After a washed-out game against the West Indies, the Proteas effectively have five cup finals remaining in the World Cup, writes DANIEL GALLAN in Southampton.

That was the message from captain Faf du Plessis, whose team is in a precarious position with just a single point after Monday’s non-result from four matches played in the tournament.

‘We are in this position because we haven’t played our best cricket, so we don’t deserve to be anywhere close to the top of the log,’ Du Plessis said. ‘It’s simple. We need to be more consistent and more solid. If we do that and the results start happening, then we will get a lot of confidence.’

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When asked how he picks his side up, Du Plessis called on individual performances to lift the rest of the team.

‘You saw the way [Kagiso Rabada] did that against India. He picked the bowling unit up just by being the X-factor player he is. We need individuals to stand up.’

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As for the players that he does have, Du Plessis gave his support to Hashim Amla, who once again failed with the bat, nicking off to Sheldon Cottrell with just 6 to his name.

‘Hash is a class player,’ Du Plessis said. ‘He has been hitting the ball really well in the nets, so we are just hoping it’s around the corner for him.’

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Photo: Alex Davidson/Getty Images