JOHANNESBURG : South Africa are keen to build confidence against Australia in their one-day international series despite next year’s World Cup still more than a year away, spinner Keshav Maharaj said on Tuesday.
South Africa lead the three-match series 2-0 after convincing wins in Durban and Johannesburg, with the final match scheduled for Potchefstroom on Wednesday.
“You want to try and be as clinical as possible in a series of this magnitude,” Maharaj told reporters.
“They are the world champions, so it’s always nice to build confidence. It is still just over 12 months away from the World Cup, but it’s a wonderful stepping stone and foundation to build on.
“It shows character and also shows champion mentality to try and win the series, but it’s about the process that we’re focusing on behind everything and letting it play out that way and doing the basics really well.”
South Africa will co-host next year’s World Cup with neighbours Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Maharaj, Bjorn Fortuin and part-time spinner Aiden Markram have played a key role in restricting Australia’s batting in the first two matches, with their spin trio helping South Africa control the middle overs.
Maharaj’s form could also prove important in the three-test series against Australia, which begins at his home ground in Durban on Oct. 9.
The 35-year-old said he had worked on his bowling after South Africa’s tour of India last season, where they won the test series 2-0.
“I went back to the drawing board after last season’s India tour. Obviously conditions were slightly different, but I just want to keep evolving from that aspect,” Maharaj said.
“And I feel like the best in the world always keep trying to evolve and I said, ‘Why can’t I be that person and try evolve in a different aspect of the game?'”
Maharaj said he had placed greater emphasis on analysis while retaining his natural feel for the game.
“I worked on a couple of things and put a little bit more emphasis on the analysis work,” he said.
“I’ve always been someone who has been a scholar of the game and looks at the analysis in depth, but just probably looking at it from a different angle in different direction and still not losing that feel of the game.”
