EXCLUSIVE: Proteas' potential England quarterfinal gives Chris Morris 'lump in my belly'

It’s always been a bit injudicious that captains are asked for their opinions on abandoned matches, especially when a single ball hasn’t been bowled in anger. 

But both Steve Smith and Temba Bavuma did well to focus on the playing matters on hand and what their chances are of qualifying for the semi-finals after Tuesday’s wash-out between Australia and the Proteas in Rawalpindi. 

Thank heavens they did not venture into net run-rate calculations and all of that and at least stuck to the simple line that victory in their respective final Pool B matches against Afghanistan and England will ensure qualification. 

But what that all means is that the Proteas now face a virtual quarter-final on Saturday in Karachi, and even more so if England overcome Afghanistan in Lahore on Wednesday. 

Such is the nature of the short and sharp Champions Trophy, which has already seen hosts Pakistan exit the tournament after just six days, that each match is a virtual knockout contest. 

“I played two Champions Trophies and that was the message that we got given. With every one, I was prepared for it to be a knockout occasion every single game,” former Proteas allrounder Chris Morris exclusively told Independent Media. 

“There's no resting on your laurels. There's no relaxing. It's straight into a full match intensity, which you do anyway, but there's a different feel about it.

“The message that you get given straight away is that every game is a must-win game. I think the most important thing is that you mentally prepare for it before you even start the tournament. Every game is almost a knockout game.

“The mindset doesn't really change, does it? Because you've gone in there already knowing that we've got to win each one that we play.”

All that considered, Morris does feel that Saturday’s encounter now holds extra significance due to the Rawalpindi washout. 

“In my opinion, I looked at the log and I got a little bit of a stress lump in my belly because you're obviously playing against England who had a really good game against Australia, who played out of their absolute socks to win that game and chase down a big target. 

“England are such a dangerous side. The reality is you look at the log and you go, flip, England have got Afghanistan next. You would think that Afghanistan are going to get knocked over by England, which means we have to win. It's a do or die for both teams.

“It basically is almost like a quarterfinal that they're going into now, South Africa and England. Even though England have got the game in hand on South Africa, it would have to be the thought pattern of it's a quarterfinal for us because we need to beat England and then move on to whoever we play in the next group. It's finals cricket!”

Morris was part of the Proteas’ side that went down to England in the 2013 Champions Trophy semi-final at The Oval but believes the current group have changed the mindset that South African teams fear knockout matches at major tournaments after their historic semi-final victory at the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean last year. 

“We know in the recent past, in the last couple of years, the approaches have been very good in semifinals or quarterfinals, if you want to call them that,” he said.

“They've been very good and they rely back on that experience. A lot of the guys that were in those semi-finals are still in the squad and still playing.”