Publications
Partners
Cardiff - The Proteas have no room left for error in their 2019 World Cup campaign.
With no wins and a single log point to show for their efforts after four fixtures so far in the tournament, Saturday's clash against Afghanistan in Cardiff is a must-win for South Africa.
They all are now, and middle-order batsman Rassie van der Dussen says that the players are treating their five remaining matches as quarter-finals.
A win over Afghanistan should, even with the Proteas' poor showing at the tournament so far, be a banker.
The weather, however, might feel differently.
South Africa batted for just 7.3 overs in their match against the West Indies at the Rose Bowl on Monday before the heavens opened, and play was called off.
It has rained all around England this week, and it was a minor miracle that the Australia v Pakistan fixture in Taunton on Wednesday was not impacted.
A look at the forecast for Cardiff on Saturday suggests that the Proteas might not be so lucky.
There is a 70% chance of showers throughout the morning and early afternoon, while that drops to 25% in the evening.
While a 'no result' would be nothing short of catastrophic for the Proteas, Van der Dussen says they are not wasting time thinking about the chances of rain.
"It's been raining all week and there is some rain around for Saturday, but it's not something we've spent too much time on," he told South African media at an intimate press briefing at the team hotel in Cardiff on Thursday.
"If it rains, it rains and if it doesn't, it doesn't.
"If we get a point and we get a washout then we've got to go back out and re-assess for the next four games."
The rain has, however, kept the Proteas indoors during training sessions but they were hoping for a run on the Sophia Gardens strip under lights on Thursday night.
Saturday's clash is, after all, a day/night game.
"As a player, you've got to try and prepare for the unexpected," said Van der Dussen.
"If we don't get outdoor nets and we have to train indoors all week, then that's a challenge in itself. You still have to find a way to produce the goods on match day, irrespective of what your preparation was.
"If we play and it's a shortened game, the game situation will tell you what you need to do.
"I don't think we have to play fast-forward cricket, we just have to play to be better than the team we're up against."
Play on Saturday starts at 14:30 (SA time).
@LloydBurnard is in England covering the 2019 Cricket World Cup for Sport24 ...
