New Zealand v South Africa, World Cup 2011, 3rd quarter-final, Mirpur

South Africa not worried by opposition - du Plessis

Firdose Moonda in Mirpur

March 21, 2011

By finishing top of Group B, South Africa have set up a quarter-final clash with the fourth-placed team in Group A: New Zealand, a team who came into the World Cup having lost 11 out of the 12 games they had played in the subcontinent over the last year. South Africa, however, are not paying too much attention to who their opposition is, according to their allrounder Faf du Plessis.

"We specifically said we don't want to focus on who we are playing and have our minds distracted by our opposition," du Plessis said at the team hotel in Dhaka. "If we prepare well and we are ready for the game and we play to our full ability, we are confident that we will win the quarter-final."

Lonwabo Tsotsobe

After winning five out of their six group-stage matches, South Africa have earned recognition as one of the strongest sides in the tournament, perhaps even the favourites now, a tag they did not have coming in to the competition. They've approached each game as an individual entity, not a stepping stone, or a rung on a ladder, but as unit on its own. Even though they have now reached the do-or-die stage of the tournament, du Plessis said their approach won't change.

"My experience of knockouts is not to do anything different. That will take all the pressure off. When you do the opposite and it gets more tense and there is more pressure, you don't play to your full potential."

South Africa have played as a unit, with wickets spread among the seamers and the spinners, and runs coming from everyone in the line-up. It has meant that, on a day when one doesn't perform, they are safe in knowing someone else will. du Plessis said the win against India played an important part in the team reaching this point. "The win against India gave us a lot of confidence because everyone chipped in."

It also served as a morale booster, after a demoralising loss to England in Chennai where the batting collapsed and South Africa were accused of crumbling under pressure. "We should have won the game against England," du Plessis said. "But it gave us a sense of what to do when we are in that situation again."

Some called it getting the choke over and done with early, and while du Plessis didn't say so in so many words, he indicated that the team had learnt their lesson from that outing. It also allowed them to focus on moving forward and remaining positive.

"If you think about making mistakes, you're not going to play your best game. Even when we were in tough situations, guys played with freedom and got us out of the hole," he said, perhaps referring to the chase against India or the way the batting came back from being 117 for 5 against Ireland.

South Africa put in a complete performance against Bangladesh, both with bat and ball and beat them by 206 runs in Mirpur. They will play New Zealand at the same venue, and du Plessis thinks the experience on the pitch at the Shere Bangla National Stadium will serve them in good stead.

The pitch is a typical subcontinent wicket, although it doesn't look that way. du Plessis admitted that the team were surprised by the colour of the surface. "I haven't played on a wicket that looks charcoalish. It gets a bit slower the later you bat." du Plessis doesn't expect the toss to play a big role in the match, even though it is a day/night game.

The conditions won't be a concern because South Africa have played in them before, and the opposition is not an issue, because, as du Plessis reiterated, South Africa refuse to make them one. "We've seen them play a lot of cricket on television. They are a dangerous side, similar to West Indies in that they've got match winners as well. But we are not too worried about that."

Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent

Bangladesh crash out

Bangladesh crash out, SA top group

Bangladesh v South Africa, Group B, World Cup 2011, Mirpur

Abject Bangladesh surrender meekly

Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Bangladesh were not favourites to win their virtual pre-quarterfinal against the might of South Africa, especially after the visitors breezed away to 284, but it was the meek manner of their abject batting surrender that would have jarred even their most faithful fans. Eight overs in to the tall chase, and the heart of their batting line-up had been ripped out by Lonwabo Tsotsobe, causing the substantial crowd at the Shere Bangla Stadium to quickly start dwindling. They never recovered from those initial blows, and all they managed was to beat their lowest total of 58 achieved against West Indies earlier in the tournament by 20 runs, before being put out of their misery by Robin Peterson's fourth wicket.

This was after South Africa came out blazing in the morning, and the solid base that the openers gave allowed Jacques Kallis and Faf du Plessis to consolidate and accelerate seamlessly, giving their spin-heavy attack a substantial cushion to stifle Bangladesh and bowl them to the top the group. That they did so with 206 runs to spare was a testimony to how the fight completely went out of Bangladesh, and also confirmed England's qualification for the knockouts.

It was not that South Africa's attack, minus Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, held a lot of alarms. Tsotsobe did get enough bounce off the slow wicket to trouble the batsmen, and also got it to cut in from a very tight line outside off stump. But it was more a case of poor shot selection by the Bangladesh batsmen under the pressure of a big chase in a must-win game in front of a large home crowd. The first four dismissals were demonstrations of the various ways of how not to play on a low and slow wicket.

Tamim Iqbal was too early into the pull off a short Tsotsobe delivery that was way outside off stump, and was caught behind off a healthy under-edge, as South Africa referred successfully after umpire Daryl Harper missed the deflection. Imrul Kayes shouldered arms to a full Tsotsobe delivery that cut back in to shatter the stumps. Graeme Smith had started with Johan Botha, and his suffocating lines had Junaid Siddique in absolute uncertainty, not sure whether to go back or forward, and he ended up being trapped in front by one that went straight on. Shahriar Nafees played on, driving in princely fashion from the crease to one that nipped back in slowly.

Bangladesh's chase was only eight overs old, and already their dream had caved in at 21 for 4. Mushfiqur Rahim pottered around for some time before being snapped up one-handed by an alert Smith at slip off Peterson. Before his dismissal, Bangladesh managed seven runs in the bowling Powerplay, the lowest in the tournament, trumping Kenya who had made nine runs against Sri Lanka.

