Women Proteas eye semis
ANOTHER STEP: PROTEAS READY FOR SRI LANKA TEST
South Africa and New Zealand are joint fourth in the table.
With a place in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup still theirs for the taking, South African captain Dane van Niekerk insists team confidence is at an all-time high as they prepare for their next challenge.
That comes in the form of Sri Lanka at The County Ground in Taunton today, with Inoka Ranaweera’s side still searching for their first win of the tournament.
The Proteas, in contrast, have three victories to their name, the latest coming in a 115-run triumph over India on Saturday – a game in which Van Niekerk took four wickets and hit a half-century.
South Africa are joint fourth with New Zealand in the points table, but trail the Kiwis on net run rate, with the top four teams qualifying for the semifinals.
While Sri Lanka are yet to get their tournament up and running with points on the table, Van Niekerk admits her team is in no doubt of the battle that lies in wait.
“This tournament is still anyone’s to win. I said it at the start, you’re never quite safe.
“We know how good they are, and we’re not going to go out there underestimating them. We are going to go there to play our best cricket, the way we have been playing and our brand, and hopefully that is good enough to get another two points,’’ said Van Niekerk.
“The game against India was immense for our confidence first of all, and then the momentum going into the next two games.’’
Sri Lanka come into the game on the back of a 47-run defeat at the hands of the West Indies at the weekend and while it has already been confirmed they will be heading home at the conclusion of the pool stage, the team are optimistic they won’t leave without a win.
Batswoman Chamari Athapaththu says the team have already pinpointed areas for improvement, and are determined to put practice into play.
“South Africa are a good team, they have two or three fast bowlers, but we have played a lot of cricket against them, both home and away,” said Athapaththu.