South Africa’s captain, Laura Wolvaardt, expressed her disappointment following her team’s defeat to New Zealand in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final on Sunday. This marks the second consecutive year that the Proteas have finished as runners-up, having lost to Australia in last year’s tournament held in their home country.
Wolvaardt said her team was surprised by the excellent start of New Zealand, particularly by openers Suzie Bates and Melie Kerr, who were able to score freely in the Powerplay. “I think we definitely allowed them to score too many runs with the bat,” she said, stating that their fast-paced approach put South Africa at a disadvantage early in the game.
She went on to say, “They stepped up with some real goal, and I think it sort of put us on the back foot a little bit,” in reference to New Zealand’s batting performance. The White Ferns maintained the pressure by skillfully alternating the strike throughout their innings.
Wolvaardt also mentioned, “I think they had a really good last five or six overs where they really pushed that run rate, and we were perhaps a bit off.” After the Powerplay, South Africa had expected to gain momentum, but they struggled to capitalize on their chances. She noted, “After the Powerplay we had with the bat, we thought game on, but yeah just lost a bit of momentum outside the Powerplay.”
Despite the setback, Wolvaardt maintained a positive outlook on the tournament, highlighting the accomplishments of her team. Both she and Tazmin Brits emerged as the leading run-scorers of the tournament, and only Nonkululeko Mlaba, the Proteas’ spinner, took more wickets than Kerr during the event.
Looking at the results for the year Wolvaardt expressed that it is a success already, to be able to go to the finals for two successive years. She said, “It is certainly disappointing but if you look at it, in a tournament where there are around ten teams, we played very well.” She pointed out that there are several factors that are favorable as they move forward.
She believes there’s hope for the future, stating, “There are many positives to consider. We have a younger group, so reaching the finals with them is quite encouraging.” Wolvaardt shared her enthusiasm for the team’s future prospects.
Expressing excitement for upcoming competitions, she said, “I’m enthusiastic to see what we achieve in the next few World Cups. We’re on the right track seeing that we made it to two consecutive finals.”
