SA braced for under pressure Windies in Women's World Cup

South Africa will be braced for their most determined opponents yet when they take on West Indies in a Women’s World Cup match in Leicester on Sunday.

The Windies lost their first two games‚ against Australia and India‚ and another defeat would put them on the brink of first-round elimination.

South Africa beat Pakistan by three wickets with an over remaining in their first match‚ and their game against New Zealand was washed out.

Going into Saturday’s fixtures‚ South Africa were fourth in the standings with the Windies third from bottom.

South Africa beat the West Indians by six wickets in a warm-up game last Thursday‚ but that carried little import now that the pressure was on.

“We played quite well against them in the warm-up game‚ but that doesn’t count‚” South Africa stalwart Mignon du Preez said.

“They’re a very strong team and competing to make it all the way.

“Sunday’s game is the one that’s going to matter‚ so we need to make sure we rock up.”

The Windies will want their batsmen‚ in particular‚ to rock up.

South Africa dismissed them for 63‚ and they were bowled out for 204 and 183 by Australia and India.

“We have batsmen all the way down but it’s a matter of players getting in and staying in and valuing their wickets‚” off-spinner Annisa Mohammed said.

“We need to relax and keep believing in ourselves. We need to find a way somehow to relax and recuperate and believe we are great players.

“I keep saying to the team that people think we are a great T20 team but this is the same team that helped us qualify automatically for this World Cup‚ so we can win 50-over games as well.

“So we need to keep believing in ourselves and go back to what worked for us over the last three or four years and pull everything together.”

Mohammed is right in that the Windies won the WT20 last year.

But‚ as Du Preez might have told her‚ in cricket terms last year is about as far from Sunday as last Thursday.

- TimesLIVE