GROUP OF DEATH? The Proteas might just have good reason to fancy their chances in Group B of the Champions Trophy. Seen here: Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma. Picture: Rodger Bosch / AFP
Image: Rodger Bosch/AFP
While the Proteas won’t be favourites in their ‘Group of Death’ at the Champions Trophy which begins on Wednesday, it’s certainly not beyond the realm of possibility that they could beat England, Australia and Afghanistan.
That’s not to say that’s the likeliest scenario, but while the Proteas have had their struggles in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) of late, so have the other teams in Group B.
South Africa’s first fixture in the competition is against Afghanistan in Karachi on Friday.
Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
Against Australia in Rawalpindi on February 25, the Proteas will be facing an Aussie outfit missing the services of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh. Australia have also been struck by injury on the fast bowling front as Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have all been ruled out due to injury.
SA’s final group B opponents will be England on March 1 back in Karachi. While the Brendon McCullum-led ‘Bazball side are known for their attacking intent with the bat, they have recently lost seven of their eight matches on their tour to India which ended last week. That included a 3-0 whitewash to their hosts in the ODI series.
It’s clear then to see, that none of the teams in Group B are exactly confident outfits at the moment and instead it could be called the ‘Group of Life’. And for a change, the Proteas may actually benefit from lack of expectations coming into a major tournament.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
** JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Send us an email with your comments, thoughts or responses to [email protected]. Letters should be a maximum of 500 words, and may be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Submissions should include a contact number and physical address (not for publication).
