The Proteas have no reason to be grootbek at this year’s World Cup.
So when they face Australia in the final match of their campaign on Saturday, the Baggy Greens don’t expect their opponents to chirp them much.
There is no love lost between the two cricketing nations, as was highlighted in Australia’s tour of South Africa last year.
It was a series that had more drama than Days of our Lives, with players botsing in the players’ tunnel, Proteas ace Kagiso Rabada getting a two-match ban for brushing shoulders with Dave Warner and of course the latter and two of his teammates getting a one-year ban for ball tampering.
It was ugly, yet pretty.
CONTROVERSY: Oz's Dave Warner. Photo: BackpagePix.
Warner was at the centre of most of the controversy and has developed quite a rivalry with Rabada.
That should be worth the entry fee alone at Old Trafford on Saturday.
But with SA already out of the tournament, the Aussies don’t expect them to say much about the bans of Warner and Steve Smith to the duo.
Batsmen Usman Khawaja says: “Oh look, the South African guys are pretty good blokes.
“I’ve known them for a long time and I’m sure they will treat them [Warner and Smith] fairly.”
While the match will be a dead rubber for the Aussies, who were the first team to qualify for the playoffs, South Africa will go all out to finish on a high.
MINI BATTLES: Andile Phehlukwayo looks to win the mini battles before the war. Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix.
Having registered only their second win of the campaign against Sri lanka last weekend, allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo says they have to win the mini battles if they want to win the war against their old foe.
Phehlukwayo explains: “It’s just in patches that we’ve lost the game and that’s something in international cricket you can’t do or you don’t win games.
“We’ve just been short at times.
“You need to win those patches in important games and if you don’t it becomes really tough and you are chasing the game all the time.
“You want to be either on par or ahead of the game. That’s something we haven’t been very consistent in at this tournament. Hopefully, that’s something we will learn from.”