Wicketkeeper-batter Sinalo Jafta expects SA’s game changers to step up against England in their Women’s World Cup semifinal in Guwahati on Wednesday (11.30am).
After some encouraging results where they picked up five wins in a row over New Zealand, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the Proteas slipped to 97 all out against Australia, who eventually won by seven wickets to finish top of the table.
The win saw the Aussies book a spot in the other semifinal against India in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
For the South Africans, the defeat resurrected the nightmare of their opening-round capitulation to England, during which they were dismissed for 69.
Jafta said the team had felt the pain against Australia.
“Yeah, to lose like that, it does hurt,” Jafta said after the match.
“If it doesn’t hurt, it doesn't mean anything. I think, for us, it’s a time to just reflect.
“I mean, these are great opportunities to actually get better.
“We are always chasing that 1% as a team.
“We are facing England [next] and we obviously played them in the first game, and it didn’t turn out the way we wanted.
“But I think going into that match, we know exactly what to do. We’ve prepped.
“No game like this makes us a bad squad. It’s just to home in together.
“The culture has been brilliant. So, we’ve got that bouncebackability.
“I mean, we’ve proved it right before, so what’s stopping us from doing it again?“.
And to hit straight back in the do-or-die affair against England, Jafta hinted that the SA’s big guns would need to be up for the occasion.
“There’s nothing better than a playoff game.
“I think for us as a team is to just assess the conditions.
“We’ve been to Guwahati before and it’s just about going out there and expressing.
“We’ve seen positive cricket. I In this team, we’ve got game winners.
“Anyone on any given day can put up their hands. And I think going against England it’s a good time for that to happen”.
One facet which will need scrutiny from the camp is the ease with which Aussie leg-spinner Alana King sliced through their batting line-up in taking seven wickets for 18 runs.
“Alana is a really intelligent bowlerJafta said.
“I think she knew exactly where to land the ball.
“Kudos to her. She bowled fantastically well. I think we can just play and not think too much.
“If we just go forward, play straight, we should be good.
“A lot of times we played with a cross bat and we have seen in these conditions it doesn’t work.
“Going going into the playoffs we must have a clear mind about what we do.”
The game had been in the balance when King was handed the ball, but from 43 for two SA slid to 97 all out.
Her first four wickets came before conceding a run.
“I expected it to slide on a little bit with the drizzle. I was just happy to extract as much as I could out of the wicket,” King said.
“As a bowler, you always love wickets.
“I can play a different role. If that is holding down one end, and then the other bowlers coming on to take wickets.
“I was trying to give it a rip every ball. Some are going to hit the leather and slide on, some will hit the stitching and seam, they might spin.”
The Herald
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