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| April 09, 2007 | Monday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 20, 1428 |
SA defeat makes World Cup interesting: NZ coach
PROVIDENCE (Guyana), April 8: Bangladesh's shock win over South Africa is a warning for other teams and has made the World Cup more interesting, according to New Zealand coach John Bracewell.
Bangladesh achieved a historic 67-run win over South Africa on Saturday to score their first points in the second round. Their win also threw the race for the semi-finals wide open.
“I think it (Bangladesh's win) was a warning that you must respect all teams in all conditions in this competition,” said Bracewell whose team face outsiders Ireland in their third Super Eights match here on Monday.
“Obviously respect is the key word we use. It has made the tournament interesting and it's an outstanding turn to the tournament. The semi-finals are not going to be decided until the later stages.”
New Zealand are among the leading contenders for a place in the last four with six points from three matches. They achieved an all-win record in the group stage with wins over England, Kenya and Canada.
With two carry over points in the bag, they have thrashed Bangladesh by nine wickets and hosts West Indies by seven wickets in their two Super Eights matches so far.
Bracewell reckoned Bangladesh exploited the slow paced wicket at the Providence Stadium to the best effect.“I am not sure it was complacency (by South Africa) or the skill on the particular pitch. Let's give Bangladesh some credit, they did the business, while South Africa showed a lack of skill with that particular type of bowling on the slow surface.”
Bracewell said Bangladesh's plan to play with three left-arm spinners paid off.
“Playing three left-arm spinners was always a gamble. They got the right conditions and took advantage of that beautifully.”
The 48-year-old New Zealand coach, who played 41 Tests and 53 One-day Internationals as an off-spinner, said Bangladesh's win stressed the need to respect all opponents in all conditions.
“It's a clear message to respect all your opponents. We take Ireland as serious as any team we have been playing and have studied them seriously,” said Bracewell, whose team faces a tough week in the tournament.
They face three other semi-final runners in Sri Lanka (April 12), South Africa (April 14) and Australia (April 20) – all in Grenada.
“We know we need to play hard cricket as much as we can. In effect, we have played hard cricket which has given us some useful wins.”—AFP
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