The Proteas Women have edged closer to making the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup by winning their last three games, but there is still much room for improvement.
Though allrounder Chloe Tryon was pleased South Africa have emerged on the right side of some tight games, she admitted they needed to work on certain aspects.
The Proteas loosened their grip on Bangladesh after keeping matters tidy for the first half of the Tigresses’ innings in Visakhapatnam on Monday.
From 73 for two after 25 overs, they let Bangladesh escape to 232 for six on a tricky surface.
South Africa managed to chase that target down thanks to Tryon (62), Marizanne Kapp (56) and Nadine de Klerk (37 not out), but they did so with only three balls and as many wickets to spare.
Had Bangladesh held on to some crucial catches, the result would likely have been reversed.
Aware of the good fortune they had, Tryon said the Proteas needed to be more patient with the ball in hand.
“I think we were really good in the first 20, 22 overs, we were really tight,” Tryon said.
“I think we then went searching a lot more for wickets than we should have. We just needed to create more pressure and wait for that release.
“It’s something we can change heading into the next game. We have got a big game against Sri Lanka in Colombo, and we know what they bring. We just need to be a little more disciplined in that aspect.”
SA are now third on the log, and their forgettable performance in the opener against England is now a distant bad memory.
The Lankans in Colombo on Friday will provide another tough assignment but also an opportunity to edge closer to a performance that will satisfy them.
“We have still got a long way to go in this competition. We haven’t played our perfect game yet, but we’re slowly getting there.”
If De Klerk, Kapp and Tryon continue their form, that ideal performance will not be too far away.
“I’ve been taking that responsibility coming in to bat early in the India game and today as well,” Tryon said.
“Myself and Marizanne just spoke about taking it as deep as we could and just tick it over. We knew we had time on our hands and that we had Nadine at the back end.
“We didn’t want to bring her in too early. So, we kind of went low risk and still chipped away at the runs as much as we could. I’m just happy we’re still finding ways to get over the line.”
And what of handling the pressure situations?
“We like the challenge. We like the pressure. Nadine thrives off that, and Masabata Klaas came in and made it look nice and easy. It’s about taking responsibility for the team.”
The Herald
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