Johannesburg — Saturday’s improved performance, albeit one that ended in defeat, has lifted the spirits in the Proteas camp and given reason for optimism ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
There was finally a performance in which the batters, especially openers Lara Goodall and Anneke Bosch, played with greater intent and displayed more self-belief, but even with that improvement, it was still evident that more can be done.
“The mood is still very good in the camp, we are enjoying each other’s company and we are having a lot of fun off the field,” said Goodall. The mood of course hasn’t always been so lovely. The shock retirement of Lizelle Lee not only caught Cricket SA and her teammates off guard and robbed the side of a potent attacking threat, but was difficult for those players who’d spent a lot of time playing alongside Lee to come to terms with.
Results on the field have been poor. South Africa hasn’t won a match against England, and until Saturday the margins between two sides in the limited overs matches was big. “There are girls in that dressing room who were part of South African teams that used to lose every single game. A lot of the younger players are feeding off the senior players’ experiences and how to get through the tough times,” said Goodall. “It can’t always be sunshine and roses. That’s part of being a professional athlete.”
The tour has been a humbling experience for some of the younger players, who’ve only recently emerged on the international scene and for the most part known success.
Lee’s retirement, Marizanne Kapp returning home for family reasons and the poor run of form for captain Sune Luus have added to the challenges for the younger players.
Goodall has had to acclimatise to a new role in the T20 side, something she wasn’t expecting. Until the Ireland leg of the trip, Goodall had played just 13 T20 Internationals since making her debut in the format in 2016. She played all three matches in Ireland, and the two against England, but it was only Saturday that she started batting with any real authority.
“It's the field being up at the start (in the power play), I’m not used to that,” she said about the biggest adjustment she’s needed to make. “I’m used to coming in against the spinners, which is my strength. Now I have to start against seamers. I’m getting the hang of it, I’m learning through the highs and the lows.”
Rather than rush, as she attempted to do in the first T20, Goodall, following coach Hilton Moreeng’s instructions, gave herself a chance to get set. She took 15 deliveries to score her first boundary, but the acceleration from there is evident in that she finished with 42 off 34 balls.
“Ideally how we played Saturday, is how weant to set up the innings, we’ll get it right some days and get it wrong on others,” said Goodall. She and Bosch, who made 61, provided a strong base for the innings with their opening stand of 102, but the last few overs of that partnership saw the scoring rate slow, putting pressure on the players coming in. Bosch said afterwards that both had decided to accelerate the scoring from the 10th over onwards, but found it difficult to do so.
“There is a lot for us to work on, we have to do it regularly in T20 cricket. There are a few things we can iron out as individuals,” said Goodall.
Rather than feel downbeat after another defeat, Goodall implied that players were looking forward to Monday’s final T20 International, and want to continue the improvements they showed at the weekend. “It would be nice to go into the Commonwealth Games with a win under our belts. One win and one good performance can turn our fortunes around,” she said.
Monday’s match starts at 7.30pm.
@shockerhess
IOL Sport