South African players determined to brush off chokers tag in ICC 2011 World Cup
The South Africans are determined to shrug off the chokers tag as they bid to win their first ever World Cup of cricket.
The Proteas have arrived in Bangladesh and are set to play a couple of warm up games before they get down to the business of qualifying for the quarterfinals from group B of the tournament.
Before the start of the tournament the team had a practice session at Dhaka, which was followed by an open session with the media, some members of the squad spoke with the media and gave their candid views on the event and the performance of the South Africans in previous events.
The current team is being touted as one of the most balanced that has played for the country in the global event.
An important cog in the wheel is the wicket-keeper batsman, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AB-de-Villiers-c887, who stated that the team has brushed aside the chokers tag long ago and the dreaded C word was not bothering them even a wee bit.
"We've shown recently that we can play in big situations and under pressure", de Villiers said at the team's open media session. "We are not focusing on what happened in the past. We have a different look now. In recent times we have been the opposite of chokers. ICC tournaments are different, there is pressure in the knockouts but we will be ready for it".
The South Africans have always been regarded as a well oiled machine, which had the capability of winning major tournaments.
However, they have tasted success only once in an ICC event, the victory came at the inaugural ICC Champions Trophy held in Dhaka in 1998.
Jacques Kallis is the only surviving member of that team. The all-rounder, who has truly become a legend of the game since then is one the Proteas are going to rely on most as the bid to end their jinx and a series of heartbreaks that have resulted in their exit at the knock-out stage of the tournament.
They claim that they have prepared well for the event and were not daunted by the conditions that they are set to encounter in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747.
Part of that preparation has involved a long, hard look at their performances in the recent ICC events. They will contemplate if their plans have been too predictable and easy for the opponents to gauge.
The Proteas have over planning as their biggest c***k, they have often come across as a formulaic team that does well as long as things go to plan.
Even the younger members of the team, like upcoming batsman Colin Ingram, have taken a liking to the idea, he thinks that the team’s strength was the way they planned and it did not makes them rigid
"We are a very structured team and I don't think we should try to change that", Colin Ingram said. "We've been able to win a few games in tight situations but up to now we have not played a perfect series yet. If we polish what we achieved in those games, we will be able to do that".
Ingram along with the rest of the 15 member team would try and seek out a couple of surprises when the tournament reaches its business end through the quarter-final stage.
The Proteas know well that flexibility and adaptability are crucial to chances of success when the pressure is on and expectations of fans are at their highest.
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