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The two have been consistent figures in the Pharaohs' starting team since they began this year's tournament with a loss to Nigeria.

With Ahmed Hegazi ruled out and doubts hovering over first and second goalkeeping choices, coach Carlos Queiroz is expected to tinker with Egypt's starting team for the semi-final game against Cameroon on Thursday at Paul Biya Stadium in Yaounde.

Meanwhile, the Pharaohs have won three of their last four Afcon games against Cameroon (L1), scoring nine goals, this after netting just twice across their previous six encounters against the Indomitable Lions in the competition (W1 D2 L3).

Egypt Football Association.Goalkeeper:  Mohamed Sobhy

He is set to make his first start in the tournament as Mohamed El Shenawy and Mohamed Abou Gabal – the first and second goalkeeping choices, respectively – remain doubtful after picking up injuries in the last two games.

AdvertisementBackpagepixRight-back – Omar Kamal

Kamal has been a consistent figure in the Egyptian team and is highly likely to keep his place. Kamal's ability to effectively block the opponents' attacks and offer additional attacking threats will be key for the Pharaohs as they face the hosts.

Sports Mole.Left-back – Ahmed Abou El Fotouh

The Zamalek full-back was solid against Morocco as he was able to frustrate the Atlas Lions' strategy of attacking from the wing, and such a performance should certainly guarantee him a start against the Indomitable Lions.

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Backpagepix.Centre-back – Mohamed Abdelmonem

Since he replaced Akram Tawfik, who got injured in the group opening game against Nigeria, Abdelmonem has been an ever-present figure in Carlos Queiroz's starting team and his consistent performances should keep him among the starters.

It was a positive fortnight for the competition's Premier League contingent, with Liverpool and Manchester City in particular making a big impression

Getty Images1Sadio Mane (Liverpool) Three goals for the Senegal sharpshooter mean the Reds should have an easy stroll into the last eight, after blowing away Porto 5-0 in Portugal. Mane became the fourth Liverpool player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, after Michael Owen, Yossi Benayoun and Philippe Coutinho.AdvertisementGetty Images2Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) Another Champions League night to remember for Lewa as he helped put Besiktas to the sword with a late double in Bayern's 5-0 walkover. Since 2015/16, only Cristiano Ronaldo scored more Champions League goals (39) than Lewandowski (22 – Lionel Messi 3rd with 21).Getty3Willian (Chelsea) Was unlucky to see two cracking long-range attempts hit the woodwork, but it was third-time lucky for the Chelsea star as he beat Marc Andre ter Stegen to put the Blues temporarily ahead. Since joining Chelsea in 2013/14, Willian has scored more Champions League goals from outside the box than any other player (6, followed by Cristiano Ronaldo & Neymar on 5).ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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Getty Images4Mousa Dembele (Tottenham) Man of the match in Turin as Spurs secured a famous draw against the Italian giants. Dembele sent 95 successful passes v. Juventus: only Harry Winks has sent more successful passes for Tottenham in a Champions League game.

U.S. men's national team stars Tim Weah and Weston McKennie started for Juventus as they stole a result in stoppage-time against Verona

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McKennie and Weah startedJuve win 1-0 in stoppage timeAllegri's tactics holding them back

Andrea Cambiaso's 97th minute winner for Juventus stole the show as the Turin side miraculously secured victory at the Allianz Stadium after an incredibly boring 96 minutes of soccer. It may sound harsh because they still earned the result, but Juventus played incredibly poorly against the 16th placed side in Serie A. They need more from their attack and more from their boss, Massimiliano Allegri.

Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Bianconeri forward Moise Kean had not one, but two goals called back in the match. First up, just 12 minutes in, Kean thought he fired home but an offside Dusan Vlahovic flicked it on, seeing it called back. Then, eight minutes into the second half, Kean headed home a McKennie cross only to see it called back for a foul he himself committed.

Cambiaso's brilliant winner in stoppage-time saw him swarmed by teammates after Arkadiusz Milik's header shattered the woodwork, before the Italian put it into the back of the net.

The 1-0 scoreline was a replication of their form of late, with this being their fifth-straight clean sheet, but overall, a lack of excitement and speed overtook the match. It was slow, yet composed in the middle of the pitch, however, neither team looked like they had any interest in pushing the ball into the opposition's box.

It was a brilliant opportunity for McKennie and Weah to both start, but it's starting to feel like Massimiliano Allegri's choice of formation and tactics is going to hinder Juventus's chance to excel against the top sides in Serie A and Europe.

