http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757’s Jacques Kallis says Proteas better prepared for ICC World Cup 2011 than ever before
Seasoned South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis believes that the current Proteas team is better prepared for the World Cup than it has ever been.
The perennial chokers of the game are hoping to finally end the jinx of having been beaten in all ICC World Cups before the final of the event.
They have made it to the semi-finals twice, besides qualifying for the quarters in the 1996 edition, yet every time they have succumbed to the pressure that such a big game brings to the fore.
Kallis, who has graduated from a talented cricketer to accomplishing astonishing feats, is regarded as one of the legends of the South African game. His record in both Test and One Day Internationals (ODIs) speaks for itself and he would have to play from
the front if the Proteas are to annex the title.
Kallis has featured in all but one World Cup that the South Africans have played and is now the most experienced player in the squad that has assembled for cricket’s premier tournament. He thinks his current team has a stack of match winners, which puts
them ahead of the earlier teams that have represented the rainbow nation in the World Cups over the years.
Kallis also said that the Proteas are set to give their opponents a serious run for their money with the variety of options that are available to team Captain Graeme Smith. “We’ve covered all our bases,” he said. "We have the balance in the team to be able
to play on any types of tracks that come in front of us, which is something we really haven’t had for a while.”
The variety in the attack is provided by only the second quality wrist spinner to have emerged from the country since re-admission to the game in 1991 – the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755-born bowler Imran Tahir. The leg-spinner is being hailed as one of the brightest prospects
of the game. However, the 31-year-old does not have many years left in him. He is only the second South African wrist spinner besides the unorthodox Paul Adams, who was the surprise package of the 1996 edition that was won by the Sri Lankans.
Kallis is pleased with Imran’s abilities and said that the right-armer has fit into the squad and is looking forward to having a real impact at the international arena after spending numerous years playing first class cricket in Pakistan, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c749 and South
Africa. Kallis says Imran’s greatest ability is that he creates doubts in the batsmen’s mind. He believes that Imran, together with the South African’s formidable pace attack, can make life tough for all teams that square up against them in the tournament.
Another factor that will help ease the chokers tag is South Africa’s wins in their last two ODI series against Pakistan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750. The two series went down to the wire, and the Proteas succeeded in winning the last games of the respective series.
The two performances would give them the belief that they can come out of any situation. Meanwhile, Kallis wants his team to enjoy the occasion and savour every moment of the World Cup. His past experiences have given him the knowledge that the big event
can come and go really quickly. “Guys can go out there and really enjoy it, which is something that as a senior player I've wanted to get across, the thing with a World Cup is once it starts, it goes by in the blink of an eye. So I want to encourage them to
enjoy it.”
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