Proteas Women assistant coach Salieg Nackerdien is impressed by the team’s 137-run warm-up match victory over the Barbados Cricket Association Women Select XI, but believes that there is always room for improvement.
The tourists racked up 222-4 in their rain-affected, 33-overs-a-side match. Sune Luus top-scored with 86 runs from 91 deliveries (six fours, one six) while other meaningful contributions came from captain Dane van Niekerk (48 off 43 balls), Mignon du Preez (36* off 18) and Laura Wolvaardt (29 off 39).
The Barbadian team’s reply was restricted to 85-8 thanks to Masabata Klaas (2-13) and Zintle Mali (2-18) who spearheaded the attack and returned two wickets each.
Coach Nackerdien says he saw a lot of improvement from the team’s last tour against England, but there are always areas in which players can work to get better.
‘I’m very, very pleased with the way we went about our batting, the intent that we showed, it’s always very important to set the tone up front especially after we lost Lizelle Lee quickly,’ he commented. ‘That is good momentum that we can take into the first ODI. It was also nice to be outdoors and in a game situation after we’ve been practising for two days now in the nets.
‘Areas that we can improve on is running between the wickets, especially when we’re hitting the boundary riders. We can definitely turn our twos into threes, but I must also say that we’ve improved massively in terms of getting off strike quickly and that was pleasing to see.
‘From a bowling point of view, the extras are a bit of a concern, but that can be addressed along with the bowlers’ personal game plans. They did well today in unaccustomed heat and heavy humidity. All in all, it was a good day out.’
South Africa’s first ODI match against the West Indies will be on Sunday, 16 September, giving the visitors another two days of preparation. Nackerdien believes that the side will be firing from all cylinders by then.
‘There’s still a lot to do in the next two days, we don’t want to get complacent after a win like this. The team has been working really hard, the players are focused and they want to have a good tour. If we can work on the areas that need improvement and we play to our full potential, we’ll be a very tough team to beat,’ he concluded.
