In that sense, it was somewhat surprising that Shamsi, Man of the Match during their win against Pakistan, was not picked in the XI for the game against New Zealand in Pune.He had to make way for pacemanKasigo Rabada.
World Cup 2023: South Africa defeat New Zealand by 190 runs
The Proteas have a potent bowling strike force at their display and it’s no surprise that they topped the points table after Wednesday’s match, although they have played a match more than India. “All our bowlers want to strike,” said Rabada after beating the Kiwis. “That’s the good thing and if the wickets happen, it is a bonus.” Shamsi has taken a wicket every three overs. Pacer Gerald Coetzee and left-arm paceman Marco Jansen have taken 30 wickets between them, each striking every 20 balls.
The pace attack, Shamsi’s rare skills and Maharaj’s abilities are matched with the bat by Quinton de Kock, who is batting with dogged determination. Rassie van der Dussen, the centurion against Kiwis on Wednesday, said, “Quinny has a determination about him that I haven’t seen in a very long time. He’s ploughing back into the team in all aspects. The guys re ally feed off him. He really guided me through my innings today. At times I was under pressure and I was asking him about a few options. He thinks so clearly.”
Van der Dussen added: “Everyone’s contributing, even the guys on the bench. The energy they are putting into the team has just been unbelievable. So, all 15, the staff’s contributing, our medical team to get the guys back (on track) and ready and reset for every match.”
The 34-year-old said that finding that balance between the risk you want to take and the rate you want to go at is important. It is also about setting the base up for the middle-order to come in besides executing their fluid plans well under pressure.
“In our match review meetings, we keep looking at the numbers with the coaches and so far in this tournament, by most metrics, we are stacking up pretty well,” said van der Dussen.