Proteas Women’s coach Hilton Moreeng says his side have exceeded expectations by reaching the World Cup semi-finals.

The Proteas have dominated in England with both bat and ball, demolishing opposition and reaching the knockouts with a game to spare.

Dane van Niekerk has been a focal point of South Africa’s recent performances, leading the wicket-taker standings with 14 scalps in the tournament.

The skipper has also been instrumental with the bat, helping her side claim a vital victory against India by scoring a half-century and taking a four-for.

Despite also picking up wins against Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka, the Proteas suffered a 68-run defeat against England and saw their match against New Zealand end in a no result.

Moreeng applauded his side for how far they have come and their hard work throughout the tournament.

‘A round of applause goes to the ladies and the way they handled themselves. When we came here, no one expected anything from us,’ said Moreeng.

‘If you look at the way we started the World Cup, we had a jittering start against Pakistan and we’ve been getting better as we’ve gone along.

‘Yes, we were disappointed with our loss against England, but a lot of lessons have been learned.’

The Proteas’ next opponent will truly test their spirit and ability when they take on the defending champions, Australia, on Saturday.

‘They are the best team in the world at the moment and we got them in the warm-up game, which was a tough day for us,’ Van Niekerk told reporters on Wednesday.

‘We just have to tighten up our middle overs, we generally start off really well when we get some wickets upfront. We know that will be crucial, because they have a very good top order and they bat deep.

‘We are quite excited, it’s always good to play against the best and play competitive cricket.’

The Proteas take on Australia in Somerset on Saturday at 11:30 SAST.

Photo: Jan Kruger-IDI/IDI via Getty Images