It will be tough for South Africa to bounce back in to winning ways when the face new Zealand today, said all rounder JP Dumniy in the pre-match conference on Saturday. The Proteas lost their first game to Sri Lanka by five runs and are now in a position where they need to win all their next three games in order to reach the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20.
"There's always going to be that added pressure on us now, depending on how other results go we're probably going to have to win all three," said Duminy. “We want to make sure that we give ourselves the best chance in this tournament and that unfortunately means winning the last three games. That's what it is and we're going to have to play accordingly."
New Zealand won four of their last five outings in the format and Duminy believes that the Kiwis will be a tough opponent to crack.
"I guess if you look at the way they've been playing the last few months, they've come into this tournament with a lot of confidence so it's going to be an uphill battle for us," said the 29-year-old.
"But I'm confident that we have the armoury to give ourselves the best chance. They're a really good side, especially in the shorter formats, so we're going to have to bring our A-game," added Duminy.
The rivalry between New Zealand and South Africa in a game of rugby is considered that the two countries are at war. However New Zealand opening batsman, Kane Williamson said that they have respect for the Proteas and that the game will be a challenge.
“We’ve never tackled them on the cricket field (like rugby). We have got a lot of respect for them. They are a very good side in all formats. We are looking forward to the challenge of playing against some of the best players in the world,” said Kane.
