Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Our hearts can’t take another close semi – Sune Luus
IN the annals of sport, choking is a common phenomenon. It is one of the elements that make games worth watching.
In a South African cricket context it’s more the reason for not watching, especially when major ICC tournaments come around every other year.
Truth be told, it’s the Proteas male species that have actually exhibited this trait and with it brought heartache and despair to the nation.
However, the Proteas Women’s side have endured their own traumas with three gut-wrenching semi-final defeats over the last few years imprinted on their playbook.
The fundamental difference, of course, is that the ladies were the underdogs then and were not burdened with the expectation to win. They were still welcomed as heroines upon returning from their epic battles despite their ultimate defeats.
All that has changed though in 2022 as the 12th edition of the ICC Women’s World Cup in New Zealand is about to get under way with the Proteas, who are No 2 on the ICC rankings, now listed as one of the favourites to win their first World Cup.
“I don’t think that (being favourites) adds any pressure to our team. I don’t think we see it like that and don’t carry it around with us. I think everybody is just taking it one game at a time. We’re not putting any extra pressure on us,” said captain Sune Luus, who is leading the team in the absence of the injured Dane van Niekerk.
“There is natural pressure on us because it’s a World Cup, so we’re not going to add any extra pressure on us. I think we’re just taking the confidence from that into the World Cup.”
Many high-performance sports teams, including the Proteas Men’s side, have sought out mental conditioning coaches to prepare for such high-profile events. Luus indicated that they have not collectively undertaken this process, but have individually taken the initiative to leave no stone unturned in their quest for glory in New Zealand.
“We never worked as a team with a mental conditioning coach, but individually most of the girls did. It was basically about taking the pressure in and then playing with that and not letting that get you down too much or take away from your performance,” Luus said.
“There has been a lot of pressure in the past and we didn’t always handle it well. I feel like we have been through three big semi-finals now and I don’t think our hearts can take another close semi-final. If we get to the semi-finals stage again we are going to make sure we push through even if it’s the last thing we do, so we’re going to give our best to make it through to that final,” she added.
The Proteas begin their World Cup preparations in earnest with a warm-up match against India tomorrow.