Dubai, Oct 21 (UNI) South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt was left disappointed as her side fell narrowly at the last hurdle for a second consecutive time when losing the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to New Zealand on Sunday.
The Proteas failed to chase down New Zealand’s lofty total of 158/5 in the title decider at Dubai International Cricket Stadium and were forced to settle for another second-placed finish following their runners-up effort behind Australia on home soil last year.
Wolvaardt admitted post-match that the Proteas were surprised by the fast start that the White Ferns made with the bat, as top-order performers Suzie Bates and Melie Kerr in particular scored freely within the opening Powerplay to put South Africa on the back foot, an ICC report said.
“I think we probably let them score a bit too many with the bat,” Wolvaardt said.
“They came out with some real intent and I think it sort of caught us on the back foot a little bit,” she said.
“We thought we could sort of ride it out hopefully score a wicket or two but they sort of just kept going and rotated (the strike) really well,” Wolvaardt said.
“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,” she said.
“After the Powerplay we had with the bat we thought game on but yeah just lost a bit of momentum outside the Powerplay,” Wolvaardt said.
Despite the loss, Wolvaardt was still able to put on a brave face after the match and was quick to point out the positives from their campaign.
Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits finished the tournament as the two leading run-scorers, while only Kerr picked up more wickets at the event than Proteas spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba.
The fact South Africa were able to reach the final for a second consecutive year was also a positive for Wolvaardt, who is looking forward to seeing what her team can produce in the coming years.
“It’s obviously disappointing, but I think in hindsight, we still came second in a tournament with 10-odd teams so we still had a pretty good tournament,” she said.
“There are a lot of positives to reflect on. A younger group as well, so to be able to make the finals with a younger group I think is very promising, so there is definitely a lot to look forward to,” Wolvaardt said.
“I can’t wait to see what we do in the next couple of World Cups. Reaching two back-to-back finals as well shows that we’re doing something right,” she added.
