The Proteas have vowed to guard against complacency ahead of the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Kandy on Wednesday. 

The Proteas’ incumbent ‘finisher’, David Miller, says being 1-0 up in the series is a confidence booster, but the squad will need to start afresh in their bid for South Africa’s first series win in Sri Lanka.

‘We spoke about that in the team meeting,’ Miller said of Sri Lanka’s threat. ‘With it being a three-match series they will definitely come back stronger, that’s the way cricket goes. We know that bad days happen but it’s how you come back that you build your character on. We know that they are going to come hard at us but we are ready for that. We are starting over as a team and will be keeping it simple and to the basics.’

Miller top-scored with an unbeaten 85 in the Proteas’ only win of the series in Sri Lanka last year, and says adapting to conditions quickly will be important, especially when playing under lights.

‘It was a good game here last year looking back at things,’ Miller said of the Proteas’ 56-run win. ‘We did the right things, we gave ourselves a chance at the end after putting the runs on the board and we managed to bowl them out.

‘We will have to assess conditions once we get here,’ he continued. ‘It does skid on at night like we saw last year but we will see what happens at the toss to determine what we will be faced with. The guys are more focused on their preparations leading up to the match, and we need to be mentally up for any challenge be it batting or bowling first.’

Relishing the finishing role
The left-hander says he has embraced the high pressure that comes with his role at the end of the innings.

‘I’m really enjoying it,’ he said of his role as a finisher. ‘It’s an opportunity for me to showcase my skills. I’m learning as much as I can and trying to improve where I can.’

The second ODI starts at 11am SA time on Wednesday morning. Follow SA Cricket magazine on Facebook and Twitter for regular score updates.

Photo: Anne Laing/HSM Images