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This was the third-straight match where Weah and McKennie started alongside each other for Juventus, and it's beyond evident that their chemistry from playing on the national team has transferred over to their form for the Bianconeri. However, it just feels like Juve are hokding themselves back with five defenders and three midfielders. There isn't enough in their attack, and in a match like this, seeing Weah in a higher attacking role next to Vlahovic may have been a better shout.

For the Turin side as a whole, they no doubt expect more from themselves in a match like this. Verona never really threatened Juve, but they themselves never got going as a whole, either. However, good teams find results, even in stoppage-time, with seconds to spare.

GettyUSMNT IMPACT

It's a big positive for the USMNT to have both Weah and McKennie starting for Juventus, especially on the same side of the pitch. Despite Weah's early exit, he performed well, and for Wes – he continues to impress in that central midfield role under Allegri.

All you can ask and hope for is that they both continue to get minutes on a consistent basis if you're Gregg Berhalter. Juve boss Allegri is rather stubborn when it comes to adjusting to modern-day tactics, so his side's formation is set in stone. Weah in a more attacking role would be preferred, but at this point in time, you cannot be picky.

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Getty ImagesGOAL'S RATINGS

Weston McKennie (7/10): Played his role well, completing 29/32 total passes while creating one big chance

Tim Weah (5/10): Weah was subbed off at the halftime break, despite having a lively first 45 minutes. He ran the right flank well, and connected with McKennie centrally at times, too.

Allan Donald never played in the UAE, but he said the conditions reminded him of Pakistan

Firdose Moonda in Sharjah07-Oct-2013When Allan Donald was last in the UAE, Dubai did not have a single building in the top 50 skyscrapers in the world. It also did not have a metro service, nor did it host international cricket. In 1996, Sharjah was where it all happened.Donald was a member of the touring squad that played in the Pepsi Cup that year. He was not included in the starting XI for any of the matches so it’s hardly a surprise he does not seem to remember much about the place. Instead, it makes him think of somewhere else, where he played two Tests in 1997 and where he gained experience that will come in handy for South Africa’s bowlers on this tour.”The pitches here remind me a lot of the wickets when we played in Pakistan,” he said. And there, he recalls, things were not easy for fast men. “As a quick bowler. when times are tough, you have to very imaginative and you’ve got to be gutsy, Most importantly, the ball has to reverse.”For that reason, Donald, South Africa’s bowling coach, believes South Africa will rely on Dale Steyn even more than usual. “There is no one better than him when there is an end open and when he steps up and changes gears. There is no-one better at running through a team than he is,” Donald said.When Steyn last played for South Africa, he endured an injury-riddled time at Champions Trophy in June but has since recovered from five lingering issues. Like many of the players who’ve had a break, Donald said the time off will have reinvigorated Steyn and made him even more determined. “He is as fresh as I have seen him. He has dealt with his niggles. He is absolutely raring to go,” he said. “He is very eager and hungry to make a big impact on this series,” Donald said.With conditions set to provide a challenge to the seamers, Donald still believes the pace barrage, led by Steyn, can have an effect if they stick to a few basic principles. “The new ball will be massive,” he said. “When we played in Pakistan, Bob Woolmer taught us that the best chance of getting wickets was upfront because the ball scuffs up a lot quicker so we had to make batsmen play a lot more in the first 20 overs,” he said. “We have to figure out how to put a dent in the top order.”South Africa will approach Pakistan with aggression, not just upfront, but throughout the innings. “Lines have got to be straighter, we’ve got to hit the pitch really hard, bowl a bit fuller than normal and be prepared to sacrifice a few runs. You have to be smart because this is not a place where you can bowl back of length and expect results,” he said. “Patience and discipline will be key.”Donald expects South Africa’s bowlers to do all of that in temperatures that will soar close to 40 degrees while they are in the field, and he realises it is a big ask. “The extreme heat is going to be testing for us in our fitness and endurance,” he admitted. “But there are no excuses. We know what standards we set for ourselves as No.1.team and if we have a bad session, there will be no blaming the conditions and the pitches.”That means the South African bowlers’ biggest battle, although it would appear to be physical, is actually going to be mental. “This is the one series which will really test us as a unit because the mental intensity is going to be a big thing,” Donald said.In preparation, South Africa held a meeting on Sunday afternoon to discuss the importance of being psychologically strong enough. “We can’t afford not hitting the ground running. Yesterday, Graeme and Russell [Domingo] chatted about how important it is that we don’t play catch up cricket.”South Africa have been slow starters in the past but they have managed not to let it trip them up recently. In England, they appeared lethargic on day one of the Oval Test last year before going on to win the match and the series. Australia wore the bowlers down for the better parts of the Brisbane Test in November last year and if not for a day lost to rain, may have been able to win the match but it was South Africa who triumphed at the end of the series in Perth.Gary Kirsten helped them understand that even if a session does not go their way, the possibility to go for the kill could still remain. Donald said the coach Domingo has continued to enforce the same ideas.”We spoke about the team culture yesterday and what it means to the players,” he said. “The guys have really taken to Russell in a short space of time. For us it’s business as usual.” And to enforce that motto, Donald need only refer to the country the team is in, where, 17 years since he was last here, business is the driving force behind all the changes he continues to marvel at.

