Suné ready to cut Luus and win Women’s World Cup trophy

THE confidence with which Suné Luus, outlines the South African team’s goal for the Women’s World Cup illustrates a new found self-belief that’s flowing through the team.

“Definitely, we are going there to bring that cup home,” she says, with no hint of a smile nor a moment’s hesitation.

“We say it every World Cup, but this year, everyone believes we are going to do it.”

That’s an important step

pictured,

for any elite athlete – believing they can achieve something.

For the South African women’s team it was an element that was missing for many years, but as a younger generation, led by 21-year-old Luus, comes to the fore and relishes challenges against the biggest names in the game, so that belief grows.

Luus, named the SA Women’s Cricketer of the Year last weekend, has self-belief in spades.

Added to that there’s a very high level of skill in her chosen craft – leg-spin bowling – while her batting has improved markedly in the past year.

In that period Luus was also named in the ICC Women’s T20 team following last year’s World Cup in India, and included in the ICC Women’s ODI side.

Performing consistently – a genuine bugbear of coach Hilton Moreeng and skipper Dané van Niekerk – is being addressed within the team.

“We changed something at the beginning of the year,” says Luus. “We have a small WhatsApp group which all the girls are on.

“We changed the name from ‘the Momentum Proteas’ to ‘Train like champions’ and that’s really what we did. We really worked hard this season, every girl put in the effort, even in the gym. At this World Cup we’ll perform more consistently.”

Luus’s overall ODI record is outstanding; she’s taken 67 wickets in 42 matches (average 18.94). She’s already picked up three ‘five-fors.’

Last season started quietly for Luus as she struggled to make an impression against New Zealand in a seven-game series which South Africa lost 2-5 with Luus claiming just four wickets.

However against the current