adminPORT ELIZABETH. – While the prospect of a 5-0 series whitewash against the West Indies is on the cards, walloping the struggling Caribbean outfit will mean little come the Cricket World Cup, says Proteas player JP Duminy.“We don’t want to be too blasé about these recent performances ahead of a big tournament. As much you want to take a lot of confidence out of a previous series, it actually means nothing,” Duminy said in Port Elizabeth yesterday.
South Africa face the West Indies at St George’s Park tomorrow, having already secured the five-match ODI series 3-0. Duminy said winning was about seizing the moment which they hoped to do at the quadrennial tournament in Australia and New Zealand next month.
“At the end of the day it’s about how you perform on the day in the World Cup tournament. When you get into a knockout phase, it’s not about what’s happened in the past against an Australian, or Sri Lankan team. It comes down to what you’re going to produce on that day.”
However, it would be important to ensure South Africa kept up their intensity as the five-match series draws to a close, he said.
“In a World Cup you’re probably going to have to win back-to-back games. Yes, we’ve won three in a row but the challenge for us will be to go four-nil, five-nil up and put ourselves under that sort of pressure and to take that into the World Cup.”
Duminy had batted just once during the series, and with Hashim Amla sitting out the fourth match, the left-hander could move up the order. “I’m more than likely going to shift up the order, but I’m not sure exactly where I’ll bat.
“There’ll be a few of us shuffling up the order and hopefully getting some opportunities.”- Supersport.com.
Online Reporter