T20 World Cup: Close games help in terms of team morale, says Prince Today Sports News

In multi-team white-ball tournaments, peaking at the business end is a catchphrase that’s often tossed around by those on the periphery. South Africa, of course, has been hitting the high notes ever since the T20 World Cup began on February 7. The Proteas have won all their six games, and will look to prolong that streak by brushing aside Zimbabwe here on Sunday before playing the semifinals.

In contrast to how South Africa has fared so far, England has come through a bevy of tight finishes. Both teams will take their rightful places in the last-four stage, but is there an ideal way to get there?

“I don’t think there’s an ideal way I suppose. I think it’s nice not to have a lot of close games, but close games definitely help in terms of team morale,” South Africa’s batting coach Ashwell Prince told reporters on Saturday.

“We’re not thinking about peaking or not peaking. The only thing that matters is maintaining our standards. Sometimes you get pushed in matches and maybe you have to play a little bit above what people think your ceiling might be. So far when we’ve found ourselves under pressure, we’ve been able to step up.”

Asked about South Africa enjoying a perceived advantage by playing all its games so far in Ahmedabad and Delhi, the former left-hand batter said: “People have their opinion. At the end of the day, we are visitors. Obviously it helps not having to travel that much. But as I say, doing up the schedule is out of our control”.