Rassie van der Dussen is one of nine players invited to a training camp in Durban this week.
Image: Nathan Stirk/Getty Images
Rather than engage in any specific World Cup planning, the gathering of a group of Proteas players in Durban this week is to build on the progress the limited-overs team made at the end of last summer.
Rassie van der Dussen confirmed that neither he nor captain Temba Bavuma would be playing as part of a KZN Academy side against Oman, whose squad is preparing for the ICC World Cup qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe at the end of June.
Bavuma had wanted to make himself available for those matches to reignite some of the rhythm he found in his batting in the second half of last season when he scored three centuries across the Test and ODI formats. Instead he and the other seven players spent more time on specific skills training, much of it to do with the mental side of their preparation.
Talking from the perspective of a batter, Van der Dussen emphasised the importance of the players’ attitude. “[It’s about] what type of mindset we want to take into that World Cup, how to structure an innings, what option we want to look at and just challenging and stretching our thinking a bit, in terms of what we have done well and where we can go in terms of improving with what we have done well,” said Van der Dussen.
The Proteas took the scenic route before securing the final automatic qualifying berth for the 50-over showpiece that will be held in India later this year.
Having done so, it means they avoided a trip to Zimbabwe, but the longer break, especially for those who did not play in the Indian Premier League, had to be filled with training camps under the auspices of white ball coach Rob Walter.
Aspects of their play looked very different in the second half of last season when Walter took over. The Proteas were noticeably more aggressive with the bat, even when under pressure as exemplified by Bavuma’s two hundreds against England and the West Indies and Heinrich Klaasen’s effort against the West Indies.
Can we back our skills whether we are in a good or bad situation?Van der Dussen
Van der Dussen says the players feel they can push the envelope even more. “In terms of white ball numbers there are some aspects in which we have been very good, actually the best in the world, so then we need to look at what is the next step.”
“Can we be more aggressive and brave and put teams under more pressure, even if we are on the front foot? Can we extend that? Can we, instead of when we are under pressure default to a defensive mindset, keep the foot down and really back our philosophy that we are coming up with now? Can we back our skills whether we are in a good or bad situation? Everything is geared towards that more than a specific gap that needs to be plugged,” he said.
The camp will conclude at the end of the week. Van der Dussen, having taken time off at the end of the season to refresh body and mind, says he is on the lookout for an opportunity with a T20 League.
The Proteas will next be in action against Australia in two limited-overs series in September, which will serve as their final preparation for the World Cup.
