South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen bumps fist with Ryan Rickelton throughout their ICC Champions Trophy conflict with England at Nationwide Stadium, Karachi, March 1, 2025. — ReutersÂ
KARACHI: South African batter Rassie van der Dussen dismissed considerations about stress and fatigue on Saturday as his workforce ready for the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final after their dominant win over England.
Chatting with reporters after the match, Dussen remained lifelike in regards to the challenges forward, together with potential journey fatigue forward of the semi-final.
When requested if the long-standing drought of ICC trophies added stress on the Proteas, he dismissed the notion and mentioned: “At the end of the day, if we win, it’s the first ICC trophy in a while. If we don’t win, it’s just the same as last year and the year before that. So, no real pressure there.”
“We don’t really focus on that. If we do get to a final, we’ll try and play a good game on the day and see what the result is.”
South Africa’s journey to the semi-final has been something however easy. The workforce faces uncertainty over their subsequent vacation spot. Although they’re travelling to Dubai tomorrow, it’s nonetheless unclear if they may play the semi-final in opposition to India in Dubai or will journey again to Lahore and play Australia.Â
Dussen, nevertheless, remained unfazed by the logistical challenges. “It is what it is. Physically, it’s not that long a flight. It would be nice to just sit in one hotel the whole time on one ground like some teams, but that’s not the reality for everyone,” he mentioned.
“We’ll get on the plane and see what happens tomorrow. Mentally, we just need to refresh and make sure we’re up for whoever we’re facing.”
If South Africa advances to face India in Dubai, Dussen acknowledged that the Indian workforce would have a transparent benefit, having performed all their matches there.Â
“Definitely. It’s definitely an advantage. They’ve been in one hotel, one ground, one training facility. But we don’t spend too much mental energy on that. It is what it is. The challenge for them will be to use that advantage. For us, if we do play against them, to an extent, that advantage doesn’t matter,” he mentioned.
The “chokers” tag, typically related to South Africa in high-stakes tournaments, was additionally introduced up. Van der Dussen dismissed the label, emphasising that it doesn’t outline the present workforce.
“As a team, that doesn’t define us. That’s in the past. Some teams lose and nobody calls them chokers. When we lose, they call us chokers. I don’t know why the difference is,” he mentioned.
Reflecting on South Africa’s sturdy efficiency within the event, the batter credited familiarity with the circumstances in Pakistan, significantly Karachi, as a key issue.
Having performed within the Pakistan Tremendous League (PSL) and a tri-series main as much as the Champions Trophy, he and teammate David Miller have been in a position to share insights with the squad.
“From a batting point of view, there are a few technical adjustments you make. In South Africa, there’s a lot of bounce, so just a few changes in your batting blueprint. We definitely communicated that,” he defined.
Looking forward to Dubai, Dussen famous the variations in pitch circumstances in comparison with Karachi. “In Dubai, normally the bowlers are into it a bit more. There’s a bit more seam movement and some spin. Outfields are not as quick as here, so it’s generally a bit of a lower-scoring ground,” he mentioned. Nonetheless, he remained assured that the workforce’s adaptability would serve them nicely.
South Africa’s focus now shifts to their semi-final conflict, the place they purpose to shed the burden of previous disappointments and proceed their sturdy run within the event.
