Vernon Philander and Mike Procter share their thoughts ahead of the Proteas’ Cricket World Cup semi-final showdown against Australia on Thursday.
The Proteas stand on the cusp of making history as they prepare for their semi-final showdown against Australia at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday. Written off before the start of the competition, this South African outfit will be out to prove the naysayers wrong and book their spot in Sunday’s showpiece event at 132 000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium.
Our two Cricket Brand Ambassadors Vernon Philander and Mike Procter look ahead to the semi-final clash and share their predictions for what should be a closely-fought affair.
Mike Procter
“Eden Gardens is the venue for the much-anticipated World Cup semi-final clash between the Proteas and Australia. A batting-friendly pitch should ensure big scores as both teams have several brilliant strokemakers and we have seen some amazing hitting by both sides.
“The bowling will be the deciding factor. The team that handles that pressure better is going to win. I think South Africa has the edge in the batting department and their bowlers are also performing better. This South African team will be able to handle the pressure and can go all the way,” said Procter.
Vernon Philander
“I do feel that South Africa will take a lot of confidence heading into this fixture having beaten Australia in their last four ODIs. The toss will be important for South Africa because they have the blueprint needed to post a big score.
“Of course, they’ve had a few hiccoughs chasing in this World Cup, and perhaps Australia will try to exploit that by also batting first should they win the toss.
It’s going to be a fascinating contest between two teams that are stacking up quite nicely in terms of batting. Both have exceptionally good bowlers as well. Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen can strike with the new ball. The way Keshav Maharaj as well as Kagiso Rabada operate in the middle period will be key,” said Philander on the Proteas.
“For Australia, Mitchell Starc will be a big threat up front with the new ball. Another one to be wary of is Adam Zampa. You always look at wicket-takers and those two really stand out for me in the Australian bowling arsenal.
It’ll be a fascinating contest between these two nations, but I am going to go with South Africa (to win). Hopefully, we win the toss, bat first and post a big total,” he added.
