The Proteas are focused on just one thing and make some history and beat Australia in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup pool match at Gqeberha on Saturday night (7pm start).
This is a very important match, as a win for the host nation would keep the fate of progressing to the semi-finals of the competition in their own hands, while a loss would mean they would have to rely on other teams to do so.
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After losing the tournament opener against Sri Lanka, the Proteas bounced back decisively with a big win over New Zealand and will now try to do what they have never done before, and beat Australia.
Despite the fact that a loss against Australia could mean that progress towards defeat could come down to net run rate, that is not something the team is worried about, as they aim to win.
“Some coaches may be watching, but for the players, we are very focused on every game. If we get a win tomorrow (Saturday) and we win on Tuesday, the net run rate will not be a problem,” Proteas captain Sune Luus said.
“So the focus for us is just in every game that comes. The task ahead is Australia and that’s what we focus on.
“If you look at the previous game against Australia, it was close. I don’t think they’ve ever run away with a game against us, which gives them a lot of confidence.
Firing on all cylinders
If they want to have any chance of beating the defending champions and pre-tournament favourites, the Proteas will need to fire on all cylinders in all three departments of batting, bowling and fielding.
The bowler will have to play a crucial role as he tries and tames the formidable Australian batting line-up.
“We have a world-class batting attack and a world-class bowling attack and we are taking on a world-class team. So I think tomorrow will be a very good clash,” said Luus.
“There’s no reason for us to back down. The only way to beat a team like Australia is to fight them and that’s what we’re going to do.
“The pitch looks amazing. It’s got a bit of grass and it looks nice and hard. They have a great bowling attack with some top pace bowlers and so do we. So I think it’s going to be a good contest.
“We also have to see how the pitch will play in the lights. It might be skidding a bit faster. So I think the bowlers will have an important role in the match.
The Proteas batting department has also failed to fire so far in the tournament, with below par efforts against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, but Luus believes that it will take only one great effort to get them, especially in the match that they have to do. at.
“We can certainly pull off (a strong batting performance). I think the top three haven’t fired as much as we want and we all know the ability they have. So it’s just one innings to gain momentum,” explained Luus.
“So tomorrow is another opportunity for him to fire up and play the aggressive cricket that he wants to play and knows that Australia will play.”