Proteas Women captain Laura Wolvaardt admitted that her team’s bowling needs to drastically improve in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup in a few months’ time.
The South African bowlers struggled throughout the summer, three times conceding totals exceeding 300 against lesser batting line-ups from Ireland and Pakistan.
“We weren’t at our best with the new ball in that Pakistan series,” Wolvaardt said in Mt Manganui yesterday, ahead of her team’s series against New Zealand.
Against a side containing newly installed captain Amelia Kerr, who’s been in red-hot form recently, and veterans Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine, the Proteas bowling will be tested in the next few weeks.
A stern examination is exactly what Wolvaardt will want ahead of the World Cup in June, with South Africa facing Australia in their opening match. “There’s been a lot of talk around the issue. Hopefully we know how to rectify it now and can have more of an impact with the new ball in this series,” she said.
The concerns with the ball are multifaceted. Besides the lack of penetration with the new ball, consistency overall has also been lacking. “We bowl well and then have a few loose deliveries in each over. We’d like to hit our straps for longer and really nail on the basics,” said Wolvaardt.
Against Pakistan, South Africa conceded close to eight runs an over in the power play in two of the T20s, taking three and two wickets apiece in those two matches. In the ODIs, the problems were similar, and in one instance they leaked 77 runs in the first 10 overs and claimed just one wicket.
The Proteas used that series to experiment with personnel and played them in different positions. Ayanda Hlubi, still just 21, is obviously a bowler Mandla Mashimbyi and Wolvaardt want to see develop quickly in the next few weeks.
Besides increasing her pace, Hlubi also needs to improve control of both line and length to make her a more impactful bowler in the power play.
For the New Zealand series, the Proteas have been able to call on veterans Ayabonga Khaka and Masabata Klaas, but Wolvaardt needs more seam bowling options.
Annerie Dercksen is another whose bowling needs to improve ahead of the World Cup. One of potentially six all-rounders available for the Proteas, the 24-year-old has all the attributes to be a force but needs to earn her skipper’s trust with the ball.
Wolvaardt said she was blessed to have so many all-rounders on her side — which includes the rookie Kayla Reyneke. “They all do something different. It’s hard to get them into an XI. It’s about finding the right balance to fit them all and who to play in which conditions.”
Dercksen showed in an ODI against Pakistan what she can offer, scoring 90 and taking 3/59 and if her bowling improves, she provides an option in the power play that will be crucial for South Africa.
The inability of the Proteas to penetrate harmed their campaign at the last World Cup in Dubai two years ago. In that tournament, their best performance in the power play came against Scotland, who they restricted to 34/3 in the first six overs.
But in the final, which they lost to New Zealand, they took only one wicket and conceded 43 runs.
The women’s game in the last few years has followed the trend of the men, where the power play is very much the tone-setter for the match. The top women’s sides all have strong batting line-ups, and the Proteas are no exception.
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