‘World Cup nerves’ played role in Proteas’ opener, coach praises Khaka

The Proteas women are aiming to keep improving as the World Cup continues after they were pushed hard by a game Bangladesh side in their opening win of the tournament on Saturday.

With the Proteas the second ranked ODI side in the world they were expected to make easy work of the sixth ranked Bangladesh team that was making their World Cup debut.

However, it ended up being closer than expected with the Proteas eventually sealing a 32-run win, to make sure they started on a positive note.

Coach Hilton Moreeng is not worried about the performance, particularly of the batters after they struggled to post a good score, and believes that they will grow into the competition.

“It is not a concern but more of a frustration because we know what these players are capable of. It is an area that we have identified and we are working on to make sure we improve,” Moreeng explained about the batting.

“Your first World Cup game is always a tough one and I think there were a little bit of nerves. But the important thing was to get the job done and now we can work on and improve on where we struggled.

“We have been playing a positive brand of cricket recently, but in this match we were a bit on the sloppy side and I think once the nerves started settling we got back into the game.”

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After Bangladesh got off to a good start in their chase the Proteas were grateful to pace bowler Ayabonga Khaka who then stepped in and took the first three wickets, eventually finishing as the player of the match with superb figures of 4/32 in her 10 overs.

“Ayabonga compliments this bowling attack perfectly and is one of our unsung heroes. No matter what surface she gets to bowl on, she can adapt. We are very proud of her performance and she deserves all the accolades,” said Moreeng.

A boost to the team ahead of their second match against Pakistan on Friday could be the return of batting star Lizelle Lee, the current ICC Women’s ODI batter of the year, who is out of late quarantine due to family commitments and is available for selection.

“It’s a World Cup so if we feel she’s ready she will play,” admitted Moreeng.

“She has been training in between the time she’s been at home with her family and we will assess how she goes in the week. Knowing the player she is, she is a very competitive cricketer and will want to jump straight back in.”