South Africa began their ICC World Cup campaign at the same venue, and co-incidentally against the same opponents, and were humiliated by a 10-wicket margin after being shot out for a meagre 69.
File Photo: IANS
On the eve of the crucial ICC Women’s World Cup semifinal against England at the ACA Stadium here on Wednesday, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt insisted on being in the right mental state as she believed both teams will be under a lot of pressure in the knockout fixture.
South Africa began their ICC World Cup campaign at the same venue, and co-incidentally against the same opponents, and were humiliated by a 10-wicket margin after being shot out for a meagre 69. While the team moved on with commendable grit to string together narrow but vital wins over New Zealand, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, they once again faltered in their final group stage match against Australia, but Laura exuded confidence in her side’s preparation ahead of the semifinal.
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“It’s definitely not a skill thing. So I think most of our discussions leading up to tomorrow have just been about making sure that we’re in the right mental state to play the game, really believing in our preparation, really trusting in our skills and what we’ve done before. I think we know as a group that we are really talented and that if we just stay calm out there tomorrow, we have a really good chance of winning,” she said at the pre-match press conference.
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“I think they’re under a lot of pressure as well. Everyone is in a semi-final. So, yeah, I think it’s whoever is able to handle that the best and just keep focusing on the positives that we’ve done right throughout the tournament,” she added.
“So yeah, I’m looking forward to the challenge, and hopefully we’re able to learn from those semi-final victories that we’ve got and maybe stay a bit calmer under pressure,” she said, referring to the earlier semifinal wins they managed at the T20 World Cups.
For the Proteas, the clash goes beyond settling scores with Charlotte Edwards’ side after their October 3 defeat, it’s a chance to end their semifinal heartbreaks against England from the 2017 and 2022 ODI World Cups.
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