Proteas women’s star Andrie Steyn is pleased with the team’s ability lately to succeed under pressure.

The Proteas were involved in a couple of tight T20I results against Sri Lanka earlier this year – and another this week in the opening ODI against the same opposition.

Andrie Steyn is impressed with the way the Proteas women have begun emerge victorious from their recent close-finishing matches in this year’s inbound tour against Sri Lanka.

‘It’s a never-say-die, don’t-panic, fight-to-the-very-end type of cricket that we have started to play, and it’s really pleasing that we have come out on the winning side of all the close games that we have found ourselves in lately,’ said Steyn.

‘Dané van Niekerk talks a lot about our attacking brand of cricket and we are living it, not only when we bat and bowl, but in our fielding as well. I think we’ve learned a lot in the past when it comes to pressure situations.

‘We’ve learned not to panic because in the past we would sort of fold in situations like that, and that’s the senior players stepping up now, but not only that, the juniors seeing that example being set and following.’

Steyn shared a telling 117-run partnership with captain and centurion Van Niekerk in the first ODI in Potchefstroom. She eventually struck 75 to the skipper’s 102.

‘I think we executed our plans really well. I really enjoyed batting with her, she definitely made me calm down a bit when I was close to my 50. I was a little bit nervous there, but it was really fun batting with her,’ added Steyn.

‘I remember I was on 48 and she just said to me to work really hard on the two. We were really trying to spur one another on, and knowing that there was someone out there trying to work through the same rough patches as you was nice.’

Photo: Gallo