SA need a spinner and aggression

Cricket fans witnessed a spell of classy fast bowling when Dale Steyn unleashed himself against New Zealand in a do-or-die situation. It was definitely good to see a top team not bowing out early, writes Sourav Ganguly.

Cricket fans witnessed a spell of classy fast bowling when Dale Steyn unleashed himself against New Zealand in a do-or-die situation. Fans across the globe must have been very happy with the South Africa win in that crucial match and it was definitely good to see a top team not bowing out early as it would have taken the sheen off the tournament.

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It was definitely not easy for Steyn as Ross Taylor was in full flow and there were not much runs to defend. But Steyn showed the world why he is considered the best in the business at the moment.

Against Netherlands, South Africa will be looking to brush up areas where they have not been up to the mark. They will need to consider picking one more spinner if they qualify and move to Mirpur, where the pitch has bounce and turn. The management will need to fix that combination at the earliest.

Against Netherlands, Faf Du Plessis and his boys will want to up the run-rate, which will be a factor at the end given the fact that there is tough competition in the group. And that will hopefully make South Africa more aggressive. Netherlands went down meekly against Sri Lanka, and although they will need to show the world their entry into the big league was not a fluke, it will be difficult against South Africa.

The key for England against Sri Lanka will be to bat well. For Sri Lanka, this is a crucial match as a win against England will make them the first team to qualify for the semis. Till now the Asian champions have delivered as the situation has demanded. I feel they have a mix which should suit their game better in Mirpur.

The writer is a former India captain