(ICC)- South Africa’s first appearance at this year’s ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup did not go to plan.
They were bowled out for just 69 by an English attack that gave the Proteas batters all kinds of trouble.
Captain Laura Wolvaardt’s dismissal was the first wicket to tumble, setting the tone for a painful contest. England’s onslaught was relentless, completing the demolition in under 21 overs. Four English bowlers picked up multiple wickets, bested by Linsey Smith’s 3/7 off four overs.
Intrigue now surrounds South Africa’s ability to bounce back quickly, ahead of their meeting with New Zealand in Indore on Monday. Wolvaardt remains optimistic about their tournament chances, chalking down their capitulation as ‘one of those days’.
“We just didn’t apply ourselves well enough with the bat,” she said post-game.
“I think (England) bowled really well, I think there was a lot of swing around early, I think Linsey Smith was excellent with the new ball, I think it was just one of those days with the bat where top order failed and middle order failed on the same day. I think we are much, much better than 69 all out. I think as a group, we just need to put it behind us as quick as we can and move forward, because if we’re going to take that into the next game, it’s going to be a very long tournament for us.”
Wolvaardt maintains that there weren’t any warning signs, as they prepared for the tournament, to suggest a first-up showing like that.
“You can’t really fault our preparation,” she continued.
“I think our plans were decent. I think we try to cover all bases in training. Yesterday, me personally, I was super specific in my training … I’d already planned which guard I would take and what my options were and what my strong options were (for each bowler). So, to have that soft dismissal today was very disappointing with all the preparation that we had put in. It’s definitely not a lack of prep.
“I think we need to just park this game as quickly as we can.
“I think each and every one of us know that we are much better than ’69 all out. I think we individually want to score more than ’69. So, it’s just a day that we need to forget as quickly we can and really move on and keep doing our processes, keep sticking to our preparation for the next game.
“Not the ideal way to start the tournament, but I do think that we have shown some resilience with the bat in the last 18 months and I’m sure that we will bounce back and come back better in the rest of the competition. The opportunity that we have to possibly make semis and a final and win a tournament like this is absolutely amazing for all those young girls back at home to see us play on the global stage.
“We still have six other games to play. Still a lot of time to rectify it. Obviously, you want to start the tournament with a win. It’s never nice losing your first game. But parking (the loss) and moving going forward as quickly as you can onto that New Zealand game is what we’re going to have to do.”
New Zealand is also coming off a first-up loss, drawing reigning champions Australia in their first appearance at the World Cup. Having both faced tournament heavyweights, both the Proteas and White Ferns will enter the contest well acclimatised to fierce competition, setting up for an intriguing showdown.
