Photo Credit: BCCI
Proteas all-rounder Wayne Parnell has described their final Group 2 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup clash against the Netherlands as a ‘quarter-final’ ahead of the must-win game in Adelaide on Sunday.
South Africa lost for the first time in Australia when they went down to Pakistan in their fourth match of the competition on Thursday – a result which saw them slip to second in their group. But destiny remains in their hands and victory over the Dutch at the Adelaide Oval will guarantee them a place in the last four.
“It’s obviously a crucial game for us,” Parnell told a pre-match media briefing on Saturday. “For us it’s just about staying in the moment. We’re trying not to focus too far into the future. We want to tackle tomorrow firstly, make sure we win and then we’ll know after that from the table where we’re going to be.”
Bangladesh and Pakistan can both still overhaul the Proteas on the table should Temba Bavuma and his team slip-up. However, Parnell felt everyone in their squad understood what they needed to do in the game.
He continued: “I think it’s pretty straight forward. It’s just for us to go out there, play good cricket and try to win the game. It’s a pretty simple equation for us. Tomorrow is basically a quarter-final and then obviously if we win that we go to a semi-final and then if we win that we’re in the final.
The Netherlands have already been eliminated from the World Cup after managing just one win thus far compared to the Proteas’ two. But even though they are bottom of the table, Parnell expected them to put up a good fight – as is the case in T20 cricket compared to the other two formats.
“In T20s things get closer together when it’s a short game,” the veteran all-rounder said. “So we still have to play well to beat them. They’re a quality side and they’ve shown that they can play good cricket. Hopefully for us it’s only in patches. I think if we can bring our A-game then that should be enough.”
Parnell also praised the Proteas pace attack for the way they had come together as a unit during the competition.
“I think certainly it’s more about the unit than the individual,” he added. “I think you’ve seen over the past four games, different guys have put their hands up and it’s about trusting everyone as well. I think we have world-class bowlers throughout the unit, so it’s just about trust in the unit.”
South Africa squad – ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Australia 2022
Temba Bavuma (captain, DP World Lions), Quinton de Kock (Momentum Multiply Titans), Reeza Hendricks (DP World Lions), Marco Jansen (Gbets Warriors), Heinrich Klaasen (Momentum Multiply Titans), Keshav Maharaj (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Aiden Markram (Momentum Multiply Titans), David Miller (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Lungi Ngidi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Anrich Nortje (Gbets Warriors), Wayne Parnell (Six Gun Grill Western Province), Kagiso Rabada (DP World Lions), Rilee Rossouw (ITEC Knights), Tabraiz Shamsi (Momentum Multiply Titans), Tristan Stubbs (Gbets Warriors).
South Africa Group Stage Itinerary
Monday, 24 October – 19:00 (10:00 SAST)
South Africa vs Zimbabwe ended in a no result – Bellerive Oval, Hobart
Thursday, 27 October – 14:00 (05:00 SAST)
South Africa beat Bangladesh by 104 runs – SCG, Sydney
Sunday, 30 October – 19:00 (13:00 SAST)
South Africa beat India by five wickets – Perth Stadium, Perth
Thursday, 03 November – 19:00 (10:00 SAST)
Pakistan beat South Africa by 33 runs on the DLS Method – SCG, Sydney
Sunday, 06 November – 10:30 (02:00 SAST)
South Africa vs Netherlands – Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