Nottinghamshire have secured two overseas signings for 2015 with Vernon Philander and Ben Hilfenhaus set for stints at Trent Bridge next season.

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2014Nottinghamshire have secured two overseas signings for 2015 with Vernon Philander and Ben Hilfenhaus set for stints at Trent Bridge next season.Philander, the South Africa seam bowler, will join the club in April and feature in six County Championship matches and three NatWest T20s before he resumes duty with South Africa.He has previously enjoyed spells at Kent, Middlesex and Somerset, for whom he took 23 wickets at 21.34 in 2012.Hilfenhaus will take over as overseas player from the NatWest T20 against Leicestershire on June 5. It will be the Australian seamer’s first taste of county cricket.”It is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit an overseas player of high quality to spend an entire season in county cricket so we’re very pleased to have two high quality bowlers sharing the spot,” Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell said.”We made the decision to recruit bowlers because we felt that we needed to add some experience to enable us to take 20 wickets in Championship matches more regularly. Ben and Vernon were keen to have stints in county cricket in 2015 and it’s pleasing that they have chosen to join us.”Hilfenhaus, 31 has not played for Australia since 2012 said he has always been keen for a spell in county cricket: “Nottinghamshire is the ideal club for me given their track record of competing for trophies and the proud history of Australians enjoying success there.”It’s hard to find time in the schedule to commit to a full season so sharing the overseas spot with Vernon is ideal for both of us. I’ve had some good discussions with Mick Newell and Ed Cowan and I’m looking forward to getting started at Trent Bridge.”Philander added: “I’ve got a lot of cricket to play in the lead-up to my time with Nottinghamshire but I know the job that I have to do and I’ll be well prepared for the county season. There is always responsibility to make a personal contribution and hopefully the results will follow and I can help Nottinghamshire make a good start to the season.”

VVS Laxman has backed up Sachin Tendulkar’s criticism of the way Greg Chappell treated senior players during his tenure as coach, saying he “took Indian cricket backwards

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2014Former India batsman VVS Laxman has backed up Sachin Tendulkar’s criticism of the way Greg Chappell treated senior players during his tenure as coach between 2005 and 2007, saying he “took Indian cricket backwards.”In his autobiography , Tendulkar had claimed Chappell made a veiled threat about dropping Laxman when the batsmen said he did not want to open the innings. “This happened in 2006 at the Wankhede Stadium when India were playing England,” Laxman told NDTV. “Yuvraj Singh was picked ahead of me and five bowlers were fielded. We were going to the West Indies for a four-Test series after that and he asked me if I would open.”I mentioned that back in 2000, I had decided I would not open anymore after it didn’t work for me in the first four years. I was consistent in the middle order. Chappell asked me my age and said – Don’t you think 31 is too young an age to sit at home? I had a very good run under him. I was the second highest run-scorer under him.”Laxman said the team environment created by Chappell was poor. “In 2006, it was the worst dressing-room I was part of,” he said. “I have played under various coaches and captains for 16 years but that year was the worst atmosphere in a dressing-room.”More than anything else, it was very evident that there was an attempt to create a rift. A cricket team is like a family and there is no point in creating a divide between seniors and juniors. It was very unfortunate. The seniors felt very insecure. We never understood why Chappell thought that way when the seniors were playing well.”

