De Villiers eyes winning start

Pakistan face South Africa in first ODI in Sharjah today .

SHARJAH:

South African captain AB de Villiers vowed to attack Pakistan for a winning start at the opening one-day match in Sharjah today despite his team being down two key playmakers.

The Proteas are missing both star batsman Hashim Amla and spearhead Dale Steyn for the first two matches of the five match one-day series.

But De Villiers insists his team is brimming with confidence, especially after they managed to square the Test series 1-1, winning the second showdown in Dubai by an innings and 92 runs.

“We didn’t have much time for preparation so its really up for us mentally to get prepared,” said De Villiers. “But it’s important to have a good start, get used to the conditions and adapt as quickly as possible and attack them in areas where they are not strong.



“Dale needed some rest but hopefully he will join us in good stead,” said De Villiers of the paceman who returned home for rest but will be available from the third match in Abu Dhabi on November 6.

Amla returned home after the first Test match to be with his wife following the birth of their second child.

The second one-day match will be played in Dubai (November 1) while the third and fourth matches are in Abu Dhabi (November 6 and 8). The final will takes place in Sharjah (November 11).

The two teams will also play two Twenty20 internationals in Dubai on November 13 and 15.

South Africa will be joined by one-day specialists Quinton de Kock, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

De Villiers said he hoped to find the right combination for an early lead in the series.



“We are tactically working on getting the right side which could give us the best opportunity to get a 1-0 lead. I am looking forward to see the guys performing well in the greens,” said De Villiers whose team lost its last one-day series in Sri Lanka 4-1 in July this year.

But despite their dismal showing against Sri Lanka, De Villiers insisted his team will be able to tackle Pakistan’s spinners, especially Mohammad Hafeez.

“He is a world class player, no doubt about that and he surprised everyone with the ball over the last few years and was the top bowler in the one-days,” added De Villiers. “We have seen a lot of them and we are looking forward to the challenges here.”

Conditions give us edge: Misbah

Pakistan captain Misbahul Haq was hoping the conditions in the UAE will give his side an edge over the Proteas.

“We have been really playing well in one-day cricket in the last three-four years, everybody knows what they are going to get against South Africa and these conditions are always in favour of Pakistan,” said Misbah. “Thus, we are looking forward to playing a good series.”

However, the captain always warned against complacency, saying the absence of Amla and Steyn will not weaken the South Africa side.

“I always feel that after such news the team gets complacent so if Amla or Steyn don’t play it doesn’t make a difference. South Africa is one of the good teams in the world and have very strong replacements.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2013.

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