South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said his struggling side could still reach the World Cup semi-finals, even after talisman paceman Dale Steyn was ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury.
The 35-year-old fast bowler had been battling to be fit in time for Wednesday’s crucial clash against fancied India in Southampton after two defeats in two matches for South Africa. But the seamer has been forced to admit defeat, leaving head coach Ottis Gibson’s side short of firepower. But Du Plessis said despite their injury problems and their poor start to the tournament, South Africa were aiming to reach the last four of the round-robin event, in which all 10 teams play each other.
“Six games is the target, and there’s seven games left,’ the skipper told reporters during his pre-match press conference at the Ageas Bowl. “It would be great if we could start that in our next match. There’s no easy games any more in the World Cup…. Whether it’s winning or losing, the main thing is getting to the semi-finals.”
Du Plessis said he it was important to stay ‘strong and positive’ despite the challenge of working with limited resources. “Naturally, guys will have a little bit of confidence that’s been chucked away and that is normal, that is part of being human,” he said. Du Plessis admitted South Africa’s injury problems had forced him to draw up a new plan.
“I think we’ll really have to look at that now, there’s only 14 players to pick from now. There’s not a lot of options for the bowling attack,” he said.