Proteas Women’s captain Laura Wolvaardt has turned her attention to England, saying the pressure is on the home side ahead of their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final at The Oval on Thursday.
The Proteas edged into the semis after Australia beat India in the last group match, whereas England have sailed through unbeaten into the knockout stages.
Equally, the hosts will have the support of a virtual capacity crowd in South London, urging them on to push for a place in Sunday’s final, where arch-rivals Australia lie in wait after beating the West Indies in the first semi.
“Super excited to play tomorrow (Thursday). I think I know it’ll be a pretty sold-out crowd supporting the opposition, so it’ll be a nice challenge for us,” Wolvaardt said.
“Getting to play the hosts in a tournament is always pretty exciting. I think they’ll have a bit more pressure on them with all of that support, so hopefully we can put together a good game of cricket.”
England received a major boost on Wednesday with skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt being passed fit for the all-important semi-final.
Sciver-Brunt has missed three of England’s matches since retiring hurt in the second group game against Ireland, but has now recovered from her calf muscle injury.
Wolvaardt admits that the Proteas’ challenge has become tougher due to Sciver-Brunt’s availability, but believes her team will be up for the task.
“As a captain, it’s always hard to plan for her. I think she’s a world-class batter and is able to hit really weird areas. And setting a field is quite hard for her,” she said.
“I think we’ll just have to prep well. Hopefully we’re able to keep her quiet and we’re able to come out on top tomorrow.”
LIKELY PROTEAS TEAM
Laura Wolvaardt (captain), Tazmin Brits, Annerie Dercksen, Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk, Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba
Start: 7:30pm (SA time)
