Big boost for Proteas ahead of clash with World Cup hosts, New Zealand

The Proteas women head into one of their toughest challenges of the ICC Women’s World Cup when they face hosts New Zealand on their home turf in their clash in Hamilton on Thursday morning (match starts at 3am).

It has been a solid start to the competition for the Proteas with three wins, including against current 50-over world champs England in their last outing, however they have yet to fire on all cylinders.

All three games were close results, with the first two against Bangladesh and Pakistan expected to be easy wins, but despite their struggles the team have importantly picked up the win each time and will be looking to do the same as they chase that perfect performance against New Zealand.

“Holistically we haven’t played the kind of cricket that we have been playing over the last year and a half. I think if you look from the first game to the third game we have had batters and bowlers in different situations to win us the game,” admitted Proteas coach Hilton Moreeng.

“Collectively as a unit in all three departments we haven’t fired as we would like to, especially by our standards. So we would love to get to a situation where all three departments are firing, but in the World Cup it is very tough and you don’t always get the ideal game.

“But we are working towards that and as long as you improve in every match and get the win, which is the bottom line, that is all we can ask for.”

Batting conditions

One of the main struggles in the tournament for many of the teams so far has been getting enough runs on the board, with most batting departments struggling to get into the par score region of 250-260 runs expected on the New Zealand wickets.

“All the teams want to get off to a good start, but at the end of the day it comes down to the conditions. They haven’t allowed the players to play the way they want to and the bowlers have been bowling well in these conditions and using the lengths well,” explained Moreeng.

“Hence the batters have been struggling to get the kind of starts that you would expect from a tournament of this magnitude. So credit must go to the way the bowlers have been bowling in making sure that they keep the batter honest.”

With such a short turnaround since their win over England on Monday, the Proteas have been taking it easy and resting the bodies ahead of the New Zealand match.

Shabnim Ismail

Strike bowler Shabnim Ismail meanwhile has been cleared to play after picking up a niggle in the England game – a big boost for the team.

“We have had three tough games and that required a lot from the ladies, so I think what has been important is to make sure they have recovered well,” said Moreeng.

“We are now playing the home team on their home turf in conditions that they are used to, so we have just been making sure everyone is fresh and ready for tomorrow.

“She (Ismail) is available for selection. It was just precautionary regarding what happened and the medical team have been dealing with it. But she has been given a clean bill of health and is good to go.”