The SA women are aiming to reach a 50-over World Cup final for the first time.
Captain Laura Wolvaardt says her most important role today will be trying to keep the Proteas team calm under pressure, as they look to keep their title hopes alive in their semifinal clash against England at the Women’s Cricket World Cup in Guwahati (11.30am start).
While England have lifted the World Cup trophy four times, South Africa have never reached the final, and Wolvaardt believed keeping the nerves of the players under control would be key to securing victory.
“I think the calmest team out there will most likely win,” Wolvaardt said yesterday.
“Fifty overs is a very long time and it’s very easy to let the pressure of a semifinal get to you, but I think it’s still just a game of cricket. There will be ups and downs within the game and I think the team that sort of rides those waves the best throughout the 100-over game will come out on top.
“So I’ll just be trying to keep everyone calm. We obviously have our plans in place, so we’ll try stick to those as best we can. I think we’re really well prepared as a group, and it’s just about trusting and believing in that preparation we’ve done.”
‘We have a really good shot’
Despite being crushed by England and Australia in the league stage of the tournament, the SA team won five of their seven games, and provided they were at their best, the skipper was confident they could progress to the final.
England also won five of their round robin matches, though they finished one point ahead of South Africa in the table after one of their fixtures was rained out without a result.
“I think we’ve had a great tournament so far. As a group we’re really just trying to focus on the positives, sticking to our game plans and doing what we do best,” Wolvaardt said.
“If we just keep playing the way we have, we’ll have a really good shot at winning this match.”
Bavuma sends message of encouragement
Meanwhile, Proteas men’s captain Temba Bavuma wished the women’s side well ahead of the crunch playoff encounter.
The men’s side had also never reached a World Cup final in the ODI format, and Bavuma hoped the women would be able to take a big step forward for SA cricket.
“I think it would add so much to South Africa’s story, both from a cricketing and sporting point of view,” Bavuma told SuperSport.
“As a country, we’ve really been doing well, and seeing the women reach that point would only strengthen our legacy.”
