Johannesburg: Colin Ingram, who was part of the South Africa`s 2013 Champions Trophy squad, believes the current AB de Villiers-led side has the potential to win this year`s 50-over tournament, beginning June 1 in England and Wales.
South Africa will head into the Champions Trophy as the top-ranked one-day team in the world, and the 31-year-old thinks that the Proteas have really high chances to emerge victorious this time around.
“I rate South Africa`s chances really highly. I think we`ve got an organised side with some really big players,” Ingram told the ICC`s official website.
Ingram, who is a veteran of 31 ODIs and nine T20Is for the Proteas, insisted that key players like Quinton de Kock and de Villiers are playing a good brand of cricket at the moment and that he is expecting to see the same in the upcoming tournament.
“With the likes of guys like Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers, I really like the brand of cricket they are playing at the moment, so I think they can do well,” said Ingram, who recently signed a two-year contract to extend his Kolpak deal with Glamorgan.
South Africa won the inaugural ICC tournament in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1998, when it was known as the ICC Knock-Out.
South Africa, who are in Group B alongside India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, will kick off their ICC Champions Trophy campaign against Sri Lanka on June 3 at The Oval in London.
The Proteas` ICC Champions Trophy squad is as follows: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wk), Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (c), JP Duminy, David Miller, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Farhaan Behardien, Morne Morkel.
Source: Zee News