Durban: The South Africans are trying out novel methods of preparing for cricket's big event-- the World Cup.The squad is currently undergoing a "soft skills camp" involving river rafting, cycling and boxing in a bid to build team unity at a sports resort in the Drakensberg mountains. The 15-member squad, accompanied by coach Eric Simmons are undergoing strenuous fitness tests, and taking part in cycling, river rafting and even boxing matches, all of which are aimed at building unity and cohesion in the team. "The Drakensberg will be what we call a soft skills camp, the hard skills are when we play cricket. It will be foolish, but it will be fun. It's things that will make the guys come together," Simmons said in a radio interview on Wednesday. "We're going to do some fitness work and lots of brain storming on how we're going to go about this tournament. We leave for Cape Town on January 27 and will then have two weeks of intensive practice," he said. While the cricketers will be tested during a two-week long camp later in the month, Simmons insisted that this camp was not to be taken lightly as well. "However, it won't all be fun and games. It will be strenuous with the emphasis on proper fitness training and team work," Simmons said. The South African's are billed as top contenders for the World Cup, which begins next month in Cape Town, amidst a great deal of media frenzy over the event. Although they have come close to winning on two of the three occasions that they have played, the South Africans have always stumbled at the last hurdle and would be hoping that they can script a different story this time.
Tags: cricket, world cup, south african team, soft skills camp, river rafting, cycling, boxing, drakensberg mountains, coach eric simmons, fitness tests, boxing matches, unity, cohesion, media frenzy.
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