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We Haven't Played Our Best Game Yet: SA Coach Rob Walter Warns Afghanistan

Rob Walter warns Afghanistan ahead of semifinal clash (x.com)Rob Walter warns Afghanistan ahead of semifinal clash (x.com)

Asserting that their best is yet to come, South Africa coach Rob Walter said the team is not bogged down by near misses of the past and will "take confidence" from its performance in crunch moments on way to the ongoing T20 World Cup semifinals.

In the first semifinal of the tournament here on Thursday, perennial dark horses South Africa will take on an Afghanistan team that has caused a flutter with its heroics in the tournament, the highlight of which has been the sensational win over heavyweights Australia.

In the press-match press conference, Walter was asked if this could be South Africa's time after having battled their way past tricky opponents in testing conditions over the last few weeks.

"Definitely it's always great to dream and I think everyone in South Africa dreams of the time when a trophy gets lifted. No doubt that will happen. Whether it's going to be this week, that remains to be seen. 

"We're just going to try and play the best game of cricket that we can. And we still haven't played our best game yet," Walter told reporters on the eve of the semifinal against Afghanistan.

South Africa's success in prevailing in tricky situations, their Achilles Heel in the past, bodes well for the side chasing a maiden World Cup title triumph.

"From the closeness point of view, yeah, we've managed to get over the line in quite a number of close games in the lead up to the semifinal, which for a team has been great for us. We've potentially missed out on a few of those moments in the past, and this time around we managed to get over the line. So, we certainly take confidence out of that."

Right from the 1992 World Cup, their first since readmission into international cricket after the apartheid ban, South Africa have either chocked in those big semifinals of ICC tournaments or luck deserted them.

Walter is wary of the threats Afghanistan could pose in the semifinal.

"You're talking about some world-class spinners. Everyone knows about the world-class spinners led by Rashid Khan. I mean, he's a top-class T20 spinner anywhere in the world. So, we know about that. But as I said, it's not a one-man show anymore. That's for sure," Walter said.