The USA Cricket Association (USACA) announced on Friday its intention to stage a Men’s National Tournament at a newly developed cricket facility in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana beginning in 2014

Peter Della Penna15-Jun-2013The USA Cricket Association (USACA) announced on Friday its intention to stage a Men’s National Tournament at a newly developed cricket facility in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana beginning in 2014. A joint press release by USACA and Indy Parks stated that USACA will host a four-day national championship involving eight regional teams in Indianapolis every summer from 2014-2016.”The 2014 USACA National Men’s Cricket Championship will provide the most talented cricketers in this country with the opportunity to compete in a first class facility against the best in the nation,” said USACA chief executive Darren Beazley. “It will be an important component in USACA’s mission to develop cricket at all levels, from youth to adult, and it will create an occasion to showcase our sport to a non-traditional cricket audience.”Last month, the city of Indianapolis approved plans for a $6 million multi-sport facility to be built on the east side of the city at the site of Post Road Community Park. Plans for the cricket facility were first reported by ESPNcricinfo in 2009. In addition to cricket, the facility will also have sports fields designed for soccer, rugby and lacrosse among other sports. According to a source, the cricket fields will have artificial pitches in order to make the facility easier to maintain for multi-sport purposes.”For over 30 years, Indianapolis has billed itself as the amateur sports capital of the world,” said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. “This facility and this tournament puts Indianapolis in a leadership position as the second most popular sport in the world grows in this country.”Despite the mayor’s eagerness over the plan, it has not been met with unanimous approval. “If we’re dependent on them, I’m worried,” Indianapolis City Councilor Christine Scales was quoted as saying about USACA in the . Scales is leading a counter proposal in city government to use the $6 million in funds designated for the stadium to pay for more police officers on the city’s streets instead.Various Indianapolis media outlets reported on Friday that some city officials expect thousands of spectators to attend from across the country for the USACA tournaments. City officials also reportedly are anticipating that USACA’s domestic championships will generate revenue for both the city and USACA through ticket sales and broadcast rights fees.Such ambitious targets would be a giant leap forward from the overall lack of community support shown during the course of recent history in domestic and international tournaments involving the United States regional and national teams. USACA has no scheduled domestic tournaments for 2013 and has not held a 50-over national championship since 2010.The last domestic tournaments USACA held of any kind were in 2011. That year, the inaugural USACA Twenty20 national tournament was shifted from Dallas, Texas to Newark, New Jersey just weeks before the scheduled starting date. Despite Twenty20 routinely billed as a format perfectly suited to the American audience, only a handful of spectators attended. The tournament was infamous for its shoddy organization, treacherous field conditions and administrators who had to be separated outside the boundary after nearly coming to blows.Poor spectator turnout for domestic events has been a routine problem for tournaments staged in Lauderhill, Florida at the $70 million Central Broward Regional Park. After opening in 2008, USACA held their Men’s 50-over National Championship at the 5000 seat stadium in Florida in 2009 and 2010, during which not more than a few dozen people attended. Roughly the same amount of spectators turned out this March for the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament, which USA won 8-0 to clinch a spot at the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. None of the matches were broadcast on TV or radio.”Not one of those events puts anybody in the stands,” said Lauderhill Mayor Richard J Kaplan in an interview with ESPNcricinfo in April. “It doesn’t sell one ticket. I don’t need a multi-million dollar stadium with 5000 permanent seats to sit there with nobody using it.”The decision to host national tournaments at a facility with an artificial wicket rather than the natural turf facility offered at the Central Broward Regional Park may drive a bigger wedge between Kaplan and USACA, pushing Kaplan and Lauderhill officials towards carrying out a plan to redevelop the stadium for sports other than cricket in an effort to generate revenue.Kaplan detailed his frustrations over the lack of revenue generating cricket events at the Central Broward Regional Park in a letter to ICC chief executive David Richardson in April. In that letter and a subsequent interview with ESPNcricinfo, Kaplan placed the blame squarely on USACA for not doing enough to promote the sport. He had been pushing for more events with Full Members to be held at the stadium, such as last year’s successful Twenty20 series between West Indies and New Zealand, but said that two revenue generating matches a year are not enough to sustain the facility’s operating costs.”From those games we believe it is [commercially sound], but you can’t have games unless they’re sanctioned,” Kaplan said. “You can’t survive on putting on one event a year, and waiting a few weeks before the event before you even get permission to put it on. That just does not work.”Rumors have been circulating since May that the West Indies and Pakistan have agreed to play a pair of T20 matches in Florida next month following Pakistan’s scheduled ODI tour to the Caribbean, but a USACA official would not confirm that any matches have been agreed to be staged in Florida. No formal announcement has been made by the PCB or WICB either.

