Steyn confident about World Cup hopes
South Africa's bowling spearhead Dale Steyn believes the team can finally win the ICC Cricket World Cup at next year's event.
Steyn believes the team will go into the tournament with a fresh approach and will not have any baggage of the previous ICC Cricket World Cup events where South Africa have suffered a few heartbreaks.
South Africa lost in the semi-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 1992 to England in a rain-hit game. Then in 1996, West Indies legend Brian Lara slammed a brilliant hundred to oust South Africa in the quarter-final. Australia and South Africa played out a classic tie in the 1999 semi-final, although it was Australia that went through to final owing to a superior run-rate in the Super Six stages, while in 2003 South Africa miscalculated the Duckworth/Lewis method and was knocked out early.
"We have probably been on the receiving end of a bit of bad luck in previous World Cups that I haven't been part of. But there is no monkey on any of our backs. I have never been in any World Cup. And I can guarantee you about six of the other guys that are going to this World Cup have never been either.
"There are no monkeys on any of our backs about going and winning a World Cup or not winning. So we are just really looking forward to the opportunity to go out there and really play to the best of our abilities. We hope that if we can do that we can definitely bring back the Cup," said Steyn.
The other reason why Steyn sounded confident of South Africa's chances was because of the quality of players in the team this time around.
"We have got the talent to do it. It's just a matter of what I have figured out and what I have learnt over the years of playing international cricket. If you fire on the day, it's your day I suppose. I really think that we have got the players to do it. Let's just hope that when the match day comes that we actually fire on that day."
For Steyn the ICC CWC 2011 will be a dream come true as he was not part of the team that went to West Indies for the ICC CWC 2007. He saw the ICC CWC 2003, played in his native South Africa, from close quarters and always yearned to be part of the action.
"I always wanted to play the World Cup, since basically I got a real taste of it in 2003. I was actually working at SuperSport Park (in Centurion) as one of the change room attendants. I was a net bowler and everything. The hype really hit me then. I have waited for basically eight years to get an opportunity to play in the World Cup. I missed out on one in 2007 in West Indies. I am really looking forward to this one. I think this is a big tournament that everybody wants to play in. So I can't wait," summed up Steyn.
The one big change compared to the previous times is that South Africa and most other teams play a lot more in the subcontinent. Steyn believes that experience will come in handy for the team when they head into CWC 2011.
"I hope so. The thing that I have also learnt over the years of playing cricket is that you look at every game separately. It doesn't matter where it is or what tournament it is. It's just about how you can handle the pressure. If you play a couple of games under high pressure then you learn how to handle it the more you play. So I am happy to have played a lot more cricket now. It's been eight years since 2003. I have played a lot of cricket since then," said Steyn.
Then there is also the experience that players like Steyn have gained by playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The fast bowler believes that has also enriched him and the others.
"The games in India and the IPL are just an experience thing. Knowing how to play in front of crowds of around 70,000 is something that you have to get used to. When you play in the IPL you do that regularly. So that won't be anything strange to us when we go there and play in the World Cup. That's probably on our side a little bit," added Steyn.
Steyn believes South Africa or any team looking to win CWC 2011 must bank on one or two outstanding individual performers.
"I really think we need some guys to fire. If you want to win the tournament you have got to have guys that excel. If you look at every World Cup and teams that have won, there have been one or two players in each team that have really stood out and done unbelievably well. Whether it is top run-scorers or big wicket-takers they have all been from the team that has won the tournament."
Some of the top run-getters in ODI cricket in 2010 are from the South Africa team with Hashim Amla leading the pack. Steyn is hoping that the form carries through to CWC 2011.
"We have got match-winners in our team. I can count them from number one to number 11. And the reserves that are sitting on the bench and waiting for their turn are match-winners as well. We have got guys like Hashim and AB (de Villiers). We have got bowlers like Morne (Morkel) who are really exciting. If those guys can really fire and they come off in the tournament then that's what's really going to help us. Hopefully the guys are going to be in some good form going into the tournament. Hopefully the kind of form that they are going to be in rubs off on us in the tournament as well," said Steyn.
