PORT ELIZABETH, 4 March 2003 — Sunday’s close match against England was good for us since it gave us a well-timed wake-up call just ahead of the crucial Super Six stage. It had been quite a while since we have been really tested, so a close call will ensure that the team is 100 percent focused as we enter the next phase.
There was a stage when we looked like we would suffer our first loss, but once again, Michael Bevan pulled off an amazing win. He was ably assisted by Andy Bichel, who had earlier bowled marvelously to take seven wickets. The wicket suited Andy pretty well, as it was slow, with a little sideways movement. He was able to hit the seam, and bowled a very full length right through his spell.
While we were lucky to come away with four points from St. George’s Park this time round, I don’t think the wicket is suitable for a semifinal. We are also scheduled to play a Super Six game there, so I hope the curators produce a better track for those two games. We have played in Port Elizabeth in the past, and the wicket was much better on those earlier occasions.
On Sunday, it was too slow and the surface was breaking when we were bowling — certainly not an ideal wicket for the showpiece games of the World Cup. We would not want the toss to be too crucial, but on such a wicket it would assume enormous significance.
Having said that, the other semifinal venue, Durban, will be seeing a day-night game. In the tournament so far, we have seen that chasing under lights has been a problem. We have a Super Six game there, but I’m sure we will be able to do well. Exactly 12 months ago, we played a day-night game in Durban and won by eight wickets, after chasing a 260-plus total.
As the next stage approaches, one team that seems to have come into its own is India. They played pretty well against Pakistan, and have recovered well since we played them. From the Super Six stage onward, things really hot up, and the difference between the teams on a given day can be pretty marginal. By the time the semifinals come round, one bad game can upset calculations.
All this means that there is no place for complacency. We are aware that we are well-placed to move into the semifinals as we will be entering the Super Sixes with maximum points. However, we are taking one game at a time, and at our team meetings we are speaking about the process of playing our best cricket rather than about winning.
We will be going into our recovery program over the next couple of days, which involves a bit of weight-training, walking and swimming. We will then work back to our full training gradually, with complete workouts starting only 48 hours before our first Super Six match on Friday.
We did have a low-key celebration after Sunday’s win. We like to celebrate low-key in the early stages of the tournament, and keep the big bash for the end.