West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin said that changing Suleiman Benn’s end during the Tamim Iqbal-Mominul Haque third wicket partnership was what swung the St Lucia Test his way

Mohammad Isam17-Sep-2014West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin said that changing Suleiman Benn’s end during the Tamim Iqbal-Mominul Haque third-wicket partnership was what swung the St Lucia Test his team’s way. As soon as Benn had Tamim caught off a top edge, the home side took the next seven wickets in 18.5 overs to win by 296 runs.Bangladesh were 48 for 2 when Tamim and Mominul consolidated to add 110 runs for the third wicket. They played out a wicketless session – Bangladesh’s second such period during the Test series. They survived a Darren Bravo drop when Mominul, on 29, edged to him at first slip.After both batsmen had reached their slowest fifties in Test cricket, Ramdin asked Benn to change ends and bowl with the wind blowing from the on-side. Tamim gave Shannon Gabriel a catch and the collapse ensued.”We were trying to keep the run rate down and trying to create the opportunity but we didn’t take that chance,” Ramdin said. “We also tried to switch the bowlers around, and make them hit [Suleiman] Benn against the breeze. He [Tamim Iqbal] tried that and it came off for us.”When asked what made the Bangladesh batsmen vulnerable in both Tests, Ramdin said: “They go hard at the ball when the balls are shaping away from them. A lot of slip-catching was done in this match. [Kemar] Roachie bowled fantastically well. I think at one point they were looking for the ball going away and it came back at them, especially for their captain [Mushfiqur Rahim].”Ramdin felt that had Bangladesh had wickets in hand on the final day, it could have led to an open game. “It was a very good batting pitch, still,” he said. “Going into the fifth day, it could have gone either way with wickets in hand. But it becomes very difficult for a new guy coming into bat here and get a start.”He praised the contributions of Man of the Match Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Man of the Series Kraigg Brathwaite. Chanderpaul was not dismissed once in the series while Brathwaite scored his first double-hundred in an aggregate of 324 runs at an average of 108.”Those two stood out throughout the series for us,” Ramdin said. “Kraigg’s double-century and Shiv didn’t get out in the series. They batted and batted, and took the opposition out of the game. It was an all-round team effort. Leon Johnson coming in for his first Test, he batted really well. Roach bowled exceptionally well in the first innings, and Sulieman Benn put up his hand in the second innings and he bowled long overs so he got the result he wanted.”West Indies will now tour India in October for five ODIs, a T20 and three Tests before heading to South Africa. Ramdin said even though his bowlers had learnt a lot from the two Tests against Bangladesh, he expected more out of the batsmen.”Playing in India is always tough. We have some players who have to come in as well. Chris Gayle is not here but our bowlers have been bowling well. It’s going to be challenging. I think today’s outing, been out there for a long period of time, gave our bowlers some hardwork going forward into that series. So they know what it is, going for a session and a half without a wicket and that’s going to take a toll on their body when we get there. It’s good mental preparation as well.”Everyone has done their part in this match, going forward we’ll look to build on that success. We didn’t have the runs that I wanted and expected, but that’s how it goes sometimes and hopefully in India we can have a better outing with the bat.”Chanderpaul, who reached his 30th Test century and is now four short of Brian Lara’s 34, said his mantra was to tell himself to remain at the crease when the day ends and come back to bat the next day.”I obviously feel great, winning the Test match was the most important thing,” Chanderpaul said. “It was our aim from the beginning, get as much as we can from the first innings and see where we go. As a batter, you can’t think about getting out. You have to think about coming to bat the next day. I was trying to maintain that and hopefully I can carry on wherever I go.”It was all gloom for Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur, who was left picking up the pieces after a second Test series loss. He conceded the team had not found out a way to avoid a collapse during crucial periods in a match.”It has been a problem in the last couple of years,” Mushfiqur said. “We haven’t worked it out yet. It is all sorts of mental and skill-related things. Sometimes it is skills, sometimes it is mental. We need to be tough. Because this is Test cricket, we need to be tough for the whole session, not one or two hours.”I think Tamim, Mominul, Mahmudullah, Al-Amin played well, as did Taijul. But we need to improve a lot as a group. We have a home series coming up against Zimbabwe which will be a tough one so all the boys will get a break and let’s see how it goes.”

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has revealed the England midfielder that he thinks may contend for the Euro 2024 next summer.

