Dale Steyn at a training session at the Adelaide Oval (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Dale Steyn believes the pre-tour camp in Amsterdam will give the Proteas an “extra edge” ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales next week.
Steyn was speaking after the Proteas’ first practice in Amstelveen, the venue for the one-off ODI against the Netherlands on Friday.
Tuesday’s lengthy training session at the quality facilities of the VRA Cricket ground was a key outing, especially for half of the squad members who haven’t had match practice in nearly two months.
South Africa’s only other warm-up match will be against Pakistan at the Oval on Monday before their opening match against India in Cardiff on June 6.
“The players who haven’t had match time because of the winter off-season have a few days to catch up with their skills and their strength,” said Steyn.
“For the players that have been at the IPL (Indian Premier League), it will be about finding the best way to maintain your rhythm and fitness. We are all professionals and everybody in the side knows what to do before our first game in the UK.”
Steyn says it will be important to make the mental and tactical adjustments when making the shift from 20 to 50-over cricket.
“The whole format changes, even your mental approach changes,” he said.
“How aggressive you are, the fields that your set as a bowler, it’s sometimes easy to fall into defensive mode because of the format that allows you extra time.
“As a batter you don’t have to be too aggressive upfront because you have a lot of time, so the players have to find their game as quickly as possible before the competition.”
On Monday, the squad spent the day with explorer extraordinaire Mike Horn, and were put through intense activities which included a challenging bicycle ride around Amsterdam, canoeing down the world-famous canals and a journey up the tallest building in the capital city.
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