Many captains would fear facing England in their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 opener but Dane van Niekerk certainly isn’t one of them. Instead, the South Africa skipper is relishing the task – nearly three years on from when the Proteas were denied a place in the Women’s Cricket World Cup Final by Heather Knight’s side.
The two meet again at the WACA on Sunday, with Van Niekerk thrilled to have the chance to call upon all her key names for the first time since they went to England. “I think the last time we had a full-strength side was in 2017 and we did really well there,” she said.
“So hopefully that counts in our favour and we still have to play really good cricket and stay true to the brand of cricket we want to play.”
Van Niekerk added: “You have to hit the ground running in your first game and what better way to face England in the first game. We know how crucial the game is and if we can get one up on them it will make our road to the semis much easier.
“It’s nice to be back up there in the order with Lizelle Lee. She’s been phenomenal for us up the order hopefully she can come good, she hit a century at the WACA not long ago and I asked her if she could channel that again.”
Saturday’s double-header of matches were the first WT20Is to be played at the WACA, but Knight’s England are far from going into the unknown. Coach Lisa Keightley was formerly in charge of the Perth Scorchers in the Women’s Big Bash League while star all-rounder Nat Sciver took her place in the squad.
As 50-over world champions, they also enter the Women’s T20 World Cup with confidence but, with India beating Australia in the opening match, the captain knows they can’t take anything for granted.
“Lisa has brought a lot in terms of how to be successful at the WACA,” Sciver said. “They don’t actually play a lot of games under the lights there because of the time difference. So that’s something that will be something different that we will need to adapt to and making sure that we communicate that very clearly as a side when we’re out on the pitch and adapting to the conditions in front of us.”
The England all-rounder added, “In the context of the tournament any team can win it, T20 can be quite a fickle game. We aren’t too worried about what’s going on in the other group – our main job is starting well and trying to get out of these group stages. I think there’s match winners in every team at T20 you only need one or two match winners to win a game.”
Chetty out for revenge
Trisha Chetty says South Africa will be keen to avenge past shortcomings when they meet England.
Memories of facing England on the global stage are far from fond for the Proteas, having lost to them in both of their recent semi-final appearances - first at the 2014 Women’s T20 World Cup before missing out on a 50-over final to the eventual champions in 2017.
But 31-year-old Chetty, who was on the losing South African side on both occasions, believes her side are stronger than ever and will be able to enact revenge at the WACA.
“England have always had the upper hand against us,” she said. “They’ve beaten us in two World Cup semi-finals across the two formats now so we’re determined to start the tournament on an improved note against them.
“We’ve always had a fierce rivalry in cricket and I think that will make it a fantastic first game. We’re managed to get our strongest line-up back up and firing and we’re really excited to show what we can do.”
And Chetty’s ambition doesn’t stop there - beating England is merely one small step for South Africa towards their goal of reaching their maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final.
Success may have eluded the Proteas so far, who have failed to reach the knockout stages in five of its six editions, but Chetty is desperate to put an end to that run and write her side’s name into the history books with victory Down Under.
“We’re not here to just participate, we’re here to win the World Cup,” she added. “It’s a big event - probably the biggest event women’s cricket has ever had. We want to bring in big attendances in Australia and bring the trophy home.
“Success would be lifting the trophy at the end of the tournament. We can’t worry about what’s happening around us, we have to focus on what we’re doing.
“South African sport is on such a high now and we would love to contribute to that by bringing the trophy back with us.”
(With ICC inputs)
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!