Undercooked Proteas can win T20 World Cup, says Rob Walter after West Indies whitewash

Proteas’ white ball coach Rob Walter chose to look on the bright side after his team suffered a whitewash in their three-match T20 series against the West Indies. Photo: Proteas on X

Proteas’ white ball coach Rob Walter chose to look on the bright side after his team suffered a whitewash in their three-match T20 series against the West Indies. Photo: Proteas on X

Published May 28, 2024

Share

Proteas’ white ball coach Rob Walter chose to look on the bright side on Tuesday afternoon when talking about the team’s preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States.

Walter’s men, who have recently completed a three-match series against the West Indies, found things a little tough without some of their key players unavailable, and suffered a 3-0 whitewash.

Kagiso Rabada and Ottniel Baartman missed out due to light niggles, while Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, and Marco Jansen were not available due to Indian Premier League commitments.

The preparation was not ideal, but Walter felt the series was an invaluable experience for the younger player in the side who got some much-needed exposure.

“It was a great opportunity for the younger guys that came accross to play against some world class T20 players, which is great,” Walter told journalists on Tuesday afternoon.

Despite not having a lot of time to work with the team ahead of the tournament, Walter felt the team had no other choice than to be ready.

“Would I like the preparation for a World Cup to look a lot different? Of course I would, but it is what it is,” he said.

“This is the card that we were dealt with, so we have to be ready. But I absolutely believe we can win the World Cup. We’ve got the players to do that. And as I said, there are other teams that are in a similar position ot us. We can’t bemoan our situation. We have to focus on what’s in front of us.”

IOL Sport