Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma urged the Proteas to win the 2011 World Cricket Cup trophy for former President Nelson Mandela.
Zuma gave the players an official send-off and wished them luck on Tuesday before they left for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.
"We will support you to the final until you bring the trophy back and hand it over to President Nelson Mandela. Cricket is a national asset and the nation is fully behind you, as your victory is our victory as the South African people.
"I met him [Mandela] this morning and promised him that you will do your best and make the nation proud. He supports you all the way, and will be watching the games as much as possible on television," he said.
According to Zuma, the national cricket team made the nation well known world-over with their splendid performance on the field.
"May this nation's traditional winning streak see you through the ferocious spin-bowlers of the Asian sub-continent, and also make you bring the trophy home," he said.
Zuma, who kept on saying the nation will be behind the team until the World Cup is over, reminded the players that they could easily put smiles on South Africans' faces by playing well on the field.
The President also urged South Africans to wear the Proteas jersey every Friday in support of their national team.
"We call upon every South African to support this competition by wearing their Proteas shirts on Fridays as part of the Magnificent Fridays campaign launched by the Ministry of Sport and Recreation. We did this successfully for the FIFA Soccer World Cup, and we thank you for bringing back that excitement," he said.
Sports and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula said the Proteas have already proven their worth by clobbering the Indian team a week ago in their nail-biting international ODI series.
"You have already proven your worth ... [India] were confident, but you taught them a lesson. We are looking forward to supporting a fantastic, winning team. As South Africans, we are a winning nation and we will be supporting you until the finals," he said.
Cricket South Africa CEO, Gerald Majola, also pledged to Zuma and Mbalula that the national team will bring glory to the nation.
"We are grateful for the support that we are getting from government and we are hoping that we will bring glory to the nation, that we will bring the trophy to Madiba," he said.
It's tough to call the 2011 ICC World Cup. Both the Indian and South African cricket teams have shown excellent performances in the recent past. It is difficult to forget the series between the two countries, which took place recently in South Africa.
The Proteas have the best players in all departments; they have the best bowlers, batsmen and fielders. This time, they will use every opportunity to lift the 2011 ICC World Cup trophy.
South Africa has been a powerful force in the Cricket World Cup since its emergence from isolation as a result of apartheid. However, a tendency to make mistakes at crucial moments always prevents the team from progressing further than the semifinals of the tournament.
The best Cricket World Cup performances for South Africa include reaching the semifinals in 1992, 1998 and 2007.
The squad competing in the tournament features a good balance of youth and experience, but may be handicapped by the lack of a world class spin bowler capable of taking advantage of the conditions on the subcontinent.
The 1996 Cricket World Cup in Asia saw South Africa brought down to earth with a bump, as the team only managed to reach the quarterfinals before being eliminated by the West Indies in Karachi. At the 2003 Cricket World Cup, South Africa failed to progress to the knockout rounds for the first time.
