Test title gives Proteas confidence ahead of T20 series against Australia
They will be playing a different format, but top-order batter Ryan Rickelton says the Proteas will have more confidence going into their T20 series against Australia after beating the Baggy Greens to win the world Test title a couple of months ago.
The SA team defeated Australia by five wickets in the World Test Championship final in London in June. And while the Proteas went on to win their two-Test series against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, and lost three of their five games in the T20 International tri-series against New Zealand and Zimbabwe in Harare, some key players were rested.
Having arrived in Australia with a stronger squad, Rickelton said the Proteas were buoyed by their victory in the Test championship final as they geared up for a three-match T20 International series against the same opposition starting in Darwin on Sunday.
'It is a different format but I think the Lord's victory instilled belief not just within the group but the wider spread cricketing community in South Africa,' Rickelton said yesterday.
'It definitely does give us a lot of confidence that we can do these things we speak about and dream about.
'But it's a different opportunity, it's a fresh team… so we're looking forward to trying to take momentum from a few months ago, especially with the guys coming back as well, and trying to win a series here in Australia.'
Proteas 'raring to go'
One of the players who had been given a break over the last two months, Rickelton said he felt rested and was eager to return to action for his country.
In the build-up to next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, he felt the break would do some key players well in the long run.
'A few of us have been on the road for quite a period of time and before the break comes you might not really be looking forward to it or understand the need for it, but I think looking back it was very beneficial to me,' Rickelton said.
'I've chatted to the guys who have been on break – Aiden (Markram), Tristan (Stubbs), Marco (Jansen), KG (Kagiso Rabada) – they look very chuffed with life. KG is raring to go again, Aiden looks like he's got that spark in his eye again, and Stubbo is keen to get going as well.
'So it's important to have that switch off… and if we look at the rest of the year, all the way through to the end of the IPL next year, it's pretty packed… but we're happy to be back and ready to go.'
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