Proteas coach Rob Walter will be looking to ‘pull a Springbok’ when they face New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup in Pune, India, on Wednesday.
South Africa’s rugby team beat the Kiwis in the Rugby World Cup final at the weekend to lift the Webb Ellis Cup, and with the two cricket teams also running neck-and-neck in India, there will be some added spice to the encounter.
As it stands, South Africa are second to hosts India on the log and New Zealand two points behind the Proteas in third after six matches.
𝗠![CDATA[]]>𝗼![CDATA[]]>𝘁![CDATA[]]>𝗶![CDATA[]]>𝘃![CDATA[]]>𝗮![CDATA[]]>𝘁![CDATA[]]>𝗶![CDATA[]]>𝗼![CDATA[]]>𝗻 𝗠![CDATA[]]>𝗼![CDATA[]]>𝗻![CDATA[]]>𝗱![CDATA[]]>𝗮![CDATA[]]>𝘆 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) October 30, 2023
✅ Resilience
✅ Detemined
✅ Courageous
A weekend that was filled with remarkable performances 👏 #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/3RjqDo9XHm
With the top four going through to the semis and only three rounds left to play, the stakes are high.
Of the clash, Walter, who coached in New Zealand before taking charge of the Proteas, says: “It’s a cool opportunity to play another two top sides in competition so far to pit our game against theirs and see how it stacks up.
“We’ve played some good cricket so far… and we’ll be seeing if we can replicate that against New Zealand next and India to follow [on Sunday].”
Asked about the Springboks and if the pressure now falls on them to make it two World Cup trophies for SA, Walter says: “They [the Springboks] continue to inspire and give hope. To see what they’ve done and the levels they’ve reached are an inspiration for us as a team.”
He adds of possible added pressure: “Winning the World Cup for cricket, [the pressure is] as much now as before…
“It seems like the media attention will shift to us now. We have spoken about it as a team and what we can take from that [Bok World Cup win]. We will try to take care of our own business and take the learnings from the rugby side.”