The SA team have lost to England in the semis at the last two editions of the 50-over World Cup.
South Africa are not allowing past defeats against England to affect them when they turn out in their semifinal clash against the former champions at the Women’s Cricket World Cup in Guwahati on Wednesday.
At the last two editions of the ODI World Cup, the Proteas lost to England in the penultimate round. In 2017 they were edged out by two wickets in a narrow encounter, and in 2022 they were thumped by 137 runs.
And in their first match of the league stage at the ongoing tournament earlier this month, the Proteas were handed a 10-wicket hiding against the Lionesses.
However, top-order batter Suné Luus said the SA side were not looking for revenge as they set their sights on the playoffs after finishing third in the standings in the first round, one point behind England.
“Those semifinals happened a very long time ago. It’s just another semifinal for us,” said Luus, who has scored two half-centuries in six innings at the ongoing World Cup.
“No matter who we’re playing, I think we’re just focused on getting through the semifinal playing good cricket.
“Hopefully it will be our best game yet so we can get momentum into that final.”
Bouncing back from latest loss
In their last game of the opening round, the Proteas were crushed in a convincing seven-wicket defeat to Australia at the weekend.
But Luus insisted they did not need a fire to be lighted beneath them, as they were hungry to reach the 50-over World Cup final for the first time, and they were ready to hit their straps.
“Obviously it was not our best performance, but we don’t need extra motivation going into the semifinals,” she said.
“South Africans are very resilient in our own way, we know what we’re playing for, and everyone is really excited.”
Despite losing to England in their tournament opener, Luus said the Proteas were confident of hitting back.
“It’s a semifinal. It’s completely different to the start of the tournament. That game feels like months ago, and we’re really focused on the semifinals coming up,” she said.
“We’ve obviously kept a close eye on England throughout the tournament and how they go about their business. They’ve kind of kept the same lineup for the whole tournament, so I don’t think there should be any surprises in terms of what’s coming.”
