South Africa's white-ball coach, Rob Walter, remains optimistic about the Proteas' prospects in the upcoming Champions Trophy, scheduled for February-March 2025.
His comments came after South Africa's 3-0 ODI whitewash defeat at home against Pakistan.
"I know they'll shine through when it comes to these world events, these marquee events. The guys tend to step up. They tend to bring their best cricket," Walter said. "We've seen that in two World Cups in a row."
While acknowledging the challenges ahead, he emphasized the differences in preparation for the Champions Trophy compared to the World Cup.
“The lead-up to the Champions Trophy won't be anything like the lead-up to the World Cup. That's the reality of the way the schedule is stacked up. But at the end of the day, I trust the quality of our players. Switching formats may pose some challenges, but these guys have experience in 50-over cricket. I believe we’ll be ready when the time comes,” he said.
Reflecting on the setbacks, including injuries and team selection limitations, Walter admitted that his options for the prestigious event remain constrained.
"As a batting unit, we've spoken about someone taking pride in getting in and scoring a big hundred, and to be fair, we just haven't been able to convert anything into really substantial knocks or partnerships in this series," he said.
"Some of it is down to batting errors, and some to the quality of the opposition’s bowling. It’s something we need to acknowledge and address.”
The 49-year-old also appeared to back Tony de Zorzi as Temba Bavuma's opening partner, although Ryan Rickelton remains another option.
"If you look at Tony de Zorzi's knock today (at the Wanderers, where he made 26), he was batting beautifully and then got a brute of a ball that got him out. At the end of the day, how do you assess that, and what conversations do you have? I just want him to continue playing the way he was because he was putting our noses in front up until that point," Walter said.
"These things do happen, and ultimately, I think it's important to know that the players themselves want to be better. They want to convert. They want to get big hundreds. It's not through any lack of effort. And again, I have to trust that conversion will start happening, hopefully sooner rather than later."
Looking ahead, Walter is turning his focus to the upcoming Test series, where the Proteas aim to secure their place in the World Test Championship final.
"As a Proteas family, we'll focus on these Test matches and getting ourselves to that World Test Championship final. Then, obviously, all the lads will be involved in the SA20, which will be highly competitive cricket, albeit in a different format," he said.
"I'm optimistic that when the time comes, we'll pull together," he concluded.
