South Africa will take on New Zealand this Wednesday (June 19) hungrier for success than ever, reckons Black Caps' leading pacer Trent Boult as they look to revive an insipid World Cup 2019 campaign with a win at Edgbaston.
The Proteas have had three losses, a rain-abandoned draw and one win in their first five games, and simply can't afford another hiccup as that will pretty much seal their fate as far as standings towards the semis are concerned.
Kiwis, on the other hand, will arrive for this contest knowing that a victory ensures them 7 points after four games and makes the semi-final quest a lot easier with one of their opponents effectively out of the race.
"It's a World Cup. It's a funny place to be, I suppose. Obviously, it's a big game for them. It's a must win in their tournament. We've been playing some good cricket, so we're not going to dive into too much of what they've been saying, but, yeah, the boring answer of going out there and just taking them on is probably where I'm leading," Boult was quoted as saying by AFP.
"They've got some classy players at the top of the innings. They've obviously had an interesting start to their tournament, so they'll be hungry to come out and perform. Like I said, there's been some great games played between us over the years, and I'm hoping tomorrow is going to be another one."
New Zealand has a fantastic track record in World Cups versus South Africa and Boult hopes his team will be able to pull off another winning performance.
"There have always been exciting games between New Zealand and South Africa over the past World Cups and past time that we've met each other. 2015, the semifinal at Eaton Park was one of the greatest games that the Kiwis have played."
"It obviously got a lot of attention back home, and it was a cool one to be a part of it. We're looking forward to facing them tomorrow, and I'm sure they're eager and hungry to put in a good performance because it's a big one for them too," he added.
"It's a chance for us to go out there and perform and show we can bring the game and the style that we play back home in New Zealand very well, to test it against quality players in foreign conditions on a big stage, so we can't wait."
Boult, who has taken three wickets in as many completed games thus far, also weighed in on why possibly New Zealand has had a wood over South Africa in the history of World Cup. He said, "I'm not too sure. Like I said, they're big games. Whether there's a lot of pressure on them, I'm not too sure."
"For us, we know what works well. For me as a bowler, I'm sure I want to lead the bowling attack as best as I can. If we can do the things that we do well and we know that works well, put some early pressure on and get some wickets, then, yeah, hopefully, they feel that pressure a little bit more. So, yeah, we're looking forward to it."
New Zealand has had wins against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and a rain-abandoned draw with India in the previous game.
"I think as a unit we've been going really well. With the ball, we've put the ball where we wanted, and we've put a lot of pressure on the teams that we've come against. If we can continue to do it as a unit and obviously give us some lower totals to chase, then I'll be happy," Boult concluded.
