Proteas bowling coach Eric Simons believes the Cricket World Cup in India will be a high-scoring affair, but he backs South Africa’s attack to respond well at the tournament.
Captain Temba Bavuma and his team open their tournament against Sri Lanka in New Delhi at 10.30am on Saturday and while they are fancied to win the match comfortably, Simons has realistic expectations of what will happen to his bowlers on the subcontinent wickets at the tournament.
The former Proteas allrounder reckons they will be klapped at some stage, but he believes they’ve got the mix to deal with the onslaught - even with fast bowler Anrich Nortje out injured.
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Asked how important pace ace Kagiso Rabada will be to the team’s cause, Simons: “Every one of the guys are going to be important. I think we’re going to see a high-scoring tournament with good wickets.
“You just need to have every cog in your machine working well when it comes to bowling. On a day he’s gonna maybe go for some runs and somebody else is going to step in and vice versa on other days.
“I was asked about Anrich [Nortje] quite a bit when we lost him and one of the things he does bring is the intimidation factor…”
Simons is hoping young Gerald Coetzee steps up to bring the aggro, but he warns: “Someone that can bowl constantly in the 140-plus is important in any conditions.
“[But] someone’s gonna punch him in the nose, no doubt - that’s what the game’s about and in particular in India, and how you deal with those moments is important…
“I do think it’s going to be a steep learning curve for him, but he is somebody with the material and resources to handle it…”
His high-scoring prediction was confirmed by New Zealand on Saturday as they chased down England’s 282/9 inside 32.2 overs, with SA-born Devon Conway (152* off 121 balls) and Rachin Ravindra (123* off 96) both scoring centuries to win the tournament opener.
THIS WEEKEND’S WORLD CUP FIXTURES
Friday: Pakistan v Netherlands (10.30am)
Saturday: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (7am), South Africa v Sri Lanka (10.30am).
Sunday: India v Australia (10.30am).