Win or bust for Proteas in final pool match today

The Proteas’ mandate for today’s game against Bangladesh in the Women's T20 World Cup at Newlands (7pm) is clear – they need to win to secure a place in the semifinal. 

Two losses and one win so far in the round-robin stages have seen SA in fourth place in Pool A. Defending champions Australia have advanced to the last four as the first team, New Zealand are second and Sri Lanka are third with four points. The Proteas have two points on the board and a win today will see them climb to second place and qualify due to a superior net run rate.

Proteas left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba said the team knows the encounter against Bangladesh is a must-win. “We must bring our A-game out because it’s a must-win,” Mlaba told Sowetan.

“We have to stick to our plans, our batters must make sure they put more runs on the board. I think the bowlers have done well recently. We have to keep things simple as spin bowlers, we must bowl our perfect lines and lengths and make sure the ball doesn’t leave the stumps.”

One of the batters that have been underwhelming for the Proteas is Laura Wolvaardt. She has scored 50 runs in three innings, and is optimistic the runs will come soon for her.

“It’s not nice not to make runs, especially at a home tournament. It's supposed to be a special time for me and not making runs has been frustrating for me. I feel I'm still hitting the ball well in the nets, so I just need to stay calm and trust that the runs will come,” Wolvaardt said at a media briefing. 

“I'm enjoying the opportunity to be at the top of the order and I don't think that's why I have not been scoring runs because most of my dismissals have come after the power play. I'm looking forward to having more opportunities at the top of the order. Hopefully I can make the position mine going forward,” she said.