Proteas batsman Rassie van der Dussen says the Proteas will aim to emulate the fighting spirit shown in the famous ‘438’ game against Australia, at the World Cup.

Van der Dussen is one of the Proteas’ World Cup trump cards and has shown phenomenal consistency leading up to his election and beyond.

Other than scoring an average of 88 in nine ODIs, he was sensational for the Lions at the business end of the T20 Challenge. He finished joint top of the run-scorers list with 348 runs at an average of 58.00 that included four half-centuries.

The Proteas will hope he continues this form throughout the World Cup.

But Rassie won’t simply draw inspiration from his form, he is certain that the Proteas can be inspired by the famous ‘438’ game in 2006 against Australia.

‘Definitely. I remember the famous ‘438’ game in 2006 quite vividly,’ he told Sport24 when asked if the Proteas will channel aspects from the famous ‘438’ game against Australia in 2006.

‘It was a Sunday and I watched the whole match. As painful as watching Australia’s innings with the bat was, I always felt that the Proteas had something special in them. To be honest, I never really lost hope or thought that we would lose the match.

‘No South African likes to lose to Australia, and the fact that the win clinched the five-match series was special. I sat and watched every ball and now it will be unbelievable to go to the UK and wear the jersey.

‘I can tell you that we are going to give every ounce of who we are as players in an attempt to win the 2019 World Cup. There are very few instances, if any, that are bigger and come with the amount of honour and responsibility than being chosen to represent the country that you love on the biggest stage in the world.

‘I know the support from back home will be unbelievable, and that is always inspiring for a sportsman in general. I am excited for the World Cup. We don’t go in as favourites, but you never know what can happen.

‘Late statesman Nelson Mandela once said that ‘sport has the power to change the world’ and our plan as Proteas is to touch each household and every person in the country. Competing at the World Cup is an opportunity for us as players to make the country proud.’

The Proteas take on hosts England on 30 May and play their final round-robin fixture against Australia on 6 July. 

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