Johannesburg: The South African sports minister has urged the national Twenty20 squad to use the victory of the under-19 side as inspiration in the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.
The last time a South African team tasted victory in an ICC tournament was the Champions Trophy in 1998, and Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said the efforts of the under-19s was all the more significant.
According to Sport24, Mbalula said that the team has not done well at a high level in terms of T20, adding that the achievements of the under-19 team, which won the ICC Junior World Cup Final in Dubai, must inspire their senior counterparts to do well in Bangladesh and `fight for the nation`.
Mbalula however, said that he is confident that the `old` players sent to the tournament will not misrepresent their country and if possible, will return back with the trophy, adding that positive play on the cricket field was a welcome distraction from some of the more negative stories in South Africa like the ongoing Oscar Pistorius murder trial.
ANI
First Published: Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 14:56
