South Africa's Keshav Maharaj previews ICC T20 World Cup clash with Netherlands
Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, USA
Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, USA
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00:00 How is the team moving ahead of this upcoming match?
00:06 You got the first game jitters out of the way with a strong performance.
00:10 How vital is it to win the first game out in any tournament?
00:16 I think the boys are really excited with getting the first one out of the way, putting quite
00:20 a clinical performance in some difficult conditions.
00:25 But we found a way through it which is really important.
00:27 I think the way in which we stuck through to our processes during the game was really
00:31 outstanding and hopefully that continues into the next match against the Netherlands.
00:38 You guys looked like you were really enjoying yourselves out there in the first game against
00:41 Sri Lanka.
00:42 Is that a result of the unity and clicking as a team in the background as well?
00:46 Yes, very much so.
00:47 I think there's a different energy and mood in this camp.
00:50 You can see that translating on the field.
00:53 Everyone's happy for one another's successes.
00:55 The enjoyment factor propels us to execute our plans and processes on the field.
01:02 You guys got a baseball game in.
01:05 What was that experience like and what are some of the similarities that you guys noted
01:10 between cricket and baseball?
01:12 That was amazing.
01:14 Credit and kudos must go to the media team and obviously CSA for arranging that for us.
01:20 And yeah, obviously it's hitting and running basically.
01:24 But I think the one standout part for us was obviously the buy-in from the public towards
01:31 supporting their teams.
01:32 It's amazing to see the atmosphere and buzz created at the stadium.
01:36 Just to see how everyone gets behind their local players is quite phenomenal to see.
01:41 The Netherlands have managed a couple of upsets in recent history against South Africa in
01:45 the World Cup.
01:47 Is that playing in the back of your heads approaching tomorrow's game perhaps?
01:50 No, definitely not.
01:51 I think we've obviously got a new regime of coaches and things so they've brought fresh
01:55 ideas to the table.
01:57 And the boys are ready to go.
01:58 I think we've come with a lot of confidence from the previous game.
02:01 But it is a new game.
02:02 We're just going back to the drawing board and repeating our processes and plans.
02:06 And hopefully it's enough to take on the Netherlands team tomorrow.
02:10 There is a strong South African influence in the Netherlands team, starting with head
02:14 coach Ryan Cook, whom some of the guys would have worked with at some point in their careers.
02:20 Do you think this knowledge of the Portuguese contributed to their success against you in
02:25 the ICC World Cup?
02:27 Probably.
02:28 Hard for me to say.
02:29 I'm not in the dressing room.
02:31 But I think probably having some knowledge of the local players and conditions might
02:35 have helped.
02:36 Obviously they've got a strong South African contingent within their players and support
02:40 staff.
02:41 So I'm sure they're trying to pick their brains as much as possible.
02:44 But yeah, it's very difficult for me to obviously give you too much insight on that because
02:49 I'm not in their dressing room.
02:51 So now you took two wickets against Sri Lanka in the first game.
02:56 What is your assessment of the wicket?
03:00 The wicket had a little bit of bounce for me.
03:01 So I just try to utilise conditions and obviously play my part in the bowling attack whilst
03:07 the seamer was striking from the other end.
03:11 A lot has been said about it.
03:13 I'm sure it must be really fun for the bowlers to finally get Sam Jo out, right?
03:16 Yeah, very much so.
03:17 I think the seamers are licking their lips.
03:19 I think if you look at in the last six months, it's been really, really high scores.
03:24 So it's nice to get some sort of conditions in your favour for a change.
03:30 [BLANK_AUDIO]