While its common to hear teams underplaying a crunch knockout game of a major tournament, that is not the case for Proteas coach Rob Walter ahead of their T20 World Cup semi-final against Afghanistan , in Tarouba, on Thursday.
Its no secret that the Proteas mens team have never made it to the final of a Cricket World Cup, and while Walter may have easily adopted the approach of not placing too much significance on the upcoming clash - he and his team are prepared to carry the full weight of an expectant Rainbow Nation.
The Proteas are also on a seven-match winning streak, despite at times not playing their best cricket.
That has meant that South Africa have managed to navigate the high-pressure moments every time, and Walter has taken confidence from those performances.
We dont do thatIts never just another game. That sort of rhetoric around semi-finals is trying to downplay the occasion. We dont do that. It is a semi-final of a World Cup, we appreciate that and were looking forward to it, said Walter.
