South Africa have no margin for error after second World Cup loss and should take advantage of India’s ‘first game nerves’ to bring their World Cup campaign back on track, said legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis.
South Africa, who were thrashed by England in the opening match, suffered their second successive loss in the World Cup, going down by 21 runs against Bangladesh on Sunday.
“It’s disappointing and frustrating and there is lots of pressure on the next game, otherwise the tournament could be over before it’s really started for South Africa,” Kallis wrote in a column for the ICC.
“It doesn’t get any easier though against India but it’s their first game and our third, so maybe that could give us the edge we need,”
“They’ve not played for a week and maybe they’ll be some first game nerves, where as we are settled.”
“We’ve got to play all our cards and we can’t afford anymore silly mistakes at vital stages – these are the best sides in the world and they’ll always punish you,” Kallis wrote.
“Strange things happen in this sport and if we can get a win then I think we can go on a streak and we are still good enough to be a contender.
“There will be no margin for error though. I think you’ll need six wins, maybe five with a really good run rate, to finish in the top four, so South Africa almost need to win every game they will play.”
