Durban - Cricket South Africa's UbuntuNOW road show has come to KwaZulu-Natal with just under two weeks to go the ICC Cricket World Cup on the Asian subcontinent.
The road show was launched to encourage the nation to get behind the Proteas and has since taken place in Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and Pretoria.
CSA Brand and Corporate Relations Manager, Kass Naidoo spoke to BuaNews ahead of the Durban road show which was held at the Workshop in the city centre.
Naidoo explained that the idea of the road show, apart from gathering support and creating a vibe for the World Cup, was to take cricket to areas in the country that wasn't too acquainted with the sport.
"Many people won't be able to travel to India, therefore we will bring the World Cup atmosphere to the people," said Naidoo.
CSA knows that the 2010 FIFA World Cup is a tough act to follow but it is still encouraged by the positive feedback that the road show has brought about.
"Port Elizabeth where the launch took place was just phenomenal. We know we can't create the same vibe as the World Cup last year because it is different when you are the host country but we are reaching out to the fans," said Naidoo.
"CSA also wants to give the country a reason to be as happy as we were during the World Cup last year."
The Proteas are set to leave for India on Tuesday afternoon and have already received tons of messages from their fans.
Naidoo said social media has made it possible for more fans to reach out to the Proteas. CSA have collected messages from social networking sites, Twitter and Facebook and relayed them to the Proteas.
"It's always challenging for a foreign side at a World Cup, they are normally without all their supporters, therefore we are sending them with all the positive feedback," added Naidoo.
The banner that was handed to the national team by the Springbok vice-captain Victor Matfield will also go with the squad.
Naidoo said the Proteas "were bowled over" by the support shown to them in recent weeks. The team is also buoyed with the "Magnificent Friday" launched last month by Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula and Lead SA's Pure Proteas Friday campaigns.
CSA has come up with badges that can be worn everyday to show support for the team.
Schools who show that they are passionate by getting involved in celebrating South Africa and the World Cup stand to receive the badges.
Fans at the Durban road show was treated to entertainment, T-shirts and a chance to interact with South African cricketers David Miller and Loots Bosman.
On the cricketing front, Naidoo said the team has worked solidly over the past 18 months and remain "mysterious and unpredictable".
"There is mystery around most of the teams. Everyone seems to be light lipped at the moment so the tournament should be very exciting," said Naidoo.
Do the Proteas feel more pressure in this World Cup than any other?
According to Naidoo, "Not really, they are not favourites to win it, India are, being one of the hosts. Normally host countries are under more pressure. Our first game in on the 24 February and hopefully our last will be on 2 April".
Dates for the remainder of the roadshow:
19 February East Rand Mall Johannesburg 12:00-15:00
22 February Kenilworth Shopping Centre Cape Town 11:00-13:00
5 March Paarl Mall Paarl 09:00-12:00
12 March Hemingways East London 12:00-15:00
19 March Diamond Pavillion Kimberley 12:00-15:00
26 March Mooirivier Mall Potchefstroom 12:00-15:00
2 April Balfour Park Johannesburg 12:00-15:00
