For a nation that has never won the 50-over World Cup despite producing some of the best players and teams, South Africa look determined to go the distance in this edition, shedding the ‘chokers’ tag.
With one 400-plus and another near-400 total to their credit and a massive 229-run win over reigning champions England, South Africa have made a strong statement ahead of the fixtures against New Zealand and India.
Heinrich Klaasen, who smashed a 67-ball 109 against England, viewed those two matches as a perfect occasion for his side to deliver in a high-pressure situation, often termed the Achilles Heel of South African teams.
“Our World Cup performances, everyone, obviously, has got their tag over us but we have played some good cricket. We’ve been unlucky, and obviously, we did not execute on certain games,” Klaasen told the media here on Saturday.
“But if you look at our games that we have played, we have played some very, very good cricket in the Cup (history). It is not a surprise that we are playing good cricket.”
“This group has been playing good cricket for the last three years now.
“We’ve been maturing nicely. It is our time to really try to make a big statement for the world, that South Africans are very good under pressure. We have done it before,” Klaasen said.
The wicketkeeper-batter described the conditions in Mumbai as excruciating.
“It ranks up to one of my better hundreds purely on the conditions that were out there.”
PTI
