Lee stands and delivers
“THE quicker it comes quicker it goes.”
That is the Proteas opener Lizelle Lee’s simple philosophy to batting, along with a healthy portion of “baked beans and sausages” for breakfast.
It was certainly a winning recipe for Lee on Saturday, with the powerful right-hander smashing a blistering 92 off just 65 balls (10x4, 7x6) to power her team to a 115-run win over India at the ICC Women’s World Cup.
The victory was crucially important in the context of the push to the semi-finals, with South Africa involved in a fiveway bun fight with defending the champions Australia, England, New Zealand and India for a place in the last four.
The Proteas, having already had their match with the White Ferns washed out and been defeated by England, desperately required a win over one of their main rivals. Lee’s pyrotechnics display upfront, along with captain Dane van Niekerk’s half-century towards the back-end, ensured South Africa took two points off a team they have encountered quite a bit in recent times.
“We have played against them a lot of times now,” Lee explained. “That just made it easier for us, and helped me in my game today. The pitch also did not do much, which helped.
“We knew from the beginning that we needed at least 270 on the board. At one stage when we were batting, 300 was on target for us, but then we had a bit of a collapse. Dane then had one helluva innings and we ended on 270-odd.”
The pair were seen practising their “power game” together, and the extra hours certainly reaped dividends with Lee punishing India’s much-vaunted spin attack.
“It was a few days back; she (Van Niekerk) said she wanted to go to the pitch and try to hit the ball straight. I said I wanted to join,” Lee said.
“In the first few balls, I just tried to hit at as hard I can, and I missed. Power-hitting is about knowing you still have to keep your shape when you are doing it.
“It isn’t about the power, it is about the timing. We have worked on it, and it shows. They (spin bowlers) bowled a bit faster. The faster the better for me. I don’t mind it, the quicker it comes the quicker it goes.”
South Africa should have a relatively easier ride when they face Sri Lanka on Wednesday, although the Proteas cannot let any form of complacency creep into their game.
They will need a minimum of at least one victory from their final two matches to progress to the semi-finals and will not want to be faced with a must-win situation when coming up against the Aussies.