The Proteas won’t be taking the UAE lightly in their final Group D ICC T20 World Cup clash in Delhi on Wednesday, according to skills consultant Albie Morkel.
Shukri Conrad’s team have already qualified for the Super Eights ahead of this tie, but will not want to lose momentum heading into the crucial phase of the competition.
UAE have shown vast improvement in their matches, particularly when they pushed Afghanistan all the way and in their victory over fellow Associate team Canada.
Morkel feels they have shown enough at this T20 World Cup to be taken seriously.
“I think associate cricket has grown a lot in the last couple of years. They’ve had opportunities at World Cups like this where they play. So, I’m not surprised,” the former Proteas allrounder said.
“The batting conditions are really, really good. And as we know, this format, T20 cricket, brings the teams close together. Because one guy on his day can win you the game.”
The UAE do possess one of the most explosive batters in T20 cricket in opener Muhammad Waseem. The Emirates skipper has the second most sixes (193) in the history of T20I cricket.
Conrad is likely to clear out his bench by giving the likes of Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka and Jason Smith their first matches of the tournament on Wednesday.
FULL SQUADS FOR DELHI
Proteas: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith and Tristan Stubbs.
UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.
Broadcast Details
The match is set to get underway at 7:30 pm SAST and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
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Follow all the action from the ICC T20 World Cup clash between the Proteas and UAE right here. Return to www.iol.co.za/sport after the final ball for a comprehensive match report, expert analysis, and post-match reactions from both camps.
