Agency :South Africa are “not going to choke” in their World Cup quarter-final against Sri Lanka, according to captain AB de Villiers.The Proteas have never won a knockout match at the World Cup, but De Villiers says history will have no bearing in Sydney today (Wednesday).”We can’t focus on what happened back in the day,” said De Villiers, 31.”We’re just going to play a good game of cricket tomorrow and come out on top. Simple.”South Africa won four of their group games as they qualified for the last eight as runners-up to India in Pool B.South Africa have reached the semi-finals three times in the six World Cups since their reintegration in 1992 following a 22-year sporting boycott of the country during the apartheid era.Those semi-finals appearances – in 1992, 1999, and 2007 – were achieved by qualifying for the last four through a round-robin group format.De Villiers said: “I personally haven’t put a lot of emphasis on what happened in 1999 and 2003, and 2007.”What’s important is we are playing in the quarter-finals of the World Cup on Wednesday.”Sri Lanka batsmen Kumar Sangakkara, 37, and Mahela Jayawardene, 37, will retire from one-day international cricket after the World Cup.The pair, second only to Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in the all-time ODI partnership list with 5,890 runs, were both on the losing side in the 2007 and 2011 World Cup finals.Jayawardene was captain when Sri Lanka were beaten by Australia in Barbados eight years ago, while Sangakkara was in charge in 2011 as Sri Lanka lost to India in Mumbai despite a brilliant 103 off 88 balls from Jayawardene.Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said: “Hopefully we can make it an historical one by winning tomorrow (Wednesday) and going into the semis again.”Hopefully we can go to the final and win there and make it historical for two legends.”South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis has recovered from the back injury that kept him out of the 146-run victory over the United Arab Emirates. Rilee Rossouw or Farhaan Behardien is likely to make way.Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who has a finger injury, is rated by Mathews as “50-50”.Herath, 36, split the webbing between two fingers on his left hand attempting to take a catch in the win over England on 1 March and missed Sri Lanka’s final two group matches against Australia andScotland.Mathews himself has recovered from an Achilles strain and will be fit to lead the side.
