“Under rating a team like South Africa will be nothing short of committing a crime,” says the English Skipper Alastair Cook. Cook had a great game against New Zealand in which he scored 64 runs and was looking quite brilliant with his shot selection. Though he was dropped thrice in his innings but would be looking to give a nice start with Ian Bell.
Captain Cook was quoted by the Indian Express saying, "It's another day tomorrow, it's another game, and what's gone on in the past has no relevance to tomorrow. It's whichever side handles the pressure well tomorrow, and people in that side in your own side, put your hand up and deliver, and that's what you have to do in these big games.” He is very much aware of the likes of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers who can play long innings on any given day and getting them out early is the game plan of English bowlers
"We know he's (Amla) a fantastic player, but as all players are vulnerable early, we have to try and strike early, and if he gets in, it's a danger for us. Certainly a key man, but if we can get him out, that does put pressure on other players in their set-up."
He believes that both the teams have a lot to prove when it comes to ICC events. England were the runner ups of 2004 Champions Trophy that was played in England. But Cook is looking for just victory and was quoted by Deccan Herald saying, "It's a massive game for both sides. We've got the opportunity to go into the final of an ICC competition, and it's such an exciting place for a player to be. It's an amazing opportunity we've got tomorrow, and I think both sides will be excited."
Dale Steyn's presence in South-African bowling attack will make a world of difference and it would be a litmus test of Cook and Bell that how they negate his first five-six overs. "Dale Steyn is their strike bowler and we are aware of that fact, but just focusing on one bowler is like you are cheating yourself. We need to be careful in the beginning but after 12-15 overs we would be looking to shift the gears."
Cook praised his top-order for playing consistently well but demanded a better performance from the lower middle-order in the last 10 overs. He was quoted by The Hindu saying, "I think the top-order have done their job pretty well so far. We've built good platforms, solid platforms to go on and get big scores. There's always going to be a little bit of hit or miss when you've got to go in and strike from early. And then we've seen Morgs (Eoin Morgan) over the years, obviously Jos (Buttler) at Trent Bridge and Ravi here, you only need one of them to come off to get a big total, to put the icing on the cake."
Graeme Swann has not been looking good but Cook believes that if he is fit then he will surely make his appearance in this do or die match. Cook added, "It's clearly a concern for us. We haven't ruled him out totally yet for this game. We're will see how he trains today and see how he pulls up tomorrow. There's one thing for certain, he won't be risked."
Last 10 overs during the last league game against Black caps were bit stressful for the classy left-hander. He concluded by saying, “Well, I won't lie to you, I didn't really enjoy Cardiff, the last 10 overs of that. That was quite a stressful or tense time I think I've had since I've been captain. In terms of a must-win game, I'm sure that'll be heightened again tomorrow."