Ireland looking to out-smart De Villiers

2015 World Cup

Ireland captain William Porterfield feels his side do not need to change anything when they come against South Africa, and AB de Villiers, in a World Cup Pool B clash in Canberra on Tuesday.

Proteas skipper De Villiers was in devastating form with the bat in their last match against the West Indies, smashing an unbeaten 162 off 66 balls that included some inventive strokes that amazed some of crickets greatest players.

Porterfield feels Ireland just have to be smart in the way they go about doing things, especially since the Irish do not have any unpredictable bowlers. It is all much the same, right-arm medium fast and conventional spin.

Opening batsman Porterfield said: "We've just got to be smart with how we set fields and how we go about things from there, really.

"I think before the tournament we said we've got to be really smart about how we go about our cricket, and I think we can utilise the fact that some of our bowlers don't have the pace that some batters generally like to face, so that can be an advantage as much as a hindrance.

"You can sit all day and talk about him (De Villiers) and different theories and plans and whatever, but as I said, you've got to stick it on with your best ball and how you go about things. You don't have to reinvent the wheel or change how you play really against one player."

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