Proteas now living the old adage of ‘adapt or die’; adapting & executing are their watchwords
Adapting and executing have been two of the watchwords of the Proteas team in the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and senior player Keshav Maharaj said on Friday that the last week of turmoil has merely strengthened the squad that is now living the old adage of adapt or die.
South Africa take on Sri Lanka in Sharjah on Saturday and, although defeat will not eliminate them from semi-final contention, it would be their second loss and would make it extremely difficult for them to progress given that both England and Australia have not lost any matches yet.
Having beaten the West Indies despite CSA’s BLM directive and Quinton de Kock withdrawing from the team, Maharaj says the Proteas are showing the excitement of a team that has been through the fire and is now (hopefully) out the other end.
“Obviously it’s been a tough week, but the boys are mature enough to adapt,” Maharaj said. “The spirits are high, the buzz is back after a long two days. We’ve drawn a lot of inspiration from how we’ve reacted to these setbacks both now and in the past.
“I think you’ll see the team come out with a lot more energy against Sri Lanka because the last week has brought us together even more. We’ve handled things maturely and that will hopefully feed our performance.
“We’ve had earnest chats as a team and we respect everyone’s view. Players not taking the knee is no big deal, we all support each other. It’s part of our pillars and values as a team to respect everyone’s beliefs, culture and religion.
“Nobody in this team is a racist. The team is in a good space and we have drawn strength from what happened. What doesn’t hurt us can only make us stronger,” Maharaj said.
The left-arm spinner also said De Kock has returned to his normal self after the brouhaha.
“We’re always in the team room together, having dinner together, and I think Quinny is in a good space. He’s very mature despite what people might think.
“I know if he gets an opportunity against Sri Lanka, a player of his calibre will slot right back in,” Maharaj said.
Sri Lanka had a troubled build-up to the tournament, including losing 3-0 to South Africa at home last month. But they did not just curl up and die in the UAE.
“Sri Lanka are a side in form and they are playing some really good cricket now. We can’t take anything for granted and hopefully we have done our homework,” Maharaj said.