Proteas women look to continue winning momentum

The Proteas Women head into their second ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 match against England at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday night full of confidence after their commanding 10-wicket win over the West Indies in their opening fixture.

The highly anticipated Group B encounter gets underway at 18h00 local time (16h00 SAST) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport Cricket (Ch. 212).

With an unbeaten 119-run partnership between Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits and Nonkululeko Mlaba's career-best figures of four for 29 against the Windies, South Africa stamped their authority early in the tournament.

However, England presents a different kind of challenge. While the Proteas holds momentum, the head-to-head record between these two sides favours the English, with 19 wins to South Africa's four, alongside one no result. Nevertheless, South Africa will draw confidence from their most recent encounter, when they defeated England by six runs in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Cape Town in February last year, propelling the Proteas to their first-ever World Cup final.

Brits was the star of that match, showcasing her all-round brilliance. She top-scored with 68 off 55 balls, including six boundaries and two sixes, and combined with Wolvaardt for a 96-run opening stand that laid the foundation for South Africa's total. Brits also contributed four crucial catches, earning the Player of the Match award, while Ayabonga Khaka delivered with the ball, taking four for 29 to restrict England in their chase.

Reflecting on the upcoming clash, Brits said: “We’ve got a big game tomorrow against England. As everyone knows, that’s always a tough one, but we don’t want to leave it for the last game. So if we can make sure we win all of the games, of course, that would be ideal to make sure we guarantee that spot in the semi-final.”

The partnership between Brits and Wolvaardt will once again be key, having continued their remarkable form from the semi-final in their opening game of this year’s World Cup. Brits spoke about their growing synergy at the top of the order, saying, “After the World Cup, we’ve realised each other’s strengths and weaknesses. When she’s maybe in a bit of a hole or taking a while to get her strike, maybe I calm her down or vice versa. Sometimes she gets to the flying start, which allows me to get myself in.”

Playing in Sharjah brings its own challenges, with the pitch expected to play slower than the one in Dubai, where South Africa faced the West Indies. Brits noted, “We watched that game (England vs Bangladesh). I think that wicket seems even slower than the Dubai wicket that we actually played on, so we took that into note. And of course, being at night, I heard the lights might be a bit of a struggle.”

England are known for their strong bowling attack, particularly their spin options, but the Proteas are well-prepared. “If there’s no pace on the ball, it makes it very difficult to reach the boundaries. And some of the fields are a bit slower as well, so typically that’s the best way to go. But because of that, we are prepping for that, so I don’t think there’s a lack of that preparation,” Brits explained.

The powerplay will be a critical phase in the match, and Brits emphasised the importance of being aggressive early on: “The powerplay is our main thing. I think in any team, if you can be very aggressive in the powerplay, being only two fielders out, I think you stand a good chance to get to those 140-150s.”

As South Africa aims to secure back-to-back wins in this year's tournament, their sights are firmly set on a place in the semi-finals. A win over England, a team they know well, would further cement their position as one of the top contenders in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024.

Proteas Women Squad - ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 (United Arab Emirates):

Laura Wolvaardt (Captain) (Fidelity Titans), Anneke Bosch (Fidelity Titans), Tazmin Brits (DP World Lions), Nadine de Klerk (World Sports Betting Western Province), Annerie Dercksen (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers), Mieke de Ridder (Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers), Ayanda Hlubi (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Sinalo Jafta (DP World Lions), Marizanne Kapp (World Sports Betting Western Province), Ayabonga Khaka (DP World Lions), Suné Luus (Fidelity Titans), Nonkululeko Mlaba (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Seshnie Naidu (Hollywoodbets Dolphins), Tumi Sekhukhune (DP World Lions), Chloé Tryon (DP World Lions) 

Traveling Reserve

Miané Smit* (Recon Tactical Free State)  

*Uncapped 

Fixtures - ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 (03 - 20 October)

Monday, 07 October @ 16h00 SAST: 2nd Match: England vs South Africa (Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah)

Wednesday, 09 October @ 12h00 SAST: 3rd Match: South Africa vs Scotland (Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai)

Saturday, 12 October @ 16h00 SAST: 4th Match:  Bangladesh vs South Africa (Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai)

Thursday, 17 October @ 16h00 SAST: Semi-final 1 (Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai)

Friday, 18 October @ 16h00 SAST: Semi-final 2 (Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah)

Sunday, 20 October @ 16h00 SAST: Final (Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai)