SA women want a winning finish
LUUS: IMMATERIAL WHO THEY GET TO FACE IN THE SEMIS
The Proteas women are targeting a winning finish to the pool stages of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup when they take on India at Hagley Oval in Christchurch tomorrow morning (3am start).
It has been a successful campaign for the Proteas so far, securing second spot on the log and a place in the semis with a game to play, however they will want to win their last pool match against India to take momentum into the knockouts.
After winning their first four matches in the tournament, the Proteas suffered their only loss so far – against Australia on Tuesday – before their match on Thursday against the West Indies was washed out.
They will thus be keen for a big performance to give them plenty of confidence ahead of next week’s semifinal and a possible final.
“We are very excited to have made the semis, it’s a World Cup so how you get into the semis doesn’t really matter as long as you get there. As a unit we are very happy,” said Proteas captain Sune Luus.
“It was disappointing not to get in a game (against the West Indies), but I think our bodies needed an extra bit of recovery before our game against India on Sunday [tomorrow], so we will take that extra rest.”
Despite the fact that they have secured second place on the log and a spot in the knockouts, the Proteas still have a big part to play in the final standings with the West Indies, England and India all battling it out for the final two semis spots.
The West Indies are currently third, but have completed their pool games, meaning both England and India can pass them if they win their final pool matches against Bangladesh and the Proteas respectively.
“I think it’s just motivating to get another game. We didn’t get a chance to rectify some of the things we didn’t do well against Australia (because of the washout against West Indies),” explained Luus.
“So I think for us Sunday [tomorrow] is all about tweaking a couple of things, getting our minds ready for that semifinal and gaining some momentum for that.”
Although they will only know their semifinal opponent after tomorrow’s match, Luus admits the team doesn’t have a preference.
“I think all the teams are quality and every game is going to be hard-fought, so we don’t have a preference who we would like to face in the semis.
“We are preparing for both teams and obviously having India [tomorrow] will give us a good indication on whether we get them in the semifinal,” said Luus.