South Africa’s thrilling three-wicket win over India is the perfect psychological boost the team needs after the shattering loss to England, Proteas coach Corrie van Zyl said on Monday.
South Africa were staring down the barrel when India raced to 267-1 in Nagpur before the hosts slipped to 296 all out.
The Proteas then hit 13 off the last over to secure a victory, which means they can wrap up a quarterfinal spot on Tuesday by beating Ireland.
“The win against India was good for us and our morale. It was a psychological boost for us and a very important game in the tournament,” said the South Africa coach.
Van Zyl said he would field the best available team against Ireland, who have already upset England.
“We are fully aware of what Ireland have done. It’s important to prepare not just from a tactical but from a mental point of view,” he said.
“Ireland are tough opponents. It’s not just their fielding but how they are playing in the tournament. They have really played well.”
South Africa, with six points from four games, need a win on Tuesday to book a quarterfinal berth.
Shrugging off injury woes
When asked whether South Africa were aiming to top the group, Van Zyl said: “We are going to take it one game at a time. We are not looking too far ahead now. Our focus is on Ireland.”
The coach also shrugged off injury worries over AB de Villiers and Imran Tahir, who could both miss Tuesday’s match.
In-form batsman de Villiers is suffering from a thigh injury while leg-spinner Tahir fractured his left thumb in the match against England and did not play against India.
Middle-order batsman De Villiers is his team’s highest scorer with 318 runs, including two hundreds and a half-century, while Pakistan-born Tahir is South Africa’s leading wicket-taker with 11.
“We have a 15-man squad and we feel each member can represent South Africa on any given day. Hopefully, in one of these days he [Tahir] will be fit,” van Zyl said on Monday.
“AB has gone for a scan this morning [Monday]. We are awaiting the full medical report, but I don’t think it’s major.” — AFP
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