Chloe Tryon says the Proteas want to “put the foot on the accelerator” when they take on India in their final league-stage match of the Women’s World Cup in Christchurch on Sunday.
The day-night match will get under way from 3am SA time and be broadcast live on SuperSport Grandstand.
Following a rain-abandoned clash with the West Indies in Wellington on Thursday, which resulted in a point for both sides, the Proteas sealed second place on the log – and a semi-final spot – behind Australia, the only team to beat them in New Zealand.
Tryon says her team will not be taking the foot off the gas despite the comforts of securing qualification with a game to spare.
“It’s very vital [qualifying early]. You obviously don’t want to leave it up to the last group game, so I’m thankful that despite the weather, we still got the point.
“It makes it a little bit easier going into the India game. We can be a little bit focused on specific skills and making sure we are ticking off a couple of boxes that we haven’t tweaked together really well.
“It’s going to be really important that going into the India game, we still put the foot on the accelerator and make sure we get momentum going into the semi-final and I think we are on track to do that.”
Before the World Cup, the Proteas enjoyed five consecutive ODI series wins to help them rise to second in the ICC rankings. That run included a historic 4-1 series success in India, where Lizelle Lee and Shabnim Ismail shone with bat and ball, respectively.
Overall, India have won 15 of the 27 matches between the two sides, with South Africa coming out on top in 11, while one match ended in a no result.
“Winning a series in India is really tough,” said Tryon. “The way the team approached it was really good.
“I was unfortunate not to be there, but I watched the games and saw the grind and the graft the girls had, batting hard in tough conditions. It was always important to win a series like that.
“We know India are a competitive team, so we have to be on top of our game to win this game and take momentum into the semi-finals.”
Permutations:
If the Proteas defeat India, they will most likely set up a semi-final bout with defending champions England, who will wrap up their league-stage campaign against debutants Bangladesh on Sunday, while also confirming the West Indies’ involvement in the last four.
If India beat the Proteas, net run rate will determine whether South Africa face India or England (if they beat Bangladesh) in the semi-finals.
Photo: John Cowpland/AFP via Getty Images
