T20 WC: We know danger they possess, says Maharaj on West Indies clash

South African spinner Keshav Maharaj stated the Proteas are aware of the danger posed by West Indies in their T20 World Cup Super Eight clash. He emphasized that the focus is on execution, with a win crucial for their semi-final hopes.

Ahead of their Super Eight phase ICC T20 World Cup clash against the West Indies, South African spinner Keshav Maharaj on Wednesday said the Proteas are fully aware of the danger posed by their opposition and emphasised that the focus remains on execution.

South Africa will be aiming to continue their winning momentum in the tournament as they look to take on a red-hot West Indies side, which posted the tournament's second-highest total of 254 against Zimbabwe. A win for the Proteas will not only strengthen their bid to become the second team to reach the semifinals after England but also keep the defending champions India alive in the competition.

Maharaj on 'dangerous' West Indies

Speaking during the pre-match presser, Maharaj reflected on sharing the dressing room in SA20 alongside West Indies stars Sherfane Rutherford, Shai Hope and Roston Chase. "We know the danger that they do possess, so it is about coming up with nice and simple plans and focusing on our execution towards those batters," he added.

The spinner admitted that at this stage of the tournament, the clash against West Indies is a "huge" one for them and if they win, they will be able to reach the semifinals, but they as a side are well aware of the explosiveness WI has. "They have got some batters in form and some bowlers that are finding rhythm, so making sure that we are quite clear in what we're trying to do and focusing solely on our execution," he added.

'Not getting carried away' after India win

The spinner admitted that after the thumping win over India, there was a real "energy and buzz" in their group after beating the "best side in the competition", but the team does not want to get carried away already. "We still know that there is a lot of cricket to be played in this tournament. So, dusting ourselves off and doing things that we can do better from that game and focusing on the positives and keep building. As I said, the West Indies is a very strong side, a very dangerous side, so not to be taken for granted at any stage. But yeah, just focusing on what we can do really well and adapting very quickly," he added.

Building on small victories

He was also happy with how Proteas managed to bounce back from being 20/3 against India and David Miller, Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs lifting the team to 187/7, saying that in past, "SA never crossed over those small moments". "So we take the small victories, and we keep building. If the character is strong in winning those small moments, it propels us to go further on in this tournament," he concluded.

Squads

Squads: South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, George Linde, Anrich Nortje, Kwena Maphaka, Jason Smith West Indies Squad: Brandon King, Shai Hope(w/c), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Roston Chase, Johnson Charles. (ANI)

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