Amid all the anti-climax, Shakib Al Hasan displayed his class, straight-driving and pulling Tsotsobe, and caressing and slashing the spinners for boundaries. There were loud cheers as Bangladesh passed 58 but Shakib departed soon after as Bangladesh's party rapidly came to a rude end. Peterson cleaned up the tail as Bangladesh lasted all of 28 overs to bring the curtain down on what was ultimately a chaotic campaign.

Bangladesh's struggles stood out against the contrasting approaches of Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith, which had worked perfectly for South Africa at the top as the duo batted their way to a 98-run opening stand. It was fascinating to see how the openers went about tackling the spinners in their different styles. While Amla allowed the ball to come to him, and played it as late as possible off the back foot, Smith was very eager to push forward and use his feet frequently in an attempt to meet the ball early.

Amla carried on in the nonchalant fashion that has made him the world's most prolific one-day batsman of late. Anything marginally short was quickly dispatched, even against the turn. Smith was uncertain to start with, but Bangladesh helped him settle the nerves with a couple of freebies on leg stump that he happily put away past short fine leg.

It was only after the drinks break that the openers lost their cool and their wickets. JP Duminy followed and at 141 for 3 with 20 overs to go, Bangladesh were in it. But Kallis and du Plessis started milking the singles calmly. Only four boundaries were hit in the next 12 overs but South Africa still scored at five an over. The duo added 82 risk-free runs inside 15 overs as the Bangladesh attack struggled for penetration.

Peterson did not let South Africa miss the seventh batsman they had left out, clattering 22 in nine deliveries as 83 came off the last eight overs. Even though wickets tumbled late, there was enough spunk in Peterson and Botha to lift South Africa to 284. It turned out to be much more than sufficient for a Bangladesh outfit that finally lost the spark that had made it come back strongly twice in the tournament after crushing losses to West Indies and India, with wins over England, Ireland, and Netherlands.

Tsotsobe blows stun Bangladesh

Bangladesh v South Africa, Group B, World Cup 2011, Mirpur

SA ride on strong start to surge to 284

Lonwabo Tsotsobe

South Africa came out hard at Bangladesh, and the solid base that the openers gave allowed Jacques Kallis and Faf du Plessis to consolidate and accelerate seamlessly, giving their spin-heavy attack a reasonable chance of stifling Bangladesh, and bowling South Africa to the top of the group.

The contrasting approaches of Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith worked perfectly for South Africa at the top as the duo batted their way to a 98-run opening stand that seemed to deflate Bangladeshi hopes in what is a must-win game for them if they are to make the knockouts. Kallis and du Plessis carried on from where the openers left, adding 82 risk-free runs inside 15 overs as the Bangladesh attack struggled for penetration. Robin Peterson did not let South Africa miss the seventh batsman they had left out, clattering 22 in nine deliveries as 83 came off the last eight overs.

South Africa welcomed the Bangladeshi seamers with a flurry of boundaries, and then batted without taking too many gambles against spin which was predictably introduced early, in the fifth over. It was fascinating to see how the openers went about tackling the spinners in their different styles. While Amla allowed the ball to come to him, and played it as late as possible off the back foot, Smith was very eager to push forward and use his feet frequently in an attempt to meet the ball early.

Amla carried on in the nonchalant fashion that has made him the world's most prolific one-day batsman of late. Anything marginally short was quickly dispatched, as he showed against Mahmudullah in the 13th over. Twice Mahmudullah got the ball to turn in sharply from just short of a length, and Amla rocked back to punch against the spin into the tiny gap at cover. Smith was uncertain to start with, as has been the nature of most of his innings recently. But Bangladesh helped him settle the nerves with a couple of freebies on leg stump that he happily put away past short fine leg.

Though the introduction of spin dried up the boundaries, the singles kept coming all too easily. It was only after the drinks break that the openers lost their cool, became increasingly impatient and lost their wickets. Mahmudullah capitalised on Smith's blind charge by having him stumped in the 21st over. A couple of overs later, Amla went against the run of play, inside-edging an Abdur Razzak delivery onto the stumps, a dismissal that highlighted the fact that the surface was playing slower as the ball got older. That gave Bangladesh a window of opportunity to prevent South Africa from running away with the game, particularly with the visitors opting to play only six specialist batsmen.

But any such notions were calmly quelled by Jacques Kallis who began positively, cutting his fifth delivery to the point boundary. JP Duminy looked in control before he gloved a wayward short delivery from Rubel Hossain down the leg side to the wicketkeeper. At 141 for 3 with 20 overs to go, Bangladesh were in it but du Plessis came in and started milking the singles. Only four boundaries were hit in the next 12 overs, one of them off a misfield, but South Africa still scored at five an over as Kallis and du Plessis repeatedly worked the ball to the leg side.

Kallis launched a big six over deep midwicket to signal the start of the assault in the 43rd over. Twenty came off the next two overs but Shakib caught Kallis in the first over of the batting Powerplay. du Plessis took over then and spoiled Razzak's figures, taking 16 off his final over with two pulls over midwicket. Even though wickets tumbled, there was enough spunk in Peterson and Johan Botha to lift South Africa to 284. If Bangladesh manage to overhaul that, it will only be the third successful 200-plus chase in Mirpur in a day match. South Africa would be doubly pleased with the big total, given that Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have been rested today.