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England looking for options for third midfielderCarragher thinks Alexander-Arnold could be the optionEngland one of the favourites for Euro 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

Last month, Gareth Southgate's team easily qualified for their eighth major tournament in a row after defeating Italy 3-1 at Wembley. In recent international matches, players like as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips and Conor Gallagher have been tested alongside Southgate's first-choice midfield choices, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham.

The Liverpool full-back, who played in midfield against North Macedonia and Malta has been a subject of considerable debate recently, and Carragher believes that he could be the perfect complement to the existing duo of Rice and Bellingham.

AdvertisementWHAT CARRAGHER SAID

"Southgate demonstrated his foresight when identifying this a few years ago, initially criticised for using Alexander-Arnold as a midfielder," Carragher wrote in his Telegraph column. "Although England were not great against Malta and North Macedonia, there was plenty to like about Alexander-Arnold’s performances, especially in the first game."

"An exciting, balanced midfield trio of [Jude] Bellingham, [Declan] Rice and Alexander-Arnold can take the national team close to winning Euro 2024. They would be my first choice."

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Speaking on international duty last week, Alexander-Arnold also hinted that an opportunity further forward is something he relishes: "My specific skill set and what I’m best at is someone who plays in the middle. You probably get more out of me from being in the middle and I’m able to show off that skillset as much as possible."

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WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

Southgate will now have almost four months to strategise his potential plans for the midfield as the next international break does not arrive until March.

The South Africa Under-19 side are confident of making it to the final of the upcoming World Cup in the UAE and have their sights on meeting India in the last match of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-20140:00

‘Hope to play India in final’ – Ray Jennings

The South Africa Under-19s are confident of making it to the final of the upcoming ICC Under-19 World Cup in the UAE and have their sights on meeting India in the last match of the tournament. South Africa, who finished third in the previous edition of the World Cup in 2012, are in Group C while defending champions India are placed in Group A of the tournament that begins on February 14.”We’ve got West Indies in our group and Zimbabwe and Canada, but the tough games come in the quarter-finals where we will either pick up Australia or Bangladesh and then we’ll hopefully play India in the final,” coach Ray Jennings said before the team’s departure for the UAE. “The Indian side is a very good side. In 2008, I saw the [Virat] Kohli side that beat the South African side in the final and this Indian side is better than the side in 2008, so we have a tough game but who knows what the South Africans can actually do.”According to Jennings, the current India side is stronger than the one of 2008 because they will be going into the World Cup with four series wins since the 2012 edition. South Africa and India last met in the final of the Quadrangular Series last October, which also featured Australia and Zimbabwe, in which India trounced South Africa by 201 runs.South Africa opener and wicketkeeper Clyde Fortuin said the team has plans for big sides like Australia and India•BCCIWicketkeeper-batsman Clyde Fortuin, the leading run-scorer for South Africa in that tournament in India, stated that the team has plans for strong sides like Australia and if they meet India in the final, their coach has thought well in advance for the clash.”We have got our plans for Australia, coach has said he has got his plan for India so we’ll just have to wait and see and get into the final to [play against] India,” Fortuin said.Left-arm pacer Ngazibini Sigwili, who also played four matches in the same series, conceded that the Quadrangular tournament in India was a “nervous” experience for him but also part of a learning curve for the entire team.”I think going to India was a really nervous experience for everyone, not knowing what to expect,” Sigwili said. “But most of the guys would have drawn a lot of positives from their failures in India to adapt quicker and faster to the conditions in Dubai. So that tour was a big positive for everyone.”Jennings said the junior team would draw inspiration from the performance of the senior team which has been the No. 1 side in Tests, and is in the top three in ODIs and T20s, too.”I think the Proteas being No. 1 in the world for such a long period of time have started to make a statement in world cricket that the South Africans never give up and they have that staying power and that type of culture,” Jennings said. “Hopefully we can instil [that culture] in the junior guys and hopefully it’s going to come through during this World Cup.”South Africa will be led by Aiden Markram who holds Jennings and his coaching methods and skills in high regard. Markram said that the team’s week-long training period before departing for the UAE helped them gel.”He has his way of coaching and to me that definitely works as his way of how to motivate these players and he gets the best out of every player, which isn’t an easy task as a coach as I can imagine,” Markram said. “We have a lot of respect for him and his knowledge of the game is massive.”This week has helped as a team to gel, it’s been amazing. We’ve come together and that brotherhood formed within a couple of hours of just meeting up with everyone and I think it came naturally because it is a World Cup and it is a massive event. I think just the hunger and determination adds to that.”South Africa will kickstart the World Cup on February 14 against West Indies in Dubai.