Published: Apr 03, 2014, 06:45 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 03, 2014, 06:46 PM (IST)
Apr 3, 2014
With Ravichandra Ashwin and Amit Mishra at their top of their games, JP Duminy expects a tough battle against the spin wizards in the semi-final clash of ICC World T20 2014.
Amit Mishra has been the pick of the bowlers taking nine wickets at an economy of 5.26 runs per over. Ravichandran Ashwin similarly has impressed with seven wickets in the group stages.
“We know it’s going to be a big challenge for us,” JP Duminy said at a media session. “Their spinners have been doing exceptionally well in this tournament but I think we have the armoury to put in a big performance against their spinners.
“We know what to expect, we have played against them a number of times and we have had good success against them. We know its semi-final time in a World Cup; it doesn’t get bigger than this; so we are going to have to produce something good.”
South African spin department only consists of Imran Tahir, who has been the tournament’s second highest wicket-taker with 11 wickets. The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur is going to be a different pitch from which South Africa have played their group stage games.
“The conditions here are different,” Duminy said. “There isn’t much dew around and the wicket takes a bit more turn. We are going to have to prepare accordingly, we know we are predominately going to face spin against India.”
The South Africans are going to be high on confidence after their convincing victory over England to see them through to the semi-finals.However, the performances in the group stages won’t matter anymore as it is a completely different situation now and a win can help South Africa secure a place in Sunday’s final.
“It’s a new game, whatever has happened is in the past,” Duminy explained. “We are up for the challenge and hopefully we will come up on top.
“The highs you have gone through during the tournament count for nothing now,” he added. “Yes, you will take confidence from a lot of performances but in the end it comes down to putting in the performance on the day.”
ICC World T20 2014 schedule: Match time table with venue details
