Luus lets rip to steer her side home in Barbados
Take away a team’s most fiery bowler and their trusted wicketkeeper‚ who are also two of their most experienced players‚ and send them on tour with four uncapped players in the squad‚ and see how they do. If that team are SA‚ just fine‚ thank you.
At least they were in Barbados on Sunday when SA beat West Indies by 40 runs in the first match of their Women’s Championship one-day international series. And that with Shabnim Ismail at home to be with her ill father and Trisha Chetty out with a back injury.
Ismail has had 156 matches for SA and Chetty 175. Only Mignon du Preez has played more ODIs for the side than Chetty‚ and only Du Preez has more T20 caps than Ismail.
But‚ with Suné Luus scoring 58 in a total of 201/9 and Marizanne Kapp taking 3/14 to help dismiss West Indies for 161 in 46 overs‚ SA won by 40 runs.
Luus last reached 50 in an ODI 11 innings and two years ago. Where has her form been?
“I’ve been doubting what I’ve been doing for a while now‚ but I worked hard to get through that‚” she said in Bridgetown. “It’s good to see the rewards.”
The second match is at the same venue on Wednesday‚ and should SA win they will claim the rubber. “The first win is important. The momentum is on our side now‚” Luus said.
Victory on Wednesday would move SA up to sixth place in the Women’s Championship standings. They have won just three of their seven games in the competition and are seventh out of the eight competing teams with two games in hand.
The top three teams‚ along with hosts New Zealand‚ will crack the nod for the 2021 World Cup, leaving the rest to fight it out in a 10-team qualifier for the remaining four places.