‘It’s nice that the perception has changed of the team a little bit’ – Coach Rob Walter on South Africa’s newly formed image

The Proteas have silently risen from the shadows, making waves that have left fans and pundits in awe. Earlier this year, despite being somewhat underrated, they triumphed over the reigning world champions, England, in a thrilling One Day International series in February. The unexpected departure of head coach Mark Boucher left them in a state of flux, with the clock ticking down to the World Cup, but a new era has dawned under the guidance of coaches Shukri Conrad for Tests and Rob Walter for T20Is and ODIs.

Fast forward to the present, and the Proteas have undergone a remarkable transformation, emerging as a force to be reckoned with across all formats. They've charted a near-flawless course, remaining undefeated in every ODI series since the year began. Notably, their recent resounding victory against Australia has propelled them into the upper echelons of the World Cup rankings, an ascent that has not gone unnoticed. Speaking of the smae coach Rob Walter commented, 

“I don’t listen too much to commentary, but things must have changed because a few weeks ago, we were six to eight (favourites to win the World Cup), so it’s nice that the perception has changed of the team a little bit.”

‘The most important one is to keep playing well with our brand’ -Rob Walter

Captain Temba Bavuma, with aspirations as high as the Indian sky, is determined to lead his side to their maiden World Cup triumph. The 48-year-old emphasises the importance of making every warm-up match count, ensuring that the Proteas are firing on all cylinders when they face Sri Lanka on October 7 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

“From our point of view, it’s really important to put warm-up games into context, we need to get out of it what we need. The most important one is to keep playing well with our brand. We’ll certainly be looking to make sure we get the max out of that fixture as we possibly can," he added.