AB de Villers confident of a good show in Champions Trophy

South Africa has never won a major tournament in last ten years. They have proved to be chokers. But South Africa captain AB de Villers is confident of a good performance in the Champions Trophy in England.

“We haven’t won an ICC trophy yet, even though we are the No.1 Test team in the world but I’ve got a feeling there are a few to come in the next few years,” he said. “We are just going to have to wait patiently. We are doing the small things right. The work ethic is there, the talent is there and the belief is there, so we’ve just got to go out there and give it our best shot.”

Speaking of the pressures of being the numero uno in world cricket and having to deal with the pressures that come with it, de Villiers said: “There is always some pressure. We are a very talented cricketing nation and we understand there are some responsibilities in performance. We would love to say we are just going to go and enjoy it but it’s more complicated than that. We’ve got to win some big games and we would love to win the trophy. I think we are preparing in the right way.”

South Africa is set to play two warm-up matches before the start of the competition. They are scheduled to begin their warm-up match against Netherlands on May 31.

It will be an important match for South Africa as they haven’t played cricket for two months. The warm-up match would provide an opportunity to JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis to regain their place in the national team.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few low scoring games,” Kleinveldt said. “I watched the Test and saw Jimmy Anderson swinging it. There should be plenty for the bowlers.”

South Africa’s speed sensation Dale Steyn is expected to miss the first warm-up match against Holland so that South Africa can experiment with their options at hand.

South Africa are placed in Group B. After warm-up games, South Africa begin the Champions Trophy against India on June 6.