ICC World Cup 2019 | We have to do the basics well to win the title, says Faf du Plessis
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South African skipper Faf du Plessis has asserted that a team has to do the basics very well to win the World Cup title. South Africa have made it to the semi-finals on four occasions – 1992, 1999, 2007 and 2015, but never made it through despite being one of the strong contenders.
South Africa and World Cups share an old story. South Africa have been one of the consistent sides in the history of the tournament but still hasn’t managed to clinch a title. They fizzle out in knock-out stages, which has also been the key reason behind their failure.
Du Plessis has stated that a team has to do the basics really well in a big tournament like the World Cup and has asked his players to do so. He also spoke about their previous belief where a team has to do something special to win the World Cup not being true.
"We believed you had to be really special to win the World Cup, that you had to do something more than you usually do, which is not true. Whatever we've been doing consistently, the way we've played while beating teams that will work. We have to do the basics as well as possible, teams don't win the World Cup by someone scoring a century off 50 balls or taking 7 for 20,” Du Plessis said, reported Cricbuzz.
A sense of freedom in such a big tournament only gets the best out of a player. Du Plessis wants his players to enjoy the tournament and be not worried about the failure.
"I've been there and I know the pressures, I understand how to deal with them. There's a reason why we want the guys to play freely - because we don't want them to have a fear of failure, which is what the World Cup is for some of them. Our success in England over the next couple of months depends on how well we release that aspect of our play - we need that for the team to be at our best. Each player needs to find out his own strengths.”
"The players relate better to fellow players and I'm on the same level as the coach when it comes to the importance of the mental side. I'm a big believer in positive visualisation, how to remain calm, and I feel it has had value for my own game. So I can relate that to the players, how important it is to be present in the moment; for instance when there's been a dropped catch, there's nothing you can do about it and it's about how you change your mindset to make sure you are still strong mentally," Du Plessis added.
South Africa play their inaugural game against England which is also the tournament opener on May 30.
