South African all-rounder JP Duminy issued a rallying call to his team after South Africa stunned by Bangladesh in Match 5 of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

Duminy blamed lack of partnerships after a 21 defeat from Bangladesh at Oval on Sunday. South Africa appeared to be struggling while chasing 331, as every player despite getting a good start failed to convert it to a big score.

In an interview, Duminy said, “Partnerships are always going to be crucial particularly when you are chasing a big total. You need guys to step up and score hundreds and as a top six, we haven’t done that. Pretty much everyone got in but the thirties and forties are not going to cut it."

“At the end of the day, it comes down to partnerships and we fell short. Honesty has always been one of our pillars. It’s about understanding where we can improve. I don’t think we are far away. We were 21 runs short and we can identify areas where we could have made that up whether the bat or the ball,” he added. 

South Africans who are known for their resplendent fielding appeared to be falling short of expectations in the same department. “Something we thrive on is our body language and creating a presence in the inner ring. That is something we can get better on,” Duminy continued.

He further said, “If you are going to win a tournament like the World Cup, you need good strong characters in the group. We are up against it so we are going to need each and every individual to be a leader in their own game. We can’t be moping and hanging our lips on the ground until Wednesday. We need to understand how we can improve. When you are playing in a tournament like this, there is always going to be external pressure but it's about embracing that.”

South Africa will next face India at Southampton on June 5, in their third encounter in this tournament.
(Source: Cricket Next)