Proteas ‘keen to get going’ at Women’s T20 World Cup
· Citizen
Eager to go one step further than they have done in the past, the Proteas are not getting ahead of themselves, but captain Laura Wolvaardt says they believe they can lift their first global title at the Women’s T20 World Cup in England.
Nearly three weeks after arriving in the United Kingdom, Wolvaardt said the national squad had adjusted to the conditions and were ready to face top-ranked Australia in their opening match of the tournament in Manchester on Saturday (3.30pm start).
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After playing two training games against Australia during a camp in Arundel, the SA team beat Ireland by 15 runs in a warm-up match before being edged in a five-wicket defeat to New Zealand earlier this week in their final warm-up fixture, with the White Ferns winning with just two balls to spare.
“I think warm-ups are just about spending a bit of time out in the middle, so we’re not too fazed about the results, but I think there were some things in the New Zealand game we felt we could have done a bit better with the ball,” Wolvaardt said.
“I think we were in a position to probably win that game and then let it slip a little with the ball, so that was a bit disappointing, but I think it led to some productive chats over the last few days.
“Sometimes it’s good to have a game like that pre-tournament just to wake you up a little bit before the real thing. We’ve spent a bit of time in these conditions… and I feel like we’ve been here for quite a while so I’m keen to get going.”
‘We still have that belief’
Though she admitted they needed to be at their best from the start as they geared up to face six-time champions Australia, Wolvaardt was confident the Proteas could step up in the latter stages of the tournament, provided they reached the play-offs.
The SA side reached the final at the last two editions of the Women’s T20 World Cup, but they lost on both occasions, and they were hoping to make history if they qualified for the trophy decider again.
“It’s a long tournament and anything can happen in T20 cricket, so we’re trying not to think too far ahead,” the skipper said.
“We’re just taking it one game at a time, but we still have that belief that we really can do it if we find ourselves in that position again.”