Proteas must fall back on winning blueprint – McKenzie

The Standard Bank Proteas must fall back on the blueprint that has brought them success over the last 18 months when they take on India in their final ICC Champions Trophy Group B match at The Oval on Sunday. The match is an outright quarter-final, with the winner earning a place in the semi-finals next week. The Proteas’ consistency over the last season has been underpinned by big hundreds from the top six, and bar Hashim Amla’s effort in the opening match against Sri Lanka, the line-up has yet to fire as a unit. Proteas batting coach, Neil McKenzie, says it will be important to focus on executing the basics well, a simple strategy that has reaped rewards in the past. Sri Lanka’s comfortable chase of 322 against India on Thursday suggests the match could produce another high-scoring clash, but McKenzie has stressed the need to adapt to what the conditions dictate, similar to Amla and Quinton de Kock’s approach in the opening match