ICC CWC\'19: ‘Very desperate’ South Africa can defeat New Zealand: Claude Henderson
New Zealand, who are unbeaten in the tournament so far and sit on the second position on the points table, only behind Australia.
Cape Town: After a woeful run in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, South Africa finally managed to secure their first victory, and the team's spin bowling coach Claude Henderson said that they are eager to win.
"Very desperate. It means a lot to everyone in the camp; all the players and the support staff. There is a lot of pride in South African sport and in the country. They owe this to themselves and also to the supporters," Sport34.co.za
When South Africa and Afghanistan came face-to-face, both were on a winless streak in the premier tournament but after the conclusion of the match, South Africa halted their streak as they trounced their competitor by nine-wickets.
However, their upcoming opponents are New Zealand, who are unbeaten in the tournament so far and sit on the second position on the points table, only behind Australia.
Henderson is aware of the danger ahead of them but is confident that they can beat New Zealand if they managed to play "solid cricket".
"We respect every opposition we play, and New Zealand is one of the better teams in world cricket. They have shown in the last decade how strong they can be, especially in big tournaments. I think we can beat them if we play solid cricket. We haven't started well, but the boys have really worked hard. There have been a lot of discussions and if we play good, basic, strong cricket then we've got a very good chance," he said.
South Africa will now face New Zealand on June 19.