Proteas ready for Irish challenge

GEORGETOWN – South Africa will treat their next World Cup Super Eight matches against Ireland and Bangladesh as “huge” games which could clear the way to the semi-finals, according to coach Mickey Arthur.

The Proteas have two points in the second round, courtesy of a narrow one-wicket win over Sri Lanka. They could leave Guyana with six points in the bag to get ready for crucial matches against the West Indies and New Zealand in Grenada.South Africa will then lock horns with a steady, but unspectacular England, in their last Super Eights match in Barbados.But Arthur has warned against complacency against Ireland and Bangladesh, two teams South Africa would normally be expected to roll over.”They are huge games because when you sit down and make plans for the rest of the tournament, they are both ‘banker’ games and, with games like that, there comes an added pressure,” Arthur said ahead of Tuesday’s fixture against Ireland at Providence.”If things go well, we would also hope to work a little bit on our net run-rate because, in the event of two teams finishing with the same number of points after the Super Eights, they will be divided by their overall run rate.”But first prize is to leave Guyana with six points – if we can do that I’ll be a very happy man,” said Arthur, whose team were given an early shock by debutants Ireland in a warm-up match in Trinidad last month.Irish skipper Trent Johnston (4-40) and Dave Langford-Smith (3-30) reduced South Africa to 91-8 before Andrew Hall (67 not out) and Robin Peterson (29) added 85 for the ninth wicket to help their team post 192.Ireland then batted well and were cruising towards the target with 139-4 before being bowled out for 157.Since that great escape against Ireland, the South Africa middle order has yet to fire and came a cropper in their last Group A match against Australia which they lost by 83 runs.They were also let down by the middle order against Sri Lanka, almost losing the match from a well-set 206-5 with Sri Lanka paceman Lasith Malinga recording a unique four-in-four-ball feat before the Proteas sneaked through.It was a tense win which Arthur admitted had “taken quite a few years off my life.””At five wickets down with four runs needed to win, I started packing away the kit bags, but then it suddenly became very hectic.It was always going to take something extremely special to derail us from there and Malinga certainly nearly delivered it,” Arthur said.And a semi-final place is already on Arthur’s mind.”Based on current form I wouldn’t mind staying away from Australia in the semi-finals,” said the coach.”Right now I firmly believe the last four teams will be Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa based on what I have seen but we still have an awful lot of work to do to be sure of our place.”World number one South Africa are hoping their pace spearheads Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini get back to their lethal best after being lacklustre in the earlier matches.Pollock is particularly worrying, having conceded 83 in ten overs against Australia and 46 off eight in the match against Sri Lanka.He was also wicketless on both occasions.Nampa-AFPThey could leave Guyana with six points in the bag to get ready for crucial matches against the West Indies and New Zealand in Grenada.South Africa will then lock horns with a steady, but unspectacular England, in their last Super Eights match in Barbados.But Arthur has warned against complacency against Ireland and Bangladesh, two teams South Africa would normally be expected to roll over.”They are huge games because when you sit down and make plans for the rest of the tournament, they are both ‘banker’ games and, with games like that, there comes an added pressure,” Arthur said ahead of Tuesday’s fixture against Ireland at Providence.”If things go well, we would also hope to work a little bit on our net run-rate because, in the event of two teams finishing with the same number of points after the Super Eights, they will be divided by their overall run rate.”But first prize is to leave Guyana with six points – if we can do that I’ll be a very happy man,” said Arthur, whose team were given an early shock by debutants Ireland in a warm-up match in Trinidad last month.Irish skipper Trent Johnston (4-40) and Dave Langford-Smith (3-30) reduced South Africa to 91-8 before Andrew Hall (67 not out) and Robin Peterson (29) added 85 for the ninth wicket to help their team post 192.Ireland then batted well and were cruising towards the target with 139-4 before being bowled out for 157.Since that great escape against Ireland, the South Africa middle order has yet to fire and came a cropper in their last Group A match against Australia which they lost by 83 runs.They were also let down by the middle order against Sri Lanka, almost losing the match from a well-set 206-5 with Sri Lanka paceman Lasith Malinga recording a unique four-in-four-ball feat before the Proteas sneaked through.It was a tense win which Arthur admitted had “taken quite a few years off my life.””At five wickets down with four runs needed to win, I started packing away the kit bags, but then it suddenly became very hectic.It was always going to take something extremely special to derail us from there and Malinga certainly nearly delivered it,” Arthur said.And a semi-final place is already on Arthur’s mind.”Based on current form I wouldn’t mind staying away from Australia in the semi-finals,” said the coach.”Right now I firmly believe the last four teams will be Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and South Africa based on what I have seen but we still have an awful lot of work to do to be sure of our place.”World number one South Africa are hoping their pace spearheads Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini get back to their lethal best after being lacklustre in the earlier matches.Pollock is particularly worrying, having conceded 83 in ten overs against Australia and 46 off eight in the match against Sri Lanka.He was also wicketless on both occasions.Nampa-AFP