Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers is optimistic about the Proteas' prospects in the 2023 World Cup as the side face Pat Cummins' Australia in the semi-final at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on November 16.
Although the Proteas began the tournament strongly, they experienced a dip in form at the business end of the competition. Despite this, under the leadership of Temba Bavuma, they secured the second position in the league table with 7 wins in 9 matches.
De Villiers, in his ICC column, acknowledged the team's commendable performance throughout the tournament, highlighting the contributions of several players who stepped up during the campaign.
"The bowling attack is also spreading around the wickets. Marco Jansen and Lungi Ngidi can take wickets with the new ball, while Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee have come on and done damage. And that is before we move onto the spin of Keshav Maharaj. If those are the five that end up playing, they will pose Australia some real threats," de Villiers said in his column for the ICC.
The former batter said that Glenn Maxwell is the primary concern for the Proteas, and the Bavuma-led side cannot let Maxwell settle in.
"Australia are always strong and they have responded really well to losing their first two matches. Not that we needed reminding, but Maxwell's knock against Afghanistan was ridiculous. It goes without saying that South Africa cannot afford to let him get his eye in," de Villiers said about Maxwell.
South Africa secured a comprehensive victory over Australia in the initial phases of the tournament; however, since then, Australia have been on an impressive winning streak, triumphing in seven consecutive matches in the 2023 World Cup.
"The fact we got a huge win over the Aussies in the group stages should give the side confidence but this is a completely different scenario. We know the toss will be important. When South Africa batted first, they won and won big. They have topped 300 every time, and generally by a lot. Chasing has been trickier and there will certainly be a few nerves if they are not able to bat Australia out of the game by halfway," he said.
South Africa have never made it to the final of an ODI World Cup. In 2015, New Zealand eliminated a strong South African team in a semi-final that was shortened due to rain. Although there are expectations of rain at Eden Gardens on November 16, de Villiers remains optimistic, believing that this could be the year for South Africa.
"Still, after all the pain and heartbreak, I really feel that now is our time. This is a team that is not carrying the weight of history. There will be pressure because it is a semi-final, but there is no reason why they cannot break new ground and take the team to the big dance for the first time. I really hope they do," former Proteas captain concluded.
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