Kagiso Rabada, 3 for 18, on South Africa's 18-run USA win
19/06/2024
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound
19/06/2024
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound
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SportsTranscript
00:00Just about how close the USA got to that total, and it took a couple of great overs from you
00:14to pull things back. Just the match overall to start with and also just how the USA chased
00:21it down and got close in the end.
00:23The USA have been chasing well and that's the reason why they chose to bowl first. I
00:27must commend our batting lineup, especially Quinton. At the end of the day we got a respectable
00:34total on the board, or more than a respectable total on the board, which gave us an opportunity
00:39to put them under pressure with the ball.
00:44We got a couple of early wickets and then Andre Schoos batted extremely well and gave
00:49them a good chance and they came close in the end. You can never write any opposition
00:53off no matter who they're playing for. The USA have been playing well, they beat Pakistan
00:59so hats off to the way they're playing.
01:04You as a team have played on some interesting surfaces already in this World Cup. Yes, you
01:10are seasoned cricketers, you're used to it, but when wickets are so drastic, do you just
01:15adjust on the go when you get a true surface like this?
01:20You have to adjust on the go. We are professional cricketers and we've come across variable
01:27conditions throughout our careers. I guess we should have an idea of how to adapt, but
01:33if it's your day then it's your day and if it's not then it's not. You want to win more
01:38days than you lose.
01:40With your bowling, in T20 cricket you played different roles over the years, but now just
01:48bowling at the top, bowling at the end, where do you sit with your own T20 bowling?
01:53I don't mind where I bowl, wherever the captain needs me. I think I've had enough experience
01:58bowling in any phase of the game and I think I have a good idea of how to go about it in
02:04any phase. I'll just try my best whenever I have the ball.
02:09And just finally from me, just get the two games against Bangladesh and Nepal. The fact
02:13that this South African team has gotten over the line in those kind of nervy, tricky situations
02:19which has gone against you in the past, is that a sign of things just falling into place
02:25and you guys kind of peaking as the tournament progresses?
02:28Hopefully.
02:30Thank you.
02:31KG, it's one thing to have pitches being a bit different, but the actual conditions of
02:40the ground here, with the wind, with the boundaries the way they are, with that crosswind,
02:46when you've got left and right handers on, it feels like it's kind of a game of chess
02:50where you have to have all the pieces in the right places. Did you feel that that was kind
02:56of the difference between what you guys did and what USA did in the end, both with you
03:01with bat and ball, in actually getting your head around all of that faster?
03:06Well I think we did really well in the power play and that's probably set the two sides
03:12apart. In the death, I thought they made it very hard for us in the death. We've got really
03:18good players in the death and batsmen in the death and they made it extremely hard for
03:24them. So yes, cricket is a game of variables and you have to read the conditions, whether
03:32it's the pitch or the wind and left-right batting combinations and see what the best
03:40deliveries are in order to get the percentages in your favour.
03:45I was talking to Almerick about this yesterday and he was saying that he doesn't really have
03:51a preconceived plan about lengths, for example. It's more about seeing what works probably
03:57the first couple of overs. Is that how you operate or have you sort of looked at it and
04:01worked out what's working for you beforehand?
04:04Well you've got to realise your own strengths and have an idea of where you're going to
04:09play and who you're playing against and then it's about adapting whilst you're playing.
04:15So it's about juggling all those three facets.
04:19And just wondering how you're feeling about South Africa's chances in this group because
04:26it will come if you get through to the next stage and you know it, the thoughts about
04:31South Africa and knockout games and everything else. Is that easy for you to just put aside
04:36for the moment?
04:37There's no point thinking about it. You just take it game by game and the belief is there.
04:42Belief is there. If you don't have the belief then you might as well go pack your bags and
04:46go home. Whatever happens after that happens but the belief is there.
04:53Just quickly on the 19th over. The situation's a little bit different. You guys are the Goliaths
04:59taking on a plucky challenger as it were in the eyes of many people. What was it like
05:04for you? What do you go to in terms of your mindset bowling that 19th over and making
05:11sure that you kind of deliver in a clutch situation?
05:17Again, it's about managing the wind and trying to understand which ball is the hardest for
05:26the batsman to hit, basically.
05:30In terms of the planning going into a game, how early are you told, yeah look you're bowling
05:35the 19th over, in our eyes it's the most important of the match?
05:39It's just an over, right? Everything else is out of your control. You have the ball
05:46in your hand or if you have the bat in your hand then that's what you're controlling.
05:51You're not controlling the wind, you're not controlling what the crowd says or get what
05:59I mean but it's about just one ball at a time.