Wellington, New Zealand: South Africa is poised to take over the top ranking in international limited-overs cricket and allrounder J.P. Duminy says the Proteas are "comfortable" with the way they are tracking toward next year's World Cup.
Duminy scored 58 not out in South Africa's emphatic six-wicket win over New Zealand to open the three-match ODI series on Tuesday and issued a tacit warning to Cup rivals that the Proteas are currently playing well below their best.
If South Africa sweeps the series, which continues with matches on Friday and Monday, it will take over the top ODI ranking from Australia.
"If we're honest we were probably 65-70 per cent" in the opening match, Duminy said, "and it's good to be able to win games like that."
"We want to change a few things and get a few things right; with the bowling being ruthless when you have a team nine down." New Zealand put on a national record last-wicket partnership to post 230 and Duminy said "We should have been chasing 180."
Duminy spoke of a quiet sense of confidence among the South African players ahead of the World Cup.
"The way we've played one-day cricket over the last year is definitely the way we want to go about our business," he said. "We're a team that likes to be quietly confident and not be out there in terms of the way we speak about confidence.
"We like to portray our confidence out on the field in the way we perform. That'll be the way we go about it in the World Cup."
Despite long being among the top-ranked ODI teams in cricket, South Africa has never won the World Cup.
