The Proteas Women batters stepped up to the plate in the team’s emphatic seven-wicket win over the Sri Lanka Women in their Women’s World T20 match opener at Gros Islet.
‘Couldn’t fault the girls today. Shabnim [Ismail] and [Marizanne] Kapp gave us a pace bowling clinic,’ said a proud Proteas Women skipper Dane van Niekerk after her side had beaten the Sri Lankan Women.
The one downside to their performance was the number of extras the Proteas Women conceded, which added 24 runs to the Sri Lankan score – almost a quarter of their final total. The Proteas sent down a total of 19 wides, which has proved a recurring problem for their world-class bowling attack.
‘Honestly felt like the extras were pretty shocking. Sounds harsh but 20-30 extras makes it difficult in a high-pressure tournament,’ said Van Niekerk.
‘I think I went from a 100 to 0. I hit the ball well initially but struggled a bit in the end. It was just nice to have the batsmen finishing the job for the bowlers,’ added the Proteas skipper, who took 1-7 off her three overs before scoring an undefeated 33 to guide her side to victory alongside veteran batter Mignon du Preez.
‘I think the South Africans bowled well in the powerplay, especially Shabnim and Kapp,’ said Sri Lanka’s captain Chamari Atapattu. ‘We needed 120 on this pitch, 100 was not enough to defend. We did well towards the end, but couldn’t get 120. Our bowling started very well but unfortunately, we couldn’t get Kapp’s wicket.’
The Proteas’ next match is on Thursday against the tournament hosts, the West Indies Women, at Gros Islet.
Photo: Matthew Lewis-IDI/IDI via Getty Images
