10 November - Ahmedabad - South Africa player Rassie van der Dussen post-match press conference
[Reporter:]
How did it feel just getting over that challenge? I mean there were some nervy moments there but like completing a chase fairly convincingly I guess in the end. Was that quite a good confidence booster?
[Rassie Van Der Dussen:]
Yeah, definitely I think coming into this match we wanted to put ourselves in that situation so if we won the toss we would have bowled anyway, because we wanted to put ourselves in that situation, knowing that they've got a really strong spin attack especially. I think it was largely controlled. There were one or two nervy moments, but it's always in the chases like that. You've just got to communicate well to the guys coming in. So, I think one thing we did well is we never lost wickets in clusters. Everyone that came in put up a bit of a partnership and ended it closer. By doing that, they were never really in the game. Even though it might have looked when we needed about 50 of 50, with five wickets in hand, you're going to get there nine times out of ten.
[Reporter:]
You mentioned that you sort of always felt in control even if it didn't always look that way. Do you still think that maybe asking you guys to chase would be something that other teams, or when you're chasing, that other teams will think that they might target you in that regard?
[Rassie Van Der Dussen:]
Probably. Yeah, the win-loss ratio looks pretty good in our favour when we bat first and I think it's pretty much 50-50 when we chase. The risk I suppose you run is that if there's a due then you're going to have to bowl with a due and there was a bit of due tonight. Made the wicket play pretty well, especially not all teams have the spin resources these guys have. So, we knew when the seamer came on to bowl, Naveen [ul-Haq], the wicket played really nicely, came onto the bat really well and we saw those shots, Andile [Phehlukwayo] played off him. We knew we could wait for that and we could play pretty well because there's a bit damp out there.
So, I suppose if you if you're going to ask someone to chase you run the risk of If you don't take wickets in the early in the middle stages, it might get tricky for the bowlers at the back end
[Reporter:]
See just in terms of your partnership with Andile, like you said, there was obviously going to be some nervy moments and stuff, but you must be quite satisfied with how you guys were able to navigate that. And just a word on the eventual composure he showed as well. I mean, it's his first time playing in a long time, actually, and got through a difficult period and ended with a flourish.
[Rassie Van Der Dussen:]
Yeah, he played brilliantly. And throughout this whole campaign, it's been such a squad effort and such a - not just a team effort the support staff and everyone as well, so I'm really happy for him to get a chance and to remind really again everyone what's what he's about as a player. He's one of those players he it seems like he always contributes he's never - oftentimes not the hero but he contributes he takes a wicket here and there, he's good in the field and with the bat. He's played a few innings like that that I can think of - some where I've been on the other end.
So this all innings was a bit of a felt like a bit of a chess match you know with their spinners bowling at certain times and we knew the their three main spinners was the biggest threat and at stages we had to gear down a little bit and the communication to Andile coming in there was they have to take wickets now so they're going to bowl their best bowlers now so tough it out I gave him some good plans in terms of how the wicket was playing and he managed to get through that and then as soon as again like I said - as soon as those three guys bowled out we knew we could target the other guys.
[Reporter:]
We saw Temba [Bavuma] struggling with an injury I don't expect you to be the doctor and tell us how bad it is. But what does that do to a team when you see someone who's so important to the cause and there he is and he's obviously not in a good way? How do you guys feel about that?
[Rassie Van Der Dussen:]
It's not ideal, obviously. I suppose I'll have to assess how it is tomorrow. He was obviously struggling a bit but the type of character Temba is, he wanted to stay out there.
That did give him the option to go off for a period and come back for a period so he can open the batting. But not once did he say no, he's going to go off and let the other guys bat. He wanted us to chase, he wanted us in that situation and even though he was on a half a leg there, he was still keen to go up front and see off the new ball and play the guys there so now the type of character is - I think you'll be, we get to go on Thursday - luckily we've got a few days and yeah we'll see what happens but again I'll reiterate like our squad system has been so good, so obviously if he's not there like a guy like Reeza [Hendricks] has been obviously when he got the opportunities he put his hand up and he's at training he's been brilliant and in terms of conditioning and in the gym and everything attitude everything he's been brilliant so we know we have a really capable replacement if it's needed.
[Reporter:]
Considering that you had lost five wickets in the first 40 overs, what was the conversation with Andile when he came to batting, especially considering that he was playing his first game of the tournament?
[Rassie Van Der Dussen:]
Just along the lines of they're going to bowl their main bowlers now. Obviously, Rashid [Khan], Mujib [ur-Rahman] and [Muhammad] Nabi were the toughest bowlers on the day. But the communication to him coming in there was they have to bowl their bowlers now. So, they're looking for wickets. Get through that tricky period and we know when the other guys came on, especially the seamer, the other wicket players here at night, it should be fine and we should get across the line.
He played that brilliant. There was a bit of pressure on him when he came in. Got through that tough, tough period. And I think, what if he finish on 30 or 30 or something. So yeah, brilliant knock from him today.
[Reporter:]
[inaudible]
[Rassie Van Der Dussen:]
99 - I was 10 years old, so I don't remember too much, but looking at that team, by outside accounts a lot of what we are as a team - in that year so they obviously had a really good chance to win the World Cup I think we have a good chance as well.
2007 again I suppose on the day the team didn't execute like they wanted to and that's fine. It's going to happen like that. Someone's going to win and someone's going to lose.
The whole chat around our group was, you know what, on the 19th of November we'll be where we need to be if it's lifting the trophy or not. It's fine, whatever happens will happen. We'll look to play the way we want to play and do what we want to do.
And at the end of the day, I think that the time we've had together the last 8 to 12 weeks with the squad will go down as probably some of the best team environments and times I've had in my career. And those memories are special already. So, whether we win or not, I don't think - that's not up to us really. Whatever will happen will happen, but we'll definitely go away from here with fond memories.
[Reporter:]
Just to expand specifically on what's to come Thursday, how different will it be from what you encountered when you faced them a month ago? Obviously, the occasion is bigger. Just from your perspective, how will it be different do you think?
[Rassie Van Der Dussen:]
I think it will probably be different in the sense that a lot of their guys have been in those situations before and have a good reference of how it is having won the World Cup and having played in the semi-final two [four] years ago.
So, in terms of that, they'll probably know what it's about a bit more I suppose, but it's on the day, it's what team rocks up, what team is switched on, what team executes their plans. We came into this tournament knowing that if we get a chance to win, we need to win because we've missed out on semi-final spots by very small margins.
So, I suppose it was the same that second game against Australia, we came into that. From the start it's been almost like a must-win type of mindset for us. So, I don't think too much will be different. I think it will be a good game. They're a great team. They've played a lot of cricket in the last few months. Some of the guys are playing well. Some of our guys are playing well. I think it's going to be a good game.