South Australia skipper Michael Klinger says the Redbacks have the self belief to keep winning all the way to the Champions League Twenty20 title.
On the back of another century opening partnership between Klinger and Dan Harris, the Redbacks cruised to an emphatic win over Bangalore on Saturday morning with nine balls to spare, chasing down 154 for the loss of just two wickets.
It was skipper Klinger's third half century in as many innings, handing him back the Golden Bat as leading run scorer in the tournament, along with the man-of-the-match award as he finished with an unbeaten 69.
Post-match, Klinger was happy the Redbacks had gone three from three but emphasized that the job was not yet done.
"Of course it was great to get the win against some very good opposition; we knew they would be tough and it was great to come away with the win," Klinger said.
"It puts us in a great position in our pool, on top of the group and I think also means we're the first team to qualify for the semi-finals which is a great feeling.
"We'll no doubt quietly reflect on the game later tonight but we're already looking ahead to Tuesday and our last group match against Guyana at the Wanderers which will determine exactly where we finish in our pool."
It was the captain's good work at the top of the order with Harris (57) that set up the Redbacks chase.
"It felt nice to get a few more runs under my belt and I've enjoyed every minute batting with Dan so far in the tournament," Klinger said.
"He has been in very good touch as well and we've been able to set a good platform for our batting innings which we know is really important."
The strong batting effort followed on from the earlier good work of the bowlers who rock and rolled Bangalore in 19.5 overs as Dan Christian cleaned up 4-23 and is now the leading wicket-taker in the competition.
"With the ball, Christo was obviously very good and has been in every game but he has had some very good support with the majority of our bowlers all amongst the wickets," Klinger said.
"The team is in pretty good form and hopefully we can continue that on Tuesday," he said.
"Although Guyana haven't had the results they would probably like, we certainly won't be under estimating their ability and will need to be at our best again to make sure we win.
"I also again want to thank everyone back home for their support, especially our family, friends and staff and members of the SACA who have constantly been sending messages wishing us well and to everyone that has stayed up late to watch us – it really is appreciated by everyone here," he said.
The Redbacks head to Johannesburg on Saturday ahead of their final pool match against Guyana on Tuesday at Wanderers, with a win guaranteeing them top spot in their pool.
Mano.M
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