throughout the competition.

"Yesterday was quite low-key, it was like a practice session for us but to get over the line and to do all the things we did yesterday was good practice," he explained. "With New Zealand tomorrow we will play with a little bit more intensity because it is getting closer to that first match but we will still gradually build it up."


He says the squad is anxious to get their campaign started after months of ODI cricket and preparation.

"It's taken so long," Du Plessis admitted. "The build-up to the World Cup especially has almost been a year. We are very excited as a team, we are ready, we have played a lot of cricket and we just want to get going now. The important thing that we are doing really well at the moment is that we are not looking too much into these warm-up games. All our focus is geared up towards that first game against Zimbabwe."

The top-order batsman says New Zealand's big-hitters will pose another good challenge for South Africa's bowlers who are in search of some competitive death-over practice, an area they have worked hard on over the last few months.

"Hopefully we get an opportunity to get some match intensity going," he said of the expectations from Wednesday's match. "Whether it's bowling at the death, or we get another situation where we are chasing. It's difficult to get match intensity, but if we can get a match situation where we can learn something, that will be good. Hopefully New Zealand can put us in a position where we can learn something from the game and take it into our first opener."

By: Farai Diza
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

    Menu

    All
    2014 FIFA World Cup
    Athletics
    Basketball
    Boxing
    Commonwealth Games
    Cricket
    Golf
    Hockey
    Marathons
    News
    Olympics
    Rugby
    Soccer
    Spotlight
    Tennis
    Track And Field
    Volleyball
    Women Soccer
    Wrestling


    Picture

    RSS Feed


    Tweets by ASMONTHLY

Tweet to @ASMONTHLY

Contact Us

    Contact Us

Submit

Donate & Support Our Efforts at African Sports Media Network