Advertisement
KEEPING UP WITH TRISHA CHETTY: The T20 World Cup diary
Trisha Chetty debuted for SA against New Zealand in 2007 in the shortest format and has played 82 WT20Is. She has featured in four World Cups for the Proteas but was ruled out of the first women’s World Cup on African soil owing to a recurring back injury.
Chetty will nevertheless be keeping a close eye on her teammates as they chase silverware. She talks about the Proteas’ making history by reaching a maiden home semifinal, dealing with the ‘chokers’ tag and swapping PlayStation for beach sessions.
Thursday, 23 February – England again and Wolvie goes viral
With the Proteas having made history by qualifying for their first-ever home semifinal, I flew down to Cape Town and am staying at the same hotel as the team. Yesterday we went on an outing to Camps Bay beach, had lunch on the strip and enjoyed the setting.
The mood in the camp is positive having beaten Bangladesh. The girls are excited to have qualified for the semi-final but we weren’t at our best against Australia. Our batting hasn’t come together as yet but, in my last piece, I said we needed partnerships and Wolvie (Laura Wolvaardt) and Tazzo (Tazmin Brits) delivered in that regard against Bangladesh. The pair took the responsibility and finished the game by securing a 10-wicket victory. I feel it's important to take the positives and move into the semi-finals.
Post-match at Newlands, Wolvie had a funny moment at her press conference when she was looking around the room for a journalist who asked a question only to be told that his question was via Zoom! That video is now everywhere on social media and I saw Nonkululeko Mlaba shared it on Instagram with laughing emojis. Wolvie is quiet off- field but is also really funny and, as the video proves, is a great character to be around.
SUNNY 100 NOT OUT AND BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD
The Bangladesh match was also special for captain Sune Luus, who reached the 100 T20I milestone. To play a century of games for your country is always an achievement. It’s also an honour and privilege, so I’m sure it will be a match for her to remember. Pre-match, the tradition is usually to get someone you look up to present you with a shirt with ‘100’ printed on it. When I played my 100th ODI for the Proteas I didn’t get my jersey presented to me at the time but was later given a framed one which was quite a special moment. Sunny, as she is nicknamed, is still young and growing every day and with each game. She is definitely going to be in the Proteas team for a long time to come and will be able to share her knowledge with the young players within the set-up.
COMING TO TERMS WITH THE ‘CHOKERS’ TAG
Ahead of the England game, the ‘chokers’ tag will be thrown around on social media. While the girls will be a bit nervous, I don’t think it will really affect them. They have unfinished business and I feel this is the one they’re going to take home. The ‘chokers’ tag is just a label and while I’m sure it does affect some of the girls, it shouldn’t because if you keep dwelling on the past, it’s going to happen again. It’s in the Proteas’ hands and they can change history by making the final and banishing the semifinal heartache.
Wolvie described our loss against England in the 50-over World Cup last year as “our worst performance at the tournament” and a “mental lapse”. I fully agree and don’t know what happened in that semifinal to be honest. The cricket we played in the group stages didn’t showcase itself in the semi-final. It was definitely a mental block in that semi-final against England but hopefully everything changes this tournament. We are playing at home, so the girls have a real point to prove and a lot to show to the country.
ENGLAND BOAST AGGRESSIVE BATTING STYLE
In terms of England, they are quite aggressive when they come in to bat. Their batting style is to go all guns blazing from ball one. I think their brand of cricket comes with pros and cons because there is always a chance of getting those wickets if you’re going to be so aggressive. England have their strategies marked down but our girls have also done their homework, and know what to do against England whey they take to the field.
We didn’t maximize the power-play against Bangladesh and the girls recognised that they were a bit slow. It’s going to be crucial to be more aggressive upfront and, for me, the first 10 overs are crucial. If you can maximize the power-play and then have the likes of Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk come in and finish the game, it’s the answer.
I had never seen Newlands from a spectator’s point of view and it’s amazing. Watching cricket at Newlands Stadium is on another level. In terms of being on the field, playing at Newlands is a very rare opportunity because most of our games are on the highveld.
PLAYSTATION BATTLES ON THE BACKBURNER
Playing in Cape Town is something to take in when you have the opportunity, and enjoying the scenery is an added benefit. I usually see the girls engrossed in PlayStation battles – Chloe and Lara Goodall are the best – but Cape Town is a lovely place, so I haven't seen them getting competitive on the consoles while I’ve been here.
For the Proteas to prevail, I feel it will need to be more of a team effort. It will be important for us that our batting comes into play because our bowlers have been doing a good job thus far. Mlaba has been great for us and Nadine and Chloe will be key down the order. But if everybody pitches in just a little, I think it will be a different story…
If I had to pick three key performers for England, I would say Sophia Dunkley, Nat Sciver and Danni Wyatt. Dunkley played a magnificent innings the other day and is back in form, Sciver is someone who always performs with the bat and ball and Wyatt found some form in the other game and can be very destructive at the top of the order.
Advertisement