De Villiers says Proteas win in first T20 against Eng ‘big boost’ ahead of World Cup

Johannesburg: South Africa captain AB de Villiers has said his team’s three-wicket win over current champions England is a good boost for players’ morale ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, starting September 18.

On a generally slow Chester-le-Street pitch taking turn, the kind of surface that may well confront them in the global tournament, the Proteas restricted England to 118 for seven, with spinners Johan Botha and Robin Peterson taking four wickets between them. The win saw South Africa, the world’s top-ranked Twenty20 side, take a 1-0 lead in a three-match series ahead of Monday’s clash in Manchester. “Definitely, it’s very similar to what we are expecting,” Sports24 quoted De Villiers, as saying when asked if victory boded well for the team’s World Twenty20 chances. “There was a little bit of turn, it was quite slowish. It was really good preparation. The bowlers had really clear plans and I’m proud of the way they came out. They made my job really easy out there,” he added. ANI