Narrow defeat to England spurs Proteas to work harder at nets
Narrow defeat to England spurs Proteas to work harder at nets
It's always a pleasure to watch the South Africans train. Yesterday's session, here at the picturesque Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Jamta, was no different. The Proteas put on an electrifying performance, with fielders competing with each other, diving full length, and most importantly, enjoying it.
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| SA skipper Graeme Smith stretches every sinew in Nagpur yesterday. PICs/SURESH KK |
Captain Graeme Smith, who is suffering from a run draught in the World Cup, had an extended batting session. The South Africans take on India here tomorrow.
Their bowling coach, Vincent Barnes, wasn't shy of spurring them on with a few harsh words like, "Are you kidding me?" "You can't field for nuts!" and and that triggered a chain reaction - as seven or eight of his boys started hovering around him, picking up their pace and intensity. All-rounder Faf du Plessiss was the most impressive, taking a few blinders. It was a funny as the players giggled about Barnes' phrases while jumping around. A B De Villiers continued to train with the rest of the team - an indication that Morne van Wyk is likely to continue as the glovesman. That also means South Africa will stick to playing four specialist bowlers.u00a0
Imran Tahir, who has been advised 10 days' rest from his doctors back home, was seen bowling at the nets.
South Africa's leading wicket-taker in the this World Cup sustained a fracture to his left thumb while taking a catch off his own bowling against England at Chennai last Sunday. Former England coach, Duncan Fletcher, who is now batting consultant for South Africa, is pleased with his side's progress. "The intensity is good... the loss to England wasn't really a major setback. The boys have recovered quickly from it. Sometimes it's good to be run that close early in such a big tournament as it gives an opportunity for the players to test themselves under pressure. We are just here to enjoy the occasion, not allowing expectations to weigh on us," Fletcher told MiD DAY outside the players' enclosure area at VCA during his side's practice session.
Fletcher said that Tahir was 'a fighter' and would be itching to get onto the park. "We have learnt that he has been advised 10 days of rest, but he's a fighter. I won't be surprised if he recovers ahead of what's expected," the Zimbabwean concluded.
