South Africa target key win against India to stay alive in T20 World Cup
Batting coach Andrew Puttick says tomorrow’s clash is a must-win as the Proteas Women aim to avoid relying on other world cup results.
Though it is not a do-or-die game, Proteas women’s team batting coach Andrew Puttick has labelled Sunday’s T20 World Cup fixture against India in Manchester a ‘must-win’ for South Africa.
The Citizen reports that, so far, the Proteas women’s team have lost to Australia and beaten Pakistan and will not want to rely on other results going their way to progress at the tournament.
“It’s a high-pressure game on Sunday, it’s a must-win,” said Puttick ahead of the clash, which starts at 15:30.
“If we want to make our lives easier, we need to put in a good performance and hopefully that leads to a W.”
Puttick, though, added that he wanted the players to play with freedom.
“We want the girls to go out and put their best foot forward, and not be afraid. They must be clear in their roles and what they need to do.
“It’s a big game (on Sunday) but this is why one plays world cups. Everyone’s excited.”
Building partnerships key for Proteas
The South Africans have struggled so far at the tournament, being comfortably beaten by Australia and narrowly edging Pakistan. Puttick said building batting partnerships was key to a better performance and success tomorrow.
“Our batting performance (against Pakistan) was adequate. We needed to win the game, which we did. But we didn’t have the partnerships to make it a smooth chase.
“We need those partnerships, especially in the middle overs, so we can take things into the death overs and hopefully get a good score,” said Puttick.
Spin challenge expected in Manchester
Another dry wicket is expected in Manchester, which will likely bring more spin bowling, something the Proteas, like all teams, have faced throughout the tournament.
“We’re likely to get up to 16 overs of spin (on Sunday),” said the former Proteas test opener.
“We need to plan and prepare well again, but we’ve already had a game here (against Australia) and have an idea of what to expect.
“Like everyone, with regards to spin bowling, you just have to put in some time and thought into how you go about batting. It normally means hitting the ball hard and flat into the spaces and running well.”
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