After losing their first two games, England cannot qualify for the Champions Trophy playoffs.
Though their opponents have nothing to lose, batter Rassie van der Dussen says the Proteas are wary of England as they gear up for what could be a crunch encounter on Saturday at the Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan.
By the time they take to the field in Karachi on Saturday (11am start), the SA team might well have already qualified for the playoffs, and if they haven’t, they’ll know exactly what’s required to do so.
England, on the other hand, have already been eliminated after losing their first two group matches against Australia and Afghanistan.
Nonetheless, Van der Dussen said the Proteas would be going into the match with the same intensity they would in any championship clash. And, if anything, he felt their early elimination would fire up the England side.
“That’s what makes them dangerous. They have nothing to lose and they’ll be out to prove a point,” Van der Dussen said yesterday.
“They’ve come in for some really stern criticism from their press back home and online, from what I’ve seen, so they’ll be saying ‘let’s do down fighting’.
“Looking at their line-up, they’re already a dangerous side to start with, so it doesn’t really change anything for us. It’s a match we want to win.”
Playoff matches undecided
While New Zealand and India had already qualified for the playoffs in Group A after winning their first two games, with Bangladesh and Pakistan having been eliminated, the overall standings in their group had not yet been decided.
New Zealand were set to face India on Sunday to determine which team finished top of their first-round group, and which side contested which semifinal.
Depending on whether they finished first or second in Group B, the Proteas would either have to travel to Lahore or Dubai (where India were playing all their matches in the tournament for political reasons).
And while he did admit they would prefer not to have to travel to another country (the United Arab Emirates), Van der Dussen felt South Africa would be competitive regardless of the venue or the conditions.
“I don’t think it really matters. Logistically it will probably be easier to play in Lahore because you don’t have to get on an international flight to go to another country to play,” Van der Dussen said.
“Lahore is not too far from where we are at the moment, so conditions are fairly similar, but we won’t know what’s going to happen until Saturday evening, so we just have to prepare for both possibilities.
“I think as a team we’ve got everything in the locker to adapt to what’s in front of us, so we’re not too worried. There’s no location that will suit us better or worse.”
