Proteas look to tame spin in search of second title

The ICC Champions Trophy starts on Wednesday, and the Proteas will get a shot at yet another ICC event when they kick off their tournament against the ever-improving Afghanistan later this week.

In preparation, the Proteas took on Pakistan and New Zealand in a triangular series, with the Black Caps emerging victorious in the final against hosts Pakistan last week.

A large part of Rob Walter's squad was made up of players outside the selected tournament squad, as many of the players were involved in the recently concluded SA20 competition. The series did, however, give the Proteas coach an opportunity to try out a few new faces as the 2027 World Cup is inching closer.

South Africa has a painful history with ICC events, and the start of every tournament always sends a reminder of their shortfalls at every attempt. The build-up to this particular event is a little bit different, as South Africa's victory in the inaugural 1998 tournament remains their only senior ICC title.

The key question now is whether the reduced expectations and pressure could lead to their second championship.

New batting coach Imraan Khan took over from former Proteas all-rounder JP Duminy, and the start of the tournament will be his toughest assignment since taking over the reins. The former Dolphins batter has had his hands full, having to work with a host of players as the team assembled ahead of the tournament.

“We had a few days of camp; there were only a few players present obviously because most of them were in the SA20, but we have managed to get some good work in,” Khan said.

The 40-year-old added that it helps that there is a good relationship between coaches in franchise cricket and the national team, as it made it easier to have a solid understanding about the players that were coming in from the SA20 and also for them to settle well into the side.

Khan also warned that the fact that South Africa has won the tournament before will not necessarily mean that there will be less pressure in the tournament.

“There is a good synergy between the coaches in the high-performance space as well as the domestic system. It will always be a challenge when a player is coming through the system into international cricket; there will always be areas they will need to work on in their game.”

“It's a high-performance environment; the pressure will always be there every time you go to a major event, and the expectation is to always try and do as well as you can to win the competition. So, the pressure will be there, but I think for us as a team it will be really about breaking it down and taking it game by game.”

The Proteas have had their fair share of challenges with spin, and with the tournament hosted in the subcontinent, Khan believes the wickets will play well and the Proteas batters are well-equipped to handle every spin challenge that will be thrown at them.

“Our players have played against many of the spinners that they will face; it will not be something that is new to them facing all these bowlers; it will be just about backing your preparations as well as your process.”

The Proteas start their campaign against Afghanistan on Friday.