George Bailey: South Africa will be under pressure to win – Cricket News Update
Australian skipper George Bailey is expecting AB de Villiers and his men to be under pressure of winning, as the two outfits gear up to clash in their second World T20 Super Eight fixture, at the R Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo, on Sunday, September 30, 2012.
South Africa will go into Sunday’s encounter at the back of a surprising defeat in their previous game, at the hands of an unpredictable Pakistan side.
The Proteas had almost defended a modest 133 for 6, when they had Pakistan reeling at 76 for 7 in the 15th over of their chase. But tailender Umar Gul stunned not only the opposition but also his own teammates with a whirlwind 32-run cameo, studded with three towering sixes and two fours. Gul shared a match-winning stand of 49 runs with Umar Akmal (43 not out) to turn the tables on South Africa.
Now, after having succumbed to a thrilling two-wicket defeat at the hands of Pakistan on Friday, the Proteas need to win today’s match against the mighty Aussies to keep their hopes alive.
Australia, on the other hand, will be oozing with confidence after crushing 2007 World Champions India by nine-wickets in their World T20 Super Eight opener, and will be looking forward to confirm a spot in the tournament semis with a win on Sunday.
“It was a great win but in terms of just where it sets us up for the tournament, it puts South Africa under pressure because they need to win the next two,” said a confident George Bailey on the eve of the match against South Africa.
Bailey however warned his side against complacency, saying the Proteas are still an outstanding side and have the ability to rip apart any opposition on their day.
“We have that buffer but you don't get an easy game in this competition. The most pleasing thing for us is that we continue to improve,” said the Tasmanian top-order batsman.
“As pleasing as (the win) was, we hit Sunday with exactly the same mindset. I still think South Africa are an absolutely outstanding team, I don't think there's a weakness there, so for us to defeat them we've got to play a similar game,” he added further.
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