South Africa’s Rob Walter confident of bounce back for Champions Trophy 2025

After South Africa’s disappointing ODI series whitewash against Pakistan, head coach Rob Walter remains optimistic about his team’s ability to perform in marquee events, including the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025. Speaking after the final ODI in Johannesburg, Walter emphasized his belief in the squad’s quality and their ability to rise to the occasion during world tournaments.

Reflecting on the loss, Walter said, “I know they’ll shine through when it comes to these world events. The guys tend to step up and bring their best cricket. We’ve seen that for two World Cups in a row.”

He acknowledged the challenges posed by the busy cricket schedule but expressed faith in his players. “The lead-up to the Champions Trophy won’t be the same as the World Cup due to the packed schedule, but I trust in the quality of the players. Switching between formats might be a challenge, but the team has experience with 50-over cricket, and I believe we’ll be ready when the time comes.”

Walter also admitted to shortcomings in South Africa’s batting during the series against Pakistan. “As a batting unit, we’ve talked about someone taking pride in getting a big hundred. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to convert starts into substantial knocks or partnerships in this series,” he said. He attributed these issues to both batting errors and the high-quality bowling from Pakistan.

In the third ODI, Pakistan set a formidable target of 309 after an impressive performance with the bat. Saim Ayub played a starring role with a century (101 off 94 balls, 13 fours, 2 sixes) and partnerships with Babar Azam (52 off 71 balls) and Mohammad Rizwan (53 off 52 balls). South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/56, while Marco Jansen and Bjorn Fortuin took two wickets each.

In response, South Africa faltered, losing wickets at regular intervals. Heinrich Klaasen continued his impressive form with a blistering 81 off 43 balls (12 fours, 2 sixes), but lacked support from other batters, including Temba Bavuma (8), Rassie van der Dussen (35 off 52 balls), and David Miller (3). The Proteas were bowled out for 271 in 42 overs, with Corbin Bosch remaining unbeaten on 40.

For Pakistan, spinner Sufiyan Muqeem led the attack with 4/52, while Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi took two wickets each. Ayub was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series for his outstanding contributions throughout the series.