Staff Reporter.
Proteas allrounder Wayne Parnell has described their final Group 2 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup clash against the Netherlands as a ‘quarterfinal’ ahead of the must-win game in Adelaide on Sunday.
South Africa lost for the first time in Australia when they went down to Pakistan in their fourth match of the competition on Thursday – a result which saw them slip to second in their group. But destiny remains in their hands and victory over the Dutch at the Adelaide Oval will guarantee them a place in the last four.
“It’s obviously a crucial game for us,” Parnell told a pre-match media briefing on Saturday. “For us it’s just about staying in the moment. We’re trying not to focus too far into the future. We want to tackle tomorrow firstly, make sure we win and then we’ll know after that from the table where we’re going to be.”
Bangladesh and Pakistan can both still overhaul the Proteas on the table should Temba Bavuma and his team slip-up. However, Parnell felt everyone in their squad understood what they needed to do in the game.
He continued: “I think it’s pretty straightforward. It’s just for us to go out there, play good cricket and try to win the game. It’s a pretty simple equation for us. Tomorrow is basically a quarterfinal and then obviously if we win that we go to a semifinal and then if we win that we’re in the final.
The Netherlands have already been eliminated from the World Cup after managing just one win thus far compared to the Proteas’ two. But even though they are bottom of the table, Parnell expected them to put up a good fight – as is the case in T20 cricket compared to the other two formats.
“In T20s things get closer together when it’s a short game,” the veteran allrounder said. “So we still have to play well to beat them. They’re a quality side and they’ve shown that they can play good cricket. Hopefully for us it’s only in patches. I think if we can bring our A-game then that should be enough.”
Parnell also praised the Proteas pace attack for the way they had come together as a unit during the competition.
“I think certainly it’s more about the unit than the individual,” he added. “I think you’ve seen over the past four games, different guys have put their hands up and it’s about trusting everyone as well. I think we have world-class bowlers throughout the unit, so it’s just about trust in the